Graduation and Gifts

This past weekend we got the chance to go see my little sister officially graduate.  It was fairly typical pomp and circumstance, although the school president was exceptionally long winded and boring.  The commencement speaker, Pete Correll was pretty funny.  He spent his first 5 minutes talking about how he was so proud that the class of 2010 helped bring UGA back to its rightful place atop the rankings, and that while he was there every year they were number 1 so it was good to see them back as the #1 Party School.  He admired the sacrifices, long nights etc. that it took to get this prestigious ranking back.  It was very humorous.

After the ceremony, some pictures, which again I don't seem to have at this time, we went to take some more pictures.  And then off to the important part, LUNCH!  We went and had yummy Peruvian food.  I, oh course, had my favorite, Aji de gallina, most of the rest of the crew had lomo saltado, and for some weird reason Lu ordered a chicken quesadilla which isn't Peruvian at all.  But oh well it was yummy.

A few more photos and then we parted ways.  Lu and I were off to the lake house.  Her whole family was coming down cause Saturday was the extended family Christmas party.  We were the first ones there, and we tried to stay up till they got there but we ended up going to sleep and seeing everyone in the morning.  after a very relaxing day spent doing mostly nothing, off we went to the party.  Dinner was yummy as usual, and as tradition dictates we had Christmas lasagna, and spaghetti, (no they aren't italian but everyone was tired of having ham and turkey at thanksgiving and then again a few weeks later)  the lasagna was great, we took some home (we then forgot to actually bring it back to ATL with us...  whaa whaaaaa)

After dinner and desserts, we exchanged gifts, you know the game where everyone brings a gift and then in order you can unwrap one or steal someone's...  well I chose to unwrap one, got some 180's ear muffs and no one else stole them so I was happy.  Lu got a snowman salt and pepper shaker set.  Not a whole lot of thievery happened but when it did it was definitely amusing to see the reactions.  Lots of fun.

Had a great weekend.  and when we get the pictures off the camera I will try and post some.

Looking forward to a great christmas holiday and seeing both families.

Blessed...

So no real pictures to post.  Just happy to share that God is blessing us and me specifically. I got a promotion at work and am now a Sr. Analyst.  I am so very thankful that I have this opportunity to face some new challenges and new responsibilities. It has been very humbling by the support and recognition from my co-workers and my bosses.  I am truly blessed.  Excited to share what God is doing in our life and the excited for the new opportunities that this will afford me.  I will have more project management and development of tools and lots more working with other managers and Sr. managers.

So just a short post but excited to share the news.

Blogger Fail!

So this weekend had some great events that would be awesome for the blog, and you will be able to read a little more about them shortly, however, we failed miserably to take any pictures for evidence of said exploits, hopefully I can find some pictures from others to steal and put on here.

We were invited to the first little kids birthday party (of what I am sure there will be many more). Thankfully it wasn't weird that we didn't have a child to bring to the party. It was a lot of fun to watch the birthday boy and his other 2 year old friends run around playing and hopped up on sugar. A few highlights: About halfway through the gift unwrapping, another 2 year old comes over to help, and proceeds to steal the gift and run off with it. At least 2 if not more of the 2 year olds figured out where the cupcakes were and got an extra one, however, they left the icing evidence all over their faces, then denied having one. All in all it was a lot of fun. Being around that many kids under the age of 3 was definitely interesting and amusing. I laughed a lot.

Next on the party list was Lu's office Christmas party.

Here we are in some of our nicer party duds. There is a guy at the office who every year just takes photos and then they get printed out and given to/emailed to those who want them. Pretty cool. The party was at the Trolley Barn in Inman Park. Neat old building, a few interesting HVAC choices which of course were pointed out by the mechanical engineers in the room, kind of funny actually. The food was ok, the best was the ravioli from the pasta bar, with the pesto alfredo sauce. The office band played about 8 or so songs. For some reason Lu kept getting called on to come dance, but we stayed hidden. Then decided to dance later when the DJ was playing. In retrospect we wished we had danced to some of the earlier songs, they were more fun or more our style. Had a great time mingling and talking with her co-workers, it was a fun event, and they do a good job each year. Last year was families, this year was adults only.

Although it was adults only, there was one guy who brought his older sons, they might be highschool/college age not sure. It was funny/creepy though watching them enjoy themselves and check out the ladies from their dad's office. Kept thinking they would actually try to hit on them, I imagined them using some amazingly awful pickup lines and then laughing at themselves. anyway it was fun and I enjoyed spending time with my wife and her co-workers. She looked lovely as you guys could see.

Like I said wish I had more pictures to share, but alas could just find one so far. Until next time.

What to say...

Sometimes I find myself debating about saying something and not. I used to not put much thought into my words. Thanks to a close friend who challenged me on that I have come to realize how much damage I can do by not putting some thought to my choice of words. Now over time, I can't help but wonder if maybe I have gone too far in the other direction. Now in an effort to make myself clearly understood I can at times take too much time thinking and then the moment for a response is gone and the conversation has moved on. Or if I do say something I might reiterate my point several times to ensure that my message was understood as it was intended. This annoys some people, since I tend to be extremely detail oriented and point out the exact meaning I intended, which can sometimes spill over into over analyzing what others are saying.

Well the whole point of starting this blog was to talk about the times when I am not sure I should speak up. When I am thinking if I should open my mouth, I wonder; "Is this something that they need to hear?", "How will they react?","Have I earned the right to say something to this person or is our relationship not there yet?","Will it build them up spiritually, even if it hurts emotionally?", "Am I wanting to say something because it is really me who has a problem, yet I want to point out their's?", "Do I clearly understand all the facts or is my perception of the situation off base?". There are so many more questions I can go through.

Does anyone else do this type of thing? Do you find it to be a good or bad thing if you do it?

Just Curious.

Fox Thanksgiving

So here we are, already in December and I am finally posting about Thanksgiving. As with most families around this time of year we did our best to get with both sides of the family. Wednesday night we drove down the lake to hang with Lindsey's family. Yummy pulled pork sandwiches were devoured. The next morning, after enjoying a leisurely breakfast and time spent watching the parade together, we were off again. This time to Lawrenceville for lunch with my Dad's side of the family. In total there were 26 people/little people there.

That is us with my parents. Had to steal these pictures from family cause we didn't bring our camera or even think to take many pictures at all. It was great to see family, many of whom we hadn't seen in a long time, and really some we had but for less exciting reasons. As you can see Dad was there, he even got to eat some real thanksgiving food so that was fun. His favorite of course is the hershey cream pie. :)

The highlight of the day was that our family on this side is moving on to the next generation. We had 3 two-year-olds there! We are really spoiled though because all three of them are adorable and super well behaved. It was our first chance to meet Finley (left). But great to see Ellie (center) and Allyssa (right) too. Super fun to just watch them interact and then also watching all the adults, read grandparents/parents of the two year olds, work super hard to get cutesy pictures of the three of them together. I think this was the closest they got. :)

Friday wasn't nearly as exciting for me, I had to work, but fear not, Lindsey and her mom and sister braved the throngs of shoppers and went out to buy things. I luckly still got home in time to watch the Iron bowl with my father in law. His team didn't win, but I think we all enjoyed hanging out.

Saturday after a short shopping trip which I am sure we will post about later, we, Lindsey, sister Bari and I went up and hung out with my parents for the tradition of watching the UGA-GT game. We didn't win, although the team played pretty good. Couldn't get past the turnovers though and ultimately that really cost us the game more than just a missed PAT did.

All in all a great holiday. Hope everyone else enjoyed theirs. Oh and by the end of it, thanks to Lindsey being crazy awesome planning things, we are done Christmas shopping. How are you doing with yours?

"How to ruin Oatmeal" by Lindsey

Lately I've been taking some oats into work and making oatmeal for breakfast. It's been yummy and filling (and good for me I think). Well this morning I totally destroyed them. First I put way too much hot water in my mug of oats. They are more than soupy, they are watery. I'd have to drink them or figure something else out. So I decide to put them in the microwave to try and "boil" the extra water off. Well, 1 minute was waaayy to long. My oatmeal bubbled over the mug, making a nice mess in the office microwave. So I cleaned that up and my oatmeal was WAY too hot to eat (I may or may not have burned my mouth). Then it cools down and it's like a gummy, chewy oatmeal blob.

I'm too hungry not to eat it, and I don't like wasting food, so I ate all my oatmeal gum-blob.

So, it's useful to actually measure the amount of oats and water that you use, and DON'T put them in the microwave for too long!

The End. :)

PS - I like my oatmeal plain with a some salt (is that weird?). Brian does not like his oatmeal that way, so we're trying to find other ways to cook oatmeal to his liking. Does anyone have any suggestions??

A future and a HOPE - 7 Days of Hope - Day 7

One of the Hope2Africa camp traditions is that at each day's conclusion we form a large circle and every person shares something that they are thankful for from that day. There is often a good bit of laughter and occasionally tears as words of gratitude to Jesus are spoken. During one such circle, Ziyanda gave a powerful message of thanks. She told us that prior to joining Hope2Africa she would wake up each morning without any purpose. She felt as though her future was empty and she had considered suicide. She explained
that she was thankful for Hope2Africa and how she has learned that Jesus has a future for her and that this is filling her present up with HOPE.

For the past seven days we have opened a window for you to peer into the lives of some of the youth; to get to know who they are, to feel their joys and hurt for their sorrows.

So what are YOU going to do about it?

1- Pray for Hope2Africa. We are looking for people who will pray for us year round. Will you join us? If you would like to be on our prayer warrior list please email becky@hope2africa.com

2- Donate your Status (Facebook or Twitter) What will YOU do for the youth of South Africa? Help us reach them with the Love of God to tell them He has a Hope and a future for their lives. Invest in the next generation of African leaders. www.hope2africa.com

3- Spread the word - Talk! Share our ministry with your coworkers, family and friends. Help us spread the what the Lord is doing through Hope2Africa. You can help us reach more African youth.

4- Please get involved - Please ask the Lord what He would have you to do in the way of giving. You can donate funds anytime on our website www.hope2africa.com

At the conclusion of our first Hope2Africa Masi camp the youth told us "everyone says 'thank you from the bottom of our hearts' but we mean it even more so thank you from behind our hearts"

For taking this journey with us, thank you, from behind our hearts.

Faith HOPE and Love - 7 Days of Hope - Day 6

Neliswa has a smile that can light up a room and a personality big enough to fill it. She is better known as Giggles which describes her perfectly! A year and a half ago, Neliswa gave birth to a son. At the age of 18 she entered the world of single-motherhood. She had not completed high school. She wasn’t married to her son’s father and he is currently in prison. Neliswa was a girl looking for love and who had settled for a cheap imitation. Thankfully, her story doesn’t end there. Through our encouragement, several of the Hope2Africa youth began to reach out to Neliswa, to invite her back to church, to include her in Bible Study and through their kindness Neliswa began to learn of the great depth of God’s love her. Her path will not be easy, she knows this full well, but she is confident in the love Jesus and because of this, she has HOPE...

Neliswa (left) and Ziyanda

Siphesihle is a quiet handsome young man with a gentle demeanor. He lives in an 8x8 shack that he shares with his Grandmother Jemima. She has taught him the value of gratitude and while his deep voice may not often be heard, when he does have something to say, it is worth listening to. On one such occasion he shared with us the following, “Some people say God has abandoned Africa. There is so much hurt and diseases, things I do not understand; but then I see the beautiful things and remember the story Jesus told about a candle shining brightest when it is set out high in a dark room. Hope2Africa is that candle shining Jesus’ light to Africa.” Siphesihle’s faith cannot be contained in his tiny shack and because of this, he has HOPE...

Siphesihle and his Grandma

Vuyo is our Hope2Africa Masi Director. He has lived in Masi most of his life. Vuyo was a member of our first Hope2Africa team and he stepped into the leader role as a volunteer. We were confident that God had brought Vuyo to lead the Hope2Africa Masi team and in November 2008 we offered him the position. He gladly accepted and when we gave him his first stipend (he is paid monthly) tears filled his eyes. He shared with us that he had believed for many years that God was going to allow him to serve in ministry vocationally but up until that day, he never could have imagined it actually happening. He was overwhelmed by the faithfulness of God and because of this, he has HOPE...

Larry and Vuyo (right)

Today we ask you to pray and ask the Lord - what can YOU do?

1- Pray

• Ask the Lord to send many prayer warriors to Hope2Africa. Prayer is the key......

2- Donate your Status (Facebook or Twitter)
“Some people say God has abandoned Africa. There is so much hurt and diseases, things I do not understand; but then I see the beautiful things and remember the story Jesus told about a candle shining brightest when it is set out high in a dark room. Hope2Africa is that candle shining Jesus’ light to Africa.” Siphesihle, Hope2Africa youth

3- Spread the word As you are enjoying your weekend - tell others about Hope2Africa

4- Please get involved. Pray daily, give as God leads.....

The Value of Hope - 7 Days of Hope - Day 5

During Becky’s first trip to South Africa (thank you Pastor Johnny Hunt for the invite) they visited a Prison in Johannesburg. A young preacher stepped up to deliver a message to the inmates and quietly pulled a 100 Rand bill out of his pocket. He asked the men if they knew what this was and they responded that it was money. He went on to ask if they wanted it and of course they all replied “yes”. He then asked them why they wanted it and with puzzled looks they explained that it was valuable. The Pastor paused and then wadded the bill up in his hands, “do you still want it?” he asked and the men laughingly said “yes, of course”. He took the wadded bill, threw it onto the dirt and stamped it into the ground, the men weren’t laughing anymore. He picked up the dirty, crumbled bill asking them if they still wanted it and once again, their response was the same “yes”. He looked at the men standing huddled in a prison yard and said, “You are like this 100 Rand bill, you may feel worn, beaten up, dirty and worthless but when God looks at you He sees something of value because he created you that way and nothing can ever change that.”

One of our newest members, a young man named Thembalani shared with us that at he couldn’t comprehend why we would come all the way to Africa, “why do you love children like us?” he asked. Thembalani went on to answer his own question, “Now I understand, it is the Love of God. Jesus brought you here to us so that we could learn how to share His HOPE with others”.

Our desire is to have many Hope2Africa teams with members just like Thembalani out sharing the HOPE of Jesus but we can’t do it alone. As we grow in Africa so do our costs, please help us invest in more young Africans. Help us equip them to look into the hopeless faces of their world and confidently share a message of HOPE found in the value of knowing Jesus.

So what can YOU do?

1- Pray

• Pray for resources. Hope2Africa needs funding to continue our work in Masiphumelele and to grow to the next squatter camps. Lord willing, we still be starting our second group among the Zulu people in 2011. Funds are needed.

2- Donate your Status (Facebook or Twitter) - "Why do you love children like us? Because of the Love of God" Thembalani H2A youth. Hope2Africa needs funding to continue our work in the squatter camps. Lord willing, we still be starting our second group among the Zulu people in 2011. Funds are needed. Please give: www.hope2africa.com

3- Spread the Word - Watch this! This is rough uncut footage made by two of our Hope2Africa youth! Meet Vuyo - the H2A Masi director. Then meet Siphenathi as he shows you the shack where he lives. The camera used to video was a gift from a generous donor so our youth could learn photography. The Hope2Africa clothing and office you will see are all funded by our generous donors as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMXOuV-_qBQ

Planting Seeds of Hope - 7 Days of HOPE - Day 4

"You have planted a seed in my soul and my heart so that I can carry this message of HOPE to the whole world.” Siphuxolo, Hope2Africa Masiphumelele youth member

Siphuxolo

One of the art disciplines we teach in Hope2Africa is creative writing. What began as a way to help our youth express themselves creatively has grown into them writing their own scripts for sharing the story of HOPE through Jesus with the people in their communities. During our very first camp we asked the youth to write their own story of what HOPE is to them. One of the most beautiful responses likened HOPE to a seed – planted in a dark place, believing it was meant for more, absorbing all that it could in order to one day grow tall and produce fruit and more seeds for the benefit of others.

Despite growing up in a culture that is more known for it’s dependency than it’s generosity, the youth of Hope2Africa are taking the investments we are making in their lives and looking for ways to pour into others. They are actively sharing the HOPE of Jesus on the street corners of Squatter Camps in and around Cape Town and last year they raised their own funds to take a mission trip to Johannesburg. They are getting it and we couldn’t be more excited to see the love for their own people growing.

There’s an old hymn that says “little is much when God is in it” and whether it’s $10 or $10,000 we invite you to invest in what God is doing in Hope2Africa. To plant a seed of HOPE that the Gospel of Jesus might be shared with many.

So what can YOU do?

1- Pray

• Squatter camps are over run with shebeans (a shack that is a bar or pub) - alcohol, drugs, teenage pregnancy, not to mention poverty and HIV/aids are literally destroying these people. Jesus is the answer. Pray for the Hope2Africa youth as they share Jesus among their people.
• Pray for us as we disciple these young people - pray they will walk closely with God.
• Pray for the Lord to send the resources we need to continue and expand. (people, prayers, and funding)

2- Donate your Status (Facebook or Twitter): "You have planted a seed in my soul and my heart so that I can carry this message of HOPE to the whole world.” Siphuxolo, Hope2Africa youth. Invest in these youth - help them share HOPE. $10, $100, or $1000 every penny counts. donate at www.hope2africa.com

3- Spread the Word: Meet Ziyanda http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nKQILycsUI When we first met Ziyanda she had no hope and was contemplating suicide. God has used Hope2Africa to change her life. Thank you Lord Jesus! Please share her story and Hope2Africa with others today. There are thousands more Ziyandas living in squatter camps in South Africa. Help us reach them.

4- Get Involved: Give. No matter how great or small the amount - your gift will be used in the life of a youth in South Africa. You can donate on line www.hope2africa.com Thank you from "behind our hearts".

HOPE in a pair of socks - 7 Days of Hope - Day 3

One of the joys of Hope2Africa camps are the little gifts we are able to give our youth. From hoodies and jeans to toothbrushes and a backpack we have seen the power of gifts that help meet their daily needs. During one camp we had a case of socks donated and when it came time to present the kids with their brand new shoes and socks they went nuts over the socks. What you need to understand is that for most of these youth, this was the first new pair of shoes they had ever been presented with and therefore we were all puzzled at their overwhelming joy regarding the socks. We asked a couple of the kids why the socks were such a big deal and what we discovered was that shoes are a necessity (and they WERE grateful) but socks are a luxury, especially the cushy kind that we had presented them with that day.

We’re only scratching the surface in understanding the devastating effects of poverty, disease and a racial history that devalued black South Africans but one thing we have learned for certain – it is often in the little things, the hug with an “I love you”, the praise of work well done or even a cushy pair of socks that HOPE is found. The youth of Hope2Africa are growing up caught in a world that screams from every corner that they are disposable and of no value. God says otherwise and so do we.

Help us tell more African youth that they are loved, that they are valued by Jesus, that they deserve a pair of cushy socks.

So what can YOU do?

1- Pray:

• Pray that we will receive the resources we need to not only keep Hope2Africa going in Masi year round, but to also expand to other squatter camps.
• Pray our Hope2Africa youth will be "beautiful feet" as they share the Gospel with their people using the arts.

2- Donate your Status (Facebook or Twitter): How beautiful are the feet that carry the Good News of the Gospel. Be involved personally in pouring Jesus into the life of a teen living in poverty in the squatter camps of South Africa. Help empower and disciple the next generation of leaders. Pray, give, go. www.hope2africa.com

3- Spread the Word: Start planning! Can you gather your friends, neighbors or co-workers together this week to tell them about Hope2Africa? Show them our video....www.hope2africa.com. Encourage others to get involved in Hope2Africa.

4- Get Involved: What can your office, Sunday School class, friends or neighbors donate in the way of gifts to our Hope2Africa youth? What resources are in your sphere of influence?

HOPE in the Dark - 7 Days of Hope - Day 2

We first met Thembi in 2009. She joined the Hope2Africa Masi team and it didn’t take long for us to learn of her incredible story of faith and courage. Thembi had been sent to Masi by her mother in search of a better life for her younger siblings. She quickly became acquainted with Masi’s overcrowding and for over a year, her younger brother and younger sister and cousins were essentially homeless inside of Masi, living on the streets and fending for what food they could scrounge. They eventually found a shack they could rent.

On the April 2010 Hope2Africa Masi trip we learned that Thembi and her siblings were being evicted. They could not afford the rent and had no where else to go. God provided the financial resources for our team to purchase a shack for Thembi, her sister, brother and cousins. They were so excited to have a shack of their own and tears of joy were shed as she exclaimed “we have our very own shack now, just like everyone else.”

The beautiful part of Thembi’s dark story is her very emphatic message that God has always been with her, especially when she was afraid at night. She calls herself a “blessed girl” and she is currently working hard to finish her Senior year of high school. Her family continues to live in poverty, but Thembi possesses a calm joyfulness that comes in knowing that God has plans for her and more than that, He is with her each step of the journey.

By the way, Thembi’s name means great HOPE, we couldn’t agree more.

So what can YOU do?

1- Pray

• Pray for the HOPE of Jesus to be experienced by the people of Africa. Thembi’s story is all too common. The youth of Hope2Africa are living in poverty and are surrounded by HIV/aids. Their sense of hopelessness is overwhelming as they simply try to survive in tough conditions and crumbling families.
• Pray for us as we pour the Hope of Jesus into these kids.

2- Donate your Status (Facebook or Twitter): Be a part of pouring Hope into the life of teenager living in poverty in the squatter camps of South Africa. There are so many things YOU can do: Pray, give, come on a trip. www.hope2africa.com

3- Spread the Word:

4- Get Involved - Ask the Lord to show you how you can be involved. There are many Thembi's that need to hear how Jesus loves them.

HOPE has a name... - 7 Days of Hope - Day 1

Over the next days I will be sharing with you stories about Hope2Africa and the youth that we have been blessed by and able to get to know. Officially the 7 Days of Hope started Monday, but on the blog it starts today. I would like to invite you guys to also join me in praying for this ministry and help us get the word out. I know that most of us already are busy enough and have our own causes that we support. We just want to make more people aware of the work that Hope2Africa does and ask people to join us as prayer warriors. Without prayer we could not accomplish anything.

So really quick before I post the official story for today, a bit about Hope2Africa.

Hope2Africa exists to:

1 - Encourage the youth living in poverty and surrounded by HIV/aids in the squatter camps of South Africa.. To tell them Jesus loves them, values them and has a plan for their future.

2 - Equip these youth to share Jesus with their own communities . We teach them how to discover and use their creative talents in the arts (drama, art, creative writing, dance, and music) to share the Gospel in the streets of their squatter camp.

3 - Empower, pour into and train the next generation of Godly leaders to reach South Africa for Christ.

Today we begin 7 days of HOPE and in the spirit of beginnings we want you to know how God inspired the creation of Hope2Africa. Becky Harris, our fearless leader, was on a trip to South Africa and one day as she road past an enormous Squatter Camp God began to stir something in her heart. “There are people who live in those shacks; people who matter, people Jesus died for, people with names. But how will they know they matter if no one tells them?” That heart stirring was the first step of Hope2Africa’s journey – to see the individual and to know them by name.

We now have had over thirty-five youth participate in the last two years of Hope2Africa Masiphumelele. We know their stories, we have felt their hurts and we have shared their joys. This week we want to share their lives with you, to invite you into their world and then ask that you partner with us in equipping young Africans to sharing the beautiful HOPE of Jesus in those dark places.

So what can YOU do?

Pray today:

• Pray for our Hope2Africa youth.
• Pray that they will know Jesus values them and has a plan for their life.

Goods times start with good quotes.

A little bit of an update. I haven't talked about K-Life much in a while. I am still volunteering with the ministry, but a lot of the faces that used to be there have either graduated or become too busy to attend. I only hope that we made an impact while they came to Klub and to small group sessions. I am still keeping up with a few, one in particular, as he and I formed a good friendship. Senior High Klub this week (the big group meeting) was fun. I knew it would be since Lu was gonna be there, I kindof like her a whole heck of a lot, and it started out with this gem of a quote.

"Just make sure you clean it up after it explodes, ok?"

I just knew we were in for a good time. It was a great evening. I do wish the guys I tried to invest in weren't so busy and dedicated to so many other things. I also think that maybe I didn't engage them enough, but the good news is that no matter what I did, God can use whatever I said to speak to these guys and I am thankful for the opportunity. I do hope that I grow in that perspective and stop being so scared/timid/embarrassed to share what I believe. If I love people why wouldn't I share with them how they can not go to hell?

I have applied for a promotion at work. As I am typing this I realize how strange it sounds but basically the culture around here dictates that you need to apply for jobs in order to move up. Still strange to me though. Anyway, I am hoping that I will get the interviews and hopefully get a job offer soon.

Besides that, there really isn't a lot else that has happened since the last update. I will continue trying to improve my blogging. I do find it fun so we shall see how it goes.

Long time no post.

I know there are a few of you still out there that read our blog. Not sure why since we aren't really good at the whole blogging thing, like the whole finding time to write about the goings on.

Some of you may know some may not, part of the reason I have been so MIA from blogging is the fact that I am spending a lot of time with my family lately. My dad had a stroke in August, and although the worst is over, he is still on a long road to recovery. My dad is a fighter, extremely determined and driven, so I have no doubt that everything within his power to rehab he is doing and will do his part to get better. The rest we leave in God's hands. I don't know why this happened, but through it all God has been good to our family and I know he has a plan for dad. If you guys think about it pray for his continued healing, especially emotionally cause that can be hard at times.

So that is part of what has kept me busy, the rest is just general business and some laziness to get blogging. I am excited about this month though as it promises to have a lot of good things in store. Mainly I just wanted to post to say hey, I am still here and I hope to continue blogging more regularly, but my previous track record indicates that I shouldn't expect it to be great.

Hopefully future posts from me will be a bit more funny and filled with interesting discussions. Until then....

November

It's November! I love it! Stores are decorating for Christmas, my sister heard Christmas music in an airport, we're making plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas to see family and friends. It's all so fun.

Our November has been and will continue to be kind of busy, but good busy. On Sunday, yesterday, we had a party to share pictures and talk about our mission trip with Hope2Africa. I had a lot of fun sharing both about our trip and about the wonderful youths we met. It wasn't the biggest of turn outs, but that wasn't really the point. I am sure God had the people there that needed to be there, and those that wanted to and couldn't make it will surely get to hear more in the future. We threw the party together last minute, but really wanted to do it anyway. And it was a great way to start our week of 7 days of Hope. A week in which we are really trying to raise awareness and prayer support for Hope2Africa.

Next week the Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes for our church are due. I collect them and take them to a drop location. It's fun to see other people giving. :)

We also have exciting things going on in the family. Tiffy is graduating! So Friday is her exit show. We are all very excited for her to be finishing up school and heading into the real world. We will be heading up to Athens to see her show and hang out. She doesn't officially graduate till December, but this is a huge step in that direction so we are pumped.

Date Night! (not the movie)

Tonight Brian and I had a date night! A much needed, long overdue date night. :) It was so fun. We had planned for about a week to go out tonight, but he went above and beyond and surprised me! First, he got our good friend Matt to drive him down to my office, so we only had 1 car and I didn't have to drive in traffic home, just to go back out again. But on top of that he showed up with a suitcase. My first thought was, oh my goodness, where are we going?!?!

It turned out that the suitcase was packed full of supplies/clothes for me. :) He planned ahead and thought I might want to wear a dress and look nicer than my work clothes. He packed towel and shower stuff, just in case I wanted to shower; 2 dress options, heels, stockings, hair dryer, hair brush, makeup, deodorant, perfume, a wrap and really anything I would need! It was amazing all the details he knew I would need to change and get ready.

I didn't shower, but I did change into a dress and red heels and my red wrap from Europe (thanks to Molly). :)

Then we went out to a fun Italian restaurant. We didn't need to be dressed up, but it was nice to take the time to look good. :) The place was called Pasta da Pulcinella, and it was great. Great food, great atmosphere; I definitely recommend it.

Next Brian decided we were going to go shopping (because I love shopping). :) And he planned for us to get ice cream too (my favorite dessert), but I was too full from dinner, but he got a blizzard.

Then we had to run some errands and we went to Harry's Farmer's Market dressed up. :) haha BUT guess what we found....think my favorite candy bar that you can only find in Europe!!!

LION BARS!!!

So of course I got one, but they had an entire box and this place is only a couple of miles from our house! So good!! Too bad it's almost $2 for these candy bars...it's worth it!

Anyway, Brian was just so sweet and blew me away with how well he knew what I needed to get ready for a date. It was really fun and nice to have a date night.

Even though my coworker doesn't believe me, being married (to Brian) is AWESOME!

The Foxes travel to South Africa

Hey Everyone!

I wanted to update you on things going on in our lives right now. We just got back from a mission trip with our church and an organization called Hope2Africa (Hope2Africa.com). We spent about 8 days working with teenagers that live in a township or squatter camp (called Masiphumele) outside of Cape Town.

Hope2Africa, Inc is a ministry that works with youth year round, pouring God's love out on them, discipling them and helping them learn songs and dramas that they perform to share the gospel. It was an amazing experience. We hosted a camp for the week, with art class, computer class, music class, drama, writing and Bible study sessions. The goal is to pour into their lives, share more of God's Word and truth and prepare them to perform their dramas and songs which share about Jesus. The computer classes also help them with school requirements and hopefully give them skills they can use to get into college or university or get a better job one day. It's kind of like an artsy Vacation Bible school. Really the video on the Hope2Africa website shares a lot about what we do.

About a year and a half ago, Brian wanted us to save up and go to South Africa for the world cup. Even though I was nervous about going to South Africa, part of me had a desire to go and see South Africa, so I thought it'd be fun to go for the world cup. Those plans fell through when we decided to use that savings towards a house. Then this opportunity to serve God with Hope2Africa came up and we jumped at the opportunity.

Brian and I both really had an amazing trip. It was a great experience teaching these youth and loving them and showing them God's love.

We posted some pictures on facebook, but I'll add some pictures here too. I don't even know where to begin to better describe the trip, except that I'm already praying and dreaming about going back. It was honestly bittersweet to leave to come home. I didn't want to leave these youth. I wanted to continue to work with them. They motivated and moved me, just in their faith and courage and boldness. God is definitely working in and around these youth and I pray that He moves in a big way through their township.

The world these youth live in is intense. They are constantly surrounded by HIV, alcoholism, abuse, sex, broken families and so many other things. They live in shacks that may or may not have power and almost all of them do not have running water. There is constant noise and chaos because of how many people live in Masi and the numerous bars and drunken neighbors around them. There are some youth that are living alone because their parents have died or they simply have no idea where their parents are and their siblings have kicked them out of their shack. Others live with their siblings only and are the head of household, trying to take care of their siblings, when they are only 20 years old themselves.

Anyway, it was a blessing to have met these youth and I hope to see them again someday. Check out some pictures (they are some of the same ones from facebook):

This is Brian and Thembalani. Thembalani was in Brian's art class. He has a very deep voice and is quiet and kid of shy most of the time, but when he does say something, it's definitely worth listening to.

These are the youth that were in my computer class. :) We were in Masi right before they performed their music and dramas which share the gospel.
This is Anelisa. She's a poet (even though she won't call herself one). She told me a story about how her grandfather would go get them sweet potatoes and they'd cook them for hours until they were very soft. Then they would spread them like butter on bread and it would keep them full all day. I thought that was a sweet story and also spoke to how they live. She lived with her grandfather and that was probably the only meal they would have that day.

These are some of the Hope2Africa ladies. We surprised them (thanks to a very generous anonymous donation) and took them to Cape Point one day. Cape Point is where the Cape of Good Hope is and the southern tip of Africa. It was amazing and beautiful.

This is Brian's art class hard at work. :)

Month of June Biking Recap

Wrecks - 1 (see previous post)

Trips to or from work on Bike - 24

Trips to or from work in car - 20

Whoo Hoo! I rode my bike to work more times than I drove my car. If only it hadn't rained as much/i not been a little bit slackerish this last week it would have been even a bigger difference. Looking forward to more rides in July.

I can't believe it is already July. I am excited about what is to come this month. Here's to continuing to exercise and trying to get back into a better shape.

Bikes and Bruises

So the bike riding has been going well still. I got approved for my commuter rewards so I am logging my trips to and from work now which is cool. Last week was somewhat eventful as I had my first spill on my bike. I will save you from looking at pictures of all my bruises, but really all in all the wreck wasn't that bad.

I made a dumb decision to try and get off the sidewalk and into a right hand turn lane. Had there not been a rolled curb this wouldn't have been even a consideration. But none the less I decided to do so, but as it turned out the ground was much lower than the top of the curb and the grass seemed to indicate, my wheel didn't quite make it over and instead slowed me down a ton and i tumbled over onto the asphalt of the turn lane, bike landing on top of me and scraping up my knee, elbow and hands and bruising my shoulder and a massive bruise on the top of my left thigh, which I can only imagine was from the handlebars. anywho, i am picking my self up only to realize that two ladies had stopped traffic both ways on our street to make sure I was ok. Really nice of them, I really appreciated that, and I guess it must have looked spectacular since I stopped traffic entirely. I reassured them that I was fine. continued to dust myself off. no real visible damage to the bike thankfully. The kicker of it all was that I was two houses away from being home. Oh well. Glad I am ok, and healing up just fine. Also glad that my first wreck wasn't cause someone hit me, but just me being dumb, I will be smarter next time. Also thankfully Lu is ok and is still letting me ride, she is very protective of me. :)

I know we have more to tell about this past weekend. Hopefully will get some more time to do that later today/tomorrow.

Monday Monday.

Bike Update: So far so good. I rode my bike to and from work 3 days last week, well i rode my bike 4 days, but monday I drove into work and rode home and then rode to work on tuesday and drove my car after work. so 3 days to 2 total. I have really enjoyed it. and I have been rained on once already. It was quite the soaker too. I need to purchase a few more items for the bike though to make sure I am prepared for anything that might happen on the road, mainly stuff to fix a flat, and what not. I have been able to work out the getting clothes and what not too and from work. Bringing the car in every once in a while is helping. Still might look at some bags or a rack for the bike too, but my bookbag has worked alright thus far.

World Cup. Awesome. Kudos to South Africa a great start. They are really putting on a wonderful tournament thus far and a great start for the home team Bafana Bafana scoring the beautiful first goal of the World Cup. All of the stadiums look wonderful and I have just been impressed by how well everything seems to be going. The US really had some good chances against England after giving up an easy early goal. I am happy to get a tie, but I really think we had a decent chance to win that game. We did look soft on defense for a large portion of the time, but all in all a good start for us, and leaving that game with a point means we can likely move on past the group stage.

Had a wedding this weekend. Lu's cousin got married down in Milledgeville. It was fun because we got to spend time with her whole family this weekend. Also we got to celebrate her sister's birthday. Unfortunately the birthday dinner was without Lu, she was delayed flying back from a work trip up in Norfolk, VA. But I enjoyed spending time with them and then Lu was able to see them and hang out most of Saturday and then have lunch with her parents and sister on Sunday before we all went our separate ways.

I am gonna keep encouraging Lu to get her pictures because I know you all much prefer those to my wordy posts... so I will see if we can get a Lu post soon. Until then, have a wonderful Monday.

June!

I find it odd that people, myself included, never seem to have an accurate sense of time. I mean time either flies by or it crawls. You never hear anyone saying that the week is going by at the right speed... but really that isn't all that important, just an aside.

Either way we are in June. A month which should be a good one, albeit a busy one. Lu and I already seem to have tons of plans. Some of them our own creation, like painting the office and others because of weddings and other types of obligations.

Two things I hope to accomplish this month, that go somewhat hand in hand is, ride my bike to work more than I drive my car to work and to lose some weight. I have made the bike ride to work once now, and ever since either, lunch plans/leaving early to get out of town and or mother nature have foiled my plans to ride into work. i will hopefully keep you guys better posted as the month goes on with my success/failure in those departments. Still trying to figure out how I can bring lunch to work each day and still have a comfortable ride in. Backpacks are very very hot. and i don't want it to be that heavy so we shall see.

Also in June is the beginning of the best sporting event in the world. The 2010 FIFA World Cup. I can't wait till we kick off the month long slate of soccer games. And the US stands a good chance to perform the best that they ever have on the world stage.

Should be a good month. I am sure we will have pictures to post soon.

Life update

Hellooo...long time no see, sorry about that.

My Granny passed away 2 weeks ago. So that kept us away from computers that week. She was about to turn 85. My Papa and her had been married for 69 years! She was sick for a few weeks and we knew it was probably coming, but it's still not fun. But her funeral was nice and I have a gardenia in the backyard that was from her funeral, which is a nice memory. :)

Then my sister and my dad drove to Kentucky to move my sister, and she's now there! It's so much closer than New Mexico! We're going to go visit her soon. :)

This past weekend we cleaned out the garage and the attic above the garage. The previous owners left us some junk. It was so good to finally throw out their junk and organize the garage. We have so much more space! You can get to the trash can easily now and our bikes are hung from the ceiling. It's fun. I just really like organizing. You'd think my house would be more organized and clean all the time, but it's not... I like to think that's because I don't have enough time...but sometimes I'm just lazy. :)

Brian and I also went for a bike ride Sunday afternoon, and I'm in horrible shape! It was really fun to ride around, but every hill I realized that I need to start working out again or at least start riding more.

Then I went to West Virginia University on Tuesday for a couple of projects I'm working on up there. Site visits are usually just exhausting, because they are long days. These specific trips for me are a 1.5 hr flight and then a 1.5 hr drive to Morgantown, WV, usually getting to the hotel around 9 or 9:30pm. Then we start the next day around 7:15am leaving the hotel to go to the job sites, and I got back home after the flight at 10pm. It's just exhausting.

And B was sweet and folded the clothes, and put away the dishes and ran some errands while I was gone.

The next work trip is Norfolk, VA in June. Hopefully this trip will be better and not so long of days.

Last night we had dinner with the Moffits, which was great! It was fun to see them and hang out with them. Julie cooked some awesome shredded beef tacos and mexican rice. They tasted really good.

We have a 3-day weekend coming up so yay! I'll try and post with pictures next time, because I know those are more fun!

Blog delay.

Sorry to those faithful readers out there. A lot has been going on recently and we haven't taken the time to post much. We are both still very much a live and running around doing things. I will have some updates soon, maybe even tonight when I am not at work. :) Lu probably has some things to share too, and hopefully we both will have time for that soon.

What's that sugary-caramel smell?

Well it's Friday and I'm glad. I'm feeling very out of it; tired and needing some extra rest or maybe just some exercise so my brain will work again.

Last night I had my last ladies small group for the spring. It was a really great time of just sharing and prayer. I really enjoyed it.

Anyway, that has nothing to do with today's blog post...

This morning I was getting ready for work and decided I wanted to wear my flowy khaki skirt (it actually used to be Julie's). Of course, since I never iron, it was wrinkled, but I decided I'd just iron quickly and wear it. So I go downstairs and start ironing and there's not any steam coming out, so I check and yep - no water in the iron.

I saw some water left in a pink nalgene on the counter in the kitchen, so I just grab that really quickly, pour it in and get back to ironing. About 30-40 seconds later I smell a sweet caramel smell with a mix of burnt sugar. I was so confused, thinking, what in the world?! Then I realize that what I poured in the iron, was not water from the water bottle, but lemonade from Brian and I's picnic on Tuesday!!

I was so mad at myself. I ran to the sink to pour out the lemonade and try and rinse out the iron. We really like our iron, and I was so nervous I had destroyed it. I also just felt like and idiot for pouring lemonade into our iron. By the time I had rinsed the iron a few times with water, I just couldn't help but laugh. Brian came downstairs and gave me a hug and said it's ok.

I finished ironing my skirt with hopefully mostly water. I figure with the nice lemonade steam that got on my skirt I might just smell extra sweet...or maybe attract some bees today...we'll see.

Now it's just funny - pouring lemonade in our iron, instead of water. Who does that!?

Picnic and Hope 2 Africa!

Tuesday after work seemed like another complete day, but it was great. Brian met me downtown in Atlantic station with a picnic dinner. He made us tuna salad and brought crackers, lemonade and pound cake with strawberries for dessert! He even brought a blanket for us to sit on. Well, in my usual fashion after work, I was running late. So we only had about 20-25 minutes for our picnic. We parked and walked to some benches in the shade beside the condos in Atlantic Station and enjoyed a nice dinner outside. It was fun and really sweet of Brian.

The whole reason why we picniced at Atlantic Station (aside from saving money) was because we had a meeting for our mission trip to South Africa. Our church is working with an organization called Hope 2 Africa, to go to a township (or squatter camp) and work with youth. The organization works with a group of Christian youth to teach different arts to - including plays and dramas about Christ and the gospel, dancing, singing, creating, and more. They pour into these youth, give them hope about their future and also try and teach them skills that might help them get a job (computer skills mostly). Anyway, it's really exciting hearing about these kids and how they live in shacks made of tin or cardboard, maybe some concrete blocks, but that they are passionate about sharing Christ through the arts to their communities!

Needless to say, I was very excited about this mission trip after our meeting. I'm not a very artsy person, in fact I don't know that I'm artsy at all, but they said they can use anyone, so here I am. About a year ago Brian and I had decided we were going to go to South Africa for the World cup, because we both have always wanted to go to South Africa and he's always wanted to go to a World Cup game. However, when we decided to purchase a house, that idea got thrown out. Who knew that God had it planned for us to go all along, just not the way or at the time we thought. :)

If you'd like to hear more about Hope 2 Africa or support me and Brian through prayer or financially, please let us know and we'll email you more information!!

Birthday Weekend.

This past weekend we celebrated my birthday. I really must say that it was a fantastic weekend.

My actual birthday was on Friday and it couldn't have been better. My lovely wife took me out to dinner and we just had an awesome time on my birthday dinner date. We went to Ritter's, which is a local place in Marietta. The food was fantastic, we will definitely be going back. And we are excited to take friends and family there too. One of the neat things that they do, the take saltine crackers and butter them up then bake the butter off of them. They are really really good.

Saturday was also a good day. Got up and working in the yard, then we were off to brunch with some of Lu's close friends and their husbands. It was Chrissy's birthday and we celebrated with another good meal at a place called Treehouse, it was near Lindbergh. I had some yummy eggs benedict. Then we were back home for some time relaxing before a fun filled evening.

We met up some friends at Mellow Mushroom for birthday dinner, which was delicious of course. We introduced some newbies to the soft pretzels which everyone enjoyed. Lindsey made these amazing oreo cheesecake cupcakes for dessert. we still have a few, and that is OK with me.

After dinner we went over to the bowling alley for some fun. We had some great coupons and got two lanes for pretty cheap, including shoes and a pitcher of soda and about 2 hours of bowling. We had a lot of fun. We were somewhat serious at first, actually bowling with proper form and all, but by the time the "cosmic" lights came on and all we were goofing off. Probably not a great idea since we seemed to be giving the kids on the lanes next to us some bad ideas... :) it was a lot of fun though.

Sunday was a neat day at church, Chris our college and singles pastor preached, and we had a new and exciting move of the sound board and media table to the back of the theater, which was nice, but brought some of its challenges too. Then we had lunch with my family. Another yummy meal at an Alpharetta place called Alpha Soda. Grandma, my sisters and parents were all able to make it, so that was really nice. Then we went back to mom and dad's and hung out the rest of the day, involving some mario kart, some frisbee golf and some pound cake that my momma made which was super delicious.

It was a fantastic weekend. I really enjoyed all the time with friends and family, and especially with my wife. She was awesome and planned a fun weekend. I am really blessed.

Now back to work!

SQUIRRELS!!

Some of you might have already seen this on facebook, but Brian and I have been unknowing and unwillingly the hosts to baby squirrels. Well the pest control guy, Chad, said that they were too young to have found their way into the house on their own, and that they were probably born in the house - awesome. I actually really like squirrels, and I thought their little pitter patters were cute when I first heard them (months ago), but Brian was not amused from the start.

Well so this all started when a week ago Saturday we heard one of the squirrels again, but this time it was in our wall between the kitchen and the mud room! It sounded like it had fallen in the wall and was trying to climb out, but couldn't and it would slide back down the wall. So we found a pest control company that would come out on a Saturday and they called and said they were too busy to come Saturday, but they could come out Sunday. Sunday, after church, Chad with Atlanta Wildlife Solutions came out and go our squirrel out of the wall after cutting a small hole and putting the cage up to the hole for the squirrel to go into.

Then about 5-10 minutes after Chad leaves with the squirrel we hear another squirrel in the wall!!! He was definitely not in the wall when Chad was here, so he must have fallen down the wall looking for his brother or sister. Brian called Chad back and he comes all the way back from Cumming, GA to get our second squirrel. By the time he gets back, there are actually two squirrels in the wall that have worked their way out into the bucket that Brian put at the hole in the wall, so they wouldn't be loose in our house.

Chad got the bucket away from the wall with both squirrels and then tried to force the squirrels into cages. One went in the cage and other jumped from the bucket and ran away. Later, Chad was looking the in hole in the wall to see if there was a squirrel's nest or damage in the wall and he definitely found a dead kind of mummified squirrel in the same part of the wall!! Thankfully it had been dead for years and we never had to deal with the smell. But after all that Brian found a bird's nest with baby birds in it in one of the bushes in our front yard!

Well after that, Chad left us a cage to prop up at the hole in the wall, just in case there were any more squirrels.

Sure enough Monday morning, we come downstairs to a squirrel in the cage! I think it was the 3rd squirrel that got away Sunday, but we don't really know.

Now we are squirrel-free and we decided to "squirrel-proof" our house to avoid having any more squirrels in the wall. So we'll see!

I'll try and come back and post pictures on here too. :)

2 is a good number.

There are lots of reasons to like the number 2. But more important than a dunk being worth 2 points, or wanting 2 scoops of ice cream, is that 2 equates to the number of years I have been married to my wonderful wife. On this day, April 12th 2008, I was married to Lindsey and we set off on this amazing adventure together. I wouldn't pick anyone else to experience it with. These first two years have been amazing. And a lot has changed. It is fun to take the time today to both celebrate our anniversary and to look back on what we have been through thus far.

Just a few of our adventures included becoming homeowners, family vacations on both sides, serving together at church, a new position at work, several friends being married, several more having babies, sporting events, homecoming, parties, quiet nights at home by the fire and so many more. All of it was that much better because my wife was there.

So blessed that I got to marry my best friend. Thankful each day that I get to see that smile and be shown through her an example of Christ's love for me. Really there isn't much more to say other than I am blown away by how blessed I am to be going through life with Lindsey. I look forward to many many more years together.

We're back! and more info about the furniture

Hi!!

First, we're back from vacation and had an AWESOME TIME!!! Brian said he could tell a definite difference in me even the Saturday before we left - I guess in my attitude and my laugh. He said I already sounded less stressed and more carefree. I definitely feel refreshed and rejuvenated. I'm not stoked to be back at work, but it's not as stressful right now. :) We went on a 7 day Caribbean cruise with Shaun and Amber Wooten (via Royal Caribbean). It was sooooo much fun! We'll try and get some pictures downloaded off the camera and up here soon and blog about it more.

I wanted to post more about our furniture purchase, because I was impressed by La-z-boy. We first went to the store and I didn't think I'd find anything I liked there, because i didn't want old-looking sofas and recliners. I was pleasantly surprised by their selection though. Then we were able to pick the fabrics we wanted for the furniture, which was great that we could customize it like that. Then they told us that they do free "in-home" design consultation with their in house interior designer. So after we had picked some fabric options and the furniture we liked, the designer and our sales person brought all the fabrics to our house, so we could see them in our living room and in our light and she took measurements of our entire room. We were able to quickly rule out some of the fabrics, because they looked totally different in our room. These are obviously the fabrics we went with - and my vase that I like and Brian who I like. :)

Then we went back the next day to the store and she had this whole display made with accessories for the room. So this is the display board she made, with pictures of what the sofas and chairs will look like and the fabrics, and she had some bookcases and other items picked out too.

You can also see pictures of lamps (they we didn't like) and the coffee table she picked out. She also showed us a storage ottoman as an option too.

These are the accessories she picked out for our room: a fireplace screen, plants, the lamp I love, a bowl and other decor things. The cylinder was to go on the fireplace, but we found an urn that matched the vase I like on sale and have those on the fireplace instead. Anyway, it was really fun and great to get ideas at least. It was almost twice the cost to get all the "extra" things she picked out for us, so we mostly took the ideas and tried to find stuff on our own. And if I do say so myself, I think we're doing a great job!

We found a guy to make the bookcase we wanted and Brian and I are currently staining it ourselves. I've never stained before, but I think we're doing a good job. :) Now my new favorite store is TJ Maxx HomeGoods, searching for lamps and other decorative items. It's been fun decorating the first room in our house. :)

Anyway, that's our living room furniture/decorating adventure. It's still underway, but super fun to have a project!

New Additions!

For all of you faithful readers out there, the time has finally come to unveil the new additions to the house! no drum roll necessary, but our new living room furniture has arrived! and I must say both Lu and I are very excited. I think they look fantastic and since you guys are at your computer, you will just have to take my word on the fact that they are comfy as well.

So without further ado, here are pictures of the new pieces!

First we come to the love seat. 'nough said.

Next may I bring your attention to the couch.

The lumbar/kidney pillow may or may not make its home on the couch.

Moving on, we now come to the two chairs.His on the left, hers on the right.

And now a close up of the Man Chair.Many a nap to be had in this bad boy.

A close up of the totally awesome Lu chair.

This actually might be my favorite, I love the fabric on it.

And last but not least, the lamp.

Lu loves lamp.I think it is pretty cool too.

Hopefully I didn't disappoint by trying to keep this a secret for awhile. :) Looking forward to much fun to be had and memories to be made with our new furniture.

Until next time, you probably can find me in the man chair.