Little Things

Yesterday I got another reminder of just how awesome doing small things for people can really have an impact on them.  Yesterday, my plan, as it is most Thursdays, was to eat at my desk and work through lunch.  I like this because I save money and I get to leave earlier by working through my "lunch break".  

Right around 11:30 I got a wonderful surprise, my best bud Matt and his co-workers, Dustin and Becky, were near my work at a conference and had a lunch break and wanted to spend it with me.  It was a lot of fun, yeah I didn't go home early but I was really blessed to have all of them at lunch. I had a great time and it was fun to show them a little of my work place as well as just sharing a meal together.  Just the fact that they thought of me was great.  

I really appreciated the small gesture, makes me think if I am doing the little things to really impact others lives and showing them the love of Christ.

ValenBirthday Weekend Pictures Part II

We saw a rainbow on the way down there, we knew it was gonna be a good weekend. 

When we got to the pier Friday night, we had an awesome view.  A great reminder of how great our Creator is and the beauty of His creation.

Now again with the pier in the shot.  It really was a great sunset.

Sad this one didn't turn out clear, we tried really hard to get Lu a pocket sized lighthouse...

Lu ready for our biking adventure in front of the hotel.

We found the marsh.  Also pretty in its own way.

Lu's mad bike skills and my awesome picture skills while riding the bike.

Yeah, that's right. Fox's Pizza.

Me and the lighthouse.  

Us on the beach on Sunday morning.  Again enjoying God's beautiful creation and of course each other's company. It was a great weekend.

ValenBirthday Weekend Pictures!

As promised, some pictures from the wedding...  (our weekend pictures still to come...)  Also now some more commentary from Lindsey. :)

Really awesome church for the ceremony.  The church was really pretty inside, and the best part was Shelly was behind these huge wooden barn doors.  So when her music started they slide out of her way dramatically and it made for an awesome entrance. :)

Presenting the Mr. and Mrs. (and yes they are that good looking in person too).

First dance! 

First dance again...  They make a really cute couple.

Getting ready to cut the cake.  They cake was really good.  It was some sort of chocolate cake with a hint of spice cake, and the icing complimented it very well. :)

All the ADX's at the wedding. 

 Lu and Me at the reception!  I thought a cute strapless dress for a beach wedding would be fun, but not for a chilly and WINDY reception.  I was a little cold. :)

ValenBirthday Weekend...

Yep, that is right, I am one of the lucky few men in this world who need not remember two important days because my wife was a Valentine's Day baby.  Needless to say, that means should I by chance mess up it is doubly worse, but I am not worried about that, it hasn't ever happened before where I forget a big day like that and with Lu, she is sure to remind me of important days anyhow.

So for her birthday Lu wanted to go to Shelly's wedding, which was at St Simons Island.  So I agreed and we made a long weekend of it.  It was fantastic and we both had loads of fun.  Haven't pulled some of our pictures off yet, but fear not I will try to post some in the coming days. (yes this is for you Flem2.) 

Our weekend was a lot of fun, and it started out on a great note, because we both left work early on Friday to make the 5 hr drive down there.  The drive was uneventful and quite pleseant to spend time talking with my best friend. :)   We opted to stay on the island and not in Brunswick which I think was a good choice.  Friday night was Lu's official birthday dinner.  We went to Barbara Jean's (super popular place down in the village by the pier)  Dinner was great, I really liked my shrimp and grits.  Too stuffed for dessert we went on exploring the island, walking around the shops and then opted to drive around a bit checking out the sites, even though it was dark this was pretty fun.

Saturday we woke up after sleeping in for me... (hint, that was still pretty early for Lu) had breakfast and after deciding that the rain couldn't keep us down, we rented bikes and went off riding about.  It was loads of fun.  We had rented bikes before, when we went to Charleston and toured the island that way and loved it so we knew this would be just as much fun.  After a quick bite, it was back to the hotel to return the bikes and get ready for the wedding.  The wedding was really pretty, the church was awesome, loved the exposed wood frame.   Lu can give better/more details from a woman's perspective.  The the reception, it was a lot of fun.  All in all the wedding and reception and traveling time to the site, was almost right at 3 hours.  i was pretty impressed how quickly it went by.  It was great to see Shelly and Nate and how much fun they were having, they are a really cute couple.  My guy highlight of the reception was the chicken skewers and the cake, both were very delicious.  

After the wedding we went and changed, relaxed a bit and then went off to dinner.  Lu loves pizza and she found an italian place she wanted to try so we did.  We got there just in time to take the last table.  The place, CJ's, was great.  It was tiny, but obviously every knew about it cause it was packed and after we got there a line was forming outside.  Lu opted for the deep dish pizza, i chose some pasta and I have to say mine was a little dissapointing.  The pizza on the other hand, i managed to get a bite, was fantastic.  After dinner we found the ADX's that were down for the wedding and hung out with them, just sat around and talked the night away, it was fun to just hang out.

Sunday we again had breakfast, then back to the room for one last inspection before checkout.  We again went exploring the island, we wanted to see the light house in the day time.  We took a walk on the beach and then we drove around some checking out the ginormous and beautiful homes.  Each one was so unique.  We basically were able to see the whole island in our weekend.  Then back to the Atl.  Next time I will plan when to stop for lunch a little better. Because stopping an hour after you get hungry is no fun.  

Sunday night we had an awesome treat.  Our church had a night of prayer and praise.  We were also baptising that night.  Seeing as there is no baptismal pool at the movie theater, we were thankful that FBC Chattahochee (super close to the Fox Hole) allowed us to us their building.  The evening was inspirational, challenging and encouraging.   It was a great service and I am continually reminded how much we love our church.  Afterwards we grabbed a bite to eat with Pastor Larry and his family, Chris, Lauren, Baby Jackson, Brad, Nicole, Baby Drew, Miller, Kimberly and Grandma Shirley.  It was fun times.  

A great weekend, but as always it is nice to be home.  We have a busy week ahead, but look forward to it.  Until next time.  

K-Life Tonight!

So like I have told ya'll already, K-Life is really getting off the ground, and the Lord is really blessing the ministry.  The most recent blessing came in the form of a totally redesigned house.  maybe I can get some pictures up after tonight's meeting, just so ya'll can get a glimpse into what the house looks like.  But basically a lady decided that her family would donate, not only her services as a decorator, but all the furniture and paint etc that would go into the house as well.  The house looks truly amazing from what I saw on Sunday night at the leaders meeting.  I am eager to see the looks on kids faces when they see the transformation that occured.  To think that we were meeting, at first on just the bare hardwood floors, moved to having a few couches to now a completely redesigned, repainted room(s) with different seating areas, a stage, high top tables etc.  and a fully furnished small group room.  it is just very exciting.  We have truly been blown away with how the Lord has blessed and the timing of it all is just amazing.  Continue to pray for these kids and the staff and leaders of K-Life.  That the kids may truly grasp what their relationship with Jesus is all about, and that they can develop that relationship as they learn to be disciples and how to disciple others.  For the leaders in their walks that they would be prepared to show Jesus to the kids and to teach truth.   Thanks for the prayers!

In other news, I began running again yesterday and boy was I out of shape.  It will take time to get back to the shape i was in for the 5ks but right now, with my legs only feeling a little tight from yesterday I feel good and more energetic.  Now I only need to keep it up and work on my eating habits and more importantly quantities, then I should be able to get back to my pre-holiday weight.   

AH! There's water leaking into the laundry room!!

I completely forgot to share the awesome story of our neighbors that live above us.  So there was a family of 4-5 in the apartment above us, so naturally they were loud.  However, they decided to move out last week, so it's quieter now.   One night last week, we came home late after doing something - Klife I think - and get in to bed.  Then I hear a dripping noise, and I asked Brian if he could hear it - and he could (so I was imagining it).  I got out of bed and walked towards the bathroom and to my disappointment the noise was coming from our hallway and not from the bathroom.  I walk out into the hallway and it's obvious that the noise is from our laundry room.  When I open the doors, there is water dripping everywhere!  There is water running down the walls, surrounding the outlets to the washer and dryer, all over the floor, on the tops of the washer and dryer, all over the ironing board, and the carpet in front of the washer and dryer was wet - it was bad.  Brian ran upstairs to the apt above us, but no one answered.  Then he called the 24-hour maintence guy.  He said the people right above us just moved out, so he bet they left the water on from where the washer was connected.  The maintenance guy said he'd be an hour before he could get to us, but that he'd turn off the water upstairs and leave us alone for the night.  The maintenance workers came back during the next couple of days and checked the damage.  They washed our carpet in front of the laundry room and they've already painted the walls that were damaged.  So besides this happening at 10:30pm one night, we had minimum damage to our stuff and the property managers took care of it completely in less than a week.  Just another adventure of living in an apartment complex.  I'll miss being able to call someone to fix things when we move into a house one day. :)  

Chili Cheese Dip for lunch

Yep, that's right.  I'm having chili cheese dip for lunch today.  It's left over from the superbowl (we have a lot left over) and I was running late this morning.  So I just grabbed the chili cheese and some chips (and a piece of cake) for my lunch.  I considered going to Subway, but the lazy side of me vetoed that.  Needless to say, I'm not always the healthiest eater.  The cheese dip is still good - reheated.  It's definitely one of the more off beat lunches I've had.  It's always interesting to walk around my office at lunch.  Most people eat at their desk (like me), probably because most people are introverted engineers (unlike me).  Then the office begins to have a weird smell in different areas, so you really don't want to walk around or you might get a little queasy.  I like to eat at my desk so I can do things like this or just read articles online or facebook.  :)  It's a nice break.  

That's all I have :)  Have a great lunch!

Thankful.

It is days like yesterday that really remind you to count your blessings.  Yesterday my company let several people go.  It was sad to see people that I had worked with have to pack stuff up and leave.  The economic times are hard and are hitting everyone.  I am so very thankful that I do have my job.  That even though it isn't really exciting that I do work with great people, that my boss is nice and looks after my team, that many of the benefits we still have are there.  All that thinking made me think a lot more about the rest of the things in my life that I am thankful for, my wonderful best friend and wife, our great apartment, our church family, our friends etc.  God really has given us so much.  And to paraphrase Peter Parker, with great blessing comes great responsibility.  I pray that Lulu (yes that is what I call my wife :) ) and I are using our gifts, talents and blessing in a way that is pleasing to God.  For everything that He has given us I want to use to give back to others whom He also loves.  I want to manage the things that have been given to me in a way that would please Him who gave them.  For these gifts, talents, abilities, strengths, and blessing aren't mine, that is something I have been learning.  That all of it is the Lord's and he has given it to us.  In money we are the account managers, in time we are the ones making the appointments and managing the reservations, and in love, the gift he has given most greatly and freely to all by His death on the cross and His ressurrection from the grave, we are also distributors of that.  I pray that I not be stingy in the sharing of my blessings and doleling out of the love that God has shown me, but that I may pour out His love into others' lives continually so that they too can feel the joy that I feel because

"Jesus loves me, this I know."

Please pray for those that lost their jobs yesterday, that even through trying times they can see God's love, that they may come to know Him.  I pray that each of you will be ready and willing when the time comes to reach out and love on those around you that might need some Godly love in their circumstances and that God continue to bless you through your service of Him. 

Saturday with no plans!!

Saturday we had no plans, which was awesome.  We slept in, we got laundry done, we played some Wii Super Mario Galaxy (i might have an addiction), I started crocheting again, it was fun. :)  I did have a little problem though...so some of y'all know I'm forgetful sometimes and I guess easily distracted.  Well I was hand washing something and so I turned the sink on with the clothes in it and went to go get detergent.  On the way to getting detergent I looked at the guest bedroom and thought I should talk to Brian about reorganizing it one weekend when we get time (probably not for another month).  So I completely turned around and went into the living room to talk to Brian about that.  After that little conversation I went back to the bedroom to try and remember what I was doing and heard the water and freaked out.  I had left the water on for long enough to overflow the sink all over the counter, all over the carpet in front of the sink and in the cabinet under the sink.  I was soo embarrassed and it was hilarious at the same time.  Brian just laughed with me and got me a trash bag.  Luckily not much was ruined - just some toilet paper and Q-tips. 

So that was my Saturday adventure. :)

 

From the Reynard...

So the Mrs. and I thought it would be good if we were both contributors to the blog. Hopefully this will result in more activity on it and keeping all of you up to date on the goings on in and around the Fox Hole. (yes that is what we call our apartment.)

This week seems to have flown by. We both have been enjoying being part of K-Life Atlanta. My best friend Matt is the director and has been working hard with Dustin and Becky to get this ministry off the ground. Things are going well so far and the Lord is truly blessing the group. The house where we will be meeting is coming together and the kids seem to be really having a great time and enjoying themselves. I will be leading a small group of 9th grade guys. I am excited and anxious to get started.

I am also pumped about the fact that we have been entertaining friends a lot lately. I really love to cook and it makes it super fun to have people over to the house to showcase my culinary skills... they are still in the infant stages but doesn't make things less tasty or fun to do.

So random information for you. The male fox is known as either a reynard (hence the title), dog, or tod, while the female is known as a vixen. Tod(d) is also the name of the Fox in Disney's The Fox and the Hound.

I hope that my contributions won't scare away any of Lu's readers and that from time to time they are interesting or funny. Until next time...

MLK weekend with no MLK day off

We went to go visit my parents this weekend, which was really fun.  I had started to really miss my parents even though I just saw them at Christmas, so it was great to hang out with them.  We took them their "parent's album" copy of our wedding album.   It's always fun to look through our wedding album over and over and over again. :)  We also took our Wii to play with my parents as well, and we definitely managed to play Boom Blox all afternoon on Saturday (til 6pm).  My mom was really sweet and made me a birthday cake (even though it's a month early) since we probably won't see them on my birthday.  We have yummy pound cake now.   They also took us out to Mellow Mushroom for my birthday too.  It's kind of fun celebrating your birthday early. 

I helped my mom update her facebook page and make a new blog.  :)  So if you know my mom and want to add her as a facebook friend - she'd be really excited.

We got home today to make our K-life leaders meeting, which was low on attendance, but still really fun to just hang out with the awesome K-life leaders and staff.  Afterwards, Brian, Matt and I brought back an old pastime and went to Cici's pizza.  It's definitely one of those places we're ok only eating at maybe once a year, but it's fun.

I was telling Brian tonight that I was sad that we had to miss our church service this morning. Then I was thinking, that thought says a lot about our church - that I don't like missing church or missing one of Larry's sermons.  Before now, I've never enjoyed a church so much that I was sad if I didn't go to our chuch one Sunday.  So if you're looking for a church - I highly recommend The Midtown Bridge Church in Atlantic Station - www.themidtownbridge.com

What I love about Atlanta

I've finally decided to start blogging! :)

Tonight when I was driving home I saw one of my favorite things about Atlanta, so I've decided to make a list.

My favorite things about Atlanta:

• The skyline at night
• The Midtown Bridge Church and all the awesome people there
• Atlanta K-Life - a cool ministry reaching out to middle school and high school students
• Driving home and seeing military aircraft of all sorts flying over the interstate
• My good job with great people I like seeing everyday
• Our great home and the area I'm finally learning my way around
• Traffic - and I put this because even though traffic itself is not fun, it's definitely taught me patience
• Georgia Tech
• pretty sunsets with lots of colors (someone told me once the colors were because of pollution and I still like it)
  
• HERO units - they are very helpful, unfortunately I know first hand
• Coming home to Brian :)
• When it's so foggy that you can't see the buildings and it seems like we're not in a huge city.
  

I'm just really enjoying life right now. We are very happily married after 9 awesome months, and look forward to the rest of our lives. I feel like we've really settled into our lives and are having a good time. God has really blessed us with awesome families and friends and with good jobs and a nice place to live.

On another note, we finally got our wedding albums - from Key Photography - who did an outstanding job! This weekend we're going to AL to visit my parents and give them their copy of the album. I like going to AL and hanging out with my parents. :)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading and maybe these will get more interesting. We'll see. :) Have an awesome day!