"It's going to be a GREAT day!"

To say that Abby loves fried eggs would be an understatement.  She would eat them at every meal, every day.  It's a good thing that she is as active as she is or she would be in big trouble!  It is not uncommon for her to eat 3 fried eggs for breakfast come home from school and ask for more eggs for her snack.  We joke about "cutting her off" from her eggs. 

So this morning, for whatever reason, everyone was moving a bit slow.  I told Abby that I would fry her some eggs for breakfast.  She asked if she could have some jelly toast with them.  I told her that I could do that.  She jumped out of bed and exclaimed, "It's going to be a GREAT day!"

How can you not want to take the time to fix a kid eggs when it means that much to her??  Even though it made me skip washing my hair...I made her eggs and toast.

I am pretty sure fixing breakfasts like these on a busy work day morning should at least get me a vote for Mom of the Year!

She's a happy girl!

Confessions of a Soccer Mom: Tournaments

I have a love/hate relationship with soccer tournaments.  Tournaments are great fun...hotel stays, lots of soccer, swimming, friends, new places!  But, let's be honest, tournaments are also a LOT of work!

Sitting in the freezing, wet weather while watching your child play in the miserable conditions is not always fun.

Me and my fellow soccer moms enduring low 40 degree temps and rain to cheer on our girls!

What is even less fun is the laundry that must be done after the wet, nasty conditions.  Unfortunately, the hotel we stayed in this weekend did not have guest laundry facilities.  So, this soccer mom (along with my fellow soccer moms) washed uniforms, slider shorts, and socks by hand in the sink in the hotel room.  I so wish I had taken pictures of the mess!!

Abby's keeper gloves were so wet and heavy, we decided to lay them over the heating unit in the room to speed up the drying out process.  Sounds great right?  Have you ever smelled keeper gloves?  This is how I would describe the smell...take the worst smelling shoes you have every smelled, put them in a plastic bag and set them out in the sun for a day or so, open the bag and take a big sniff...that is what a keeper glove smells like.  NASTY!  Needless to say when we returned that evening, the smell knocked us down when we opened the door.  It was BAD!

The mess just doesn't stop at the laundry...my house is now a WRECK!  Unloading the van of all of the gear, late on Sunday night, after traveling means that nothing makes it past the living room.  UGH!

Monday mornings are always a bit rough too...everyone is tired and grumpy.  It is a minor victory to get everyone dressed, fed and out the door without major breakdowns.

However, it is worth it.  Here are some of my favorite pictures from the weekend!

Getting pumped up!

Snuggling with Anna trying to stay warm!

Love this pic!

More details about the tourney to come...stay tuned!

Entrepreneur Fair

Tonight was the Entrepreneur Fair at the elementary school.  The 5th graders had to come up with a product, slogan, advertising campaign and then sale it.  Abby chose to make sno-cones and her friend made hair bows.  It was a great night full of fun and lots of energy!

They sold 51 sno-cones and 23 hair bows.  They learned what if felt like to serve customers and have a "rush."  They didn't just sale things.  They had to sample the wares of their friends.  Pop-corn balls, brownies, cup-cakes, pop-sickles, and bacon kabobs....yes....bacon kabobs...were enjoyed.  The thing was the most exciting for Abby was the hair dyeing booth.

She chose to have a section of her hair dyed blue  to get ready for the upcoming soccer tournament. Here is what it looked like after it had dried.

So, although it was a LONG day and it was hot and loud, the girls left happy and feeling good about themselves.  What more could you ask for??

Pay it forward

Usually when the phone rings early in the morning, it is not good news, but today my friend Michele called and wanted to go to breakfast.  Never one to pass up a fun time with her (or good food!), I accepted.  We were off to find somewhere yummy for breakfast and were a little bummed to find the first place we wanted to go to not open.  It was Cracker Barrel to the rescue!!

We ordered our food and it was yummy!  I laughingly took a picture of all of our dishes and joked that I was going to write a blog about what the end-of-the-semester stress makes faculty and staff do!!

After we had eaten as much as we could, the waitress brought our tickets.  We were not in a huge hurry to get to the office, so we sat and chatted for a while.  We were getting ready to get our tickets and go pay when our waitress showed back up and took the tickets off our table and crumpled them up.  I was in utter shock!  I wish I could have seen my face as I just stared at her.  

She explained that today was our lucky day!  Our bills had been payed for by someone we didn't even know.  Evidently, there is a gentleman that frequents this particular Cracker Barrel and often chooses a table at random and pays the bill!

What a great way to start a day!!  Breakfast with my friend Michele and it was free to boot!

Our New home: Part 3--The Duck Pond

There is a duck pond in Narrows, VA.  

For Abby, this is heaven on earth!  On our first visit, we got to spend two days in Narrows and she insisted that we visit the duck pond each day.  The first day, we just stopped by and watched the ducks swim and play.  The second day, Abby insisted that we stop and get some bread so that she could feed them.  She fed them an entire loaf of bread in about 5 minutes!  She is such an animal lover.  

When we go to return to Narrows about a month later, she could not wait to show Anna the duck pond!  

I can't emphasize it enough that Abby LOVES the duck pond.  

Our New Home: Part 2--the schools

We have had the opportunity to visit Narrows twice this spring.  Abby went with us the first time and both girls were able to go the second time.  The schools are divided up a little differently than we are used to and that has created a little bit of anxiety for the girls, but I would be shocked if there was not some anxiety about changing schools, etc.

Abby's school will be a combination elementary/middle school comprising of grades K-7.  Anna's school will be a high school with grades 8-12.  I believe that the size of the school will be the thing that will require the biggest adjustment on all of our parts!  Anna's graduating class (did I really just right that????)  will have about 70 students in it.  After a few years of a pretty big middle school, I am looking forward to the more intimate atmosphere.  Hoping to actually be able to speak to a teacher when needed!!

The schools have co-ed sports...even FOOTBALL.  Aaron is struggling a lot a bit with the thought of Abby playing football...she is loving the idea!  We will see who wins this battle.  Their colors are green and yellow and they will be the Mighty Green Wave.

Here are a few pictures of the schools:

This is the first time that Abby will go to a school where her
sister has not been a student!

We think this is the middle school wing.

Anna wasn't with me to get a picture with her school sign...bummer!

The  High School

Can't wait to the fall!  Love me some football games!!

Our new home is going to be in....

We have been dying to announce where we were moving to in June but have had to keep it a "secret"....that is until NOW!

Aaron has been appointed to the Narrows Circuit in the Tazewell District of the Holston Conference.  He will be the pastor to two churches:  Kathleen Memorial UMC and Hales Chapel UMC.

Hales Chapel UMC

Kathleen Memorial UMC

We will be living in Narrows, VA.  You can visit the town's website here.  We have had the privilege of visiting a few times and have found Giles County to be breathtakingly beautiful!

No one will be surprised that I have a TON of pictures from our visits and I will  be sharing them over the next few days.   Stay tuned!

Thankful....and refreshed

As overwhelmed as I have been over the last few weeks, the last few days have been a breath of fresh air!  I am so thankful for the Godly women that are in my life.  They are truly a gift from God and I cherish each laugh, cry, smile, hug, phone call, text message, note of encouragement and prayer.

There are some close by and those that are time zones and states away, some that I see everyday and others that I see every once and again.  Some have known and loved me for years and others have loved me for a shorter time.  These Godly women span generations, are of different races and ethnicities, socioeconomic classes and educational levels and have a myriad of life experiences and interests.

Each one is striving to love God and love neighbor.  Their friendship and love are priceless.  Whether you are in Kentucky, Tennessee, Arizona or any where in between and beyond, know that I am thankful for you and count you among my many blessings.

A family picture...ALL of us!

I love my camera!!  I take it with me everywhere. 

See....here's the proof!

That's me! (at a soccer game of course...)

Since I love my camera so much, I rarely am on the other side of the lens.  So, I thought I would post a picture of the whole family, including me!  In case you don't know it...I am the short one in the back.

Easter 2012 at the home of Scotty and Mitzi Myers.

What a motley crew we are!  I guess there is no denying that I am the shortest in the family. 

Emotions of a Pastor's Family: Part 3--Overwhelmed

I had a mini-breakdown yesterday and today.  I did a dangerous thing and started thinking about all of the things that will need to be done between now and when we move.  Here's just a sample:

• Midterm for Theology of John Wesley
• Find a moving company
• Write 13 more outlines of John Wesley's sermons
• Read 700+ pages for class
• Write 5 page paper on Social Justice and John Wesley's theology
• Go to 3 soccer tournaments
• Plan and throw Anna's 13th birthday party
• Participate in Abby's 5th grade blessing
• Go to work everyday...(the list of what to do here is too extensive to even begin to list)
• Design and print Aaron's graduation announcements

You can see why I am became so overwhelmed....sometimes it is more than I can wrap my mind around.  It just doesn't seem like there is enough time in the day to get it all done. It is easy to lose perspective when you feel that you might just choke to death on your to-do list.  It is during those times that I turn on my Pandora and listen to my Praise and Worship station.

As I did that this morning, the first song that played was Chris Tomlin's I Will Follow You. (Listen to it here.)  This is a beautiful song and I can remember the very first time it was sung in worship.  By the end of the song, my face was wet with tears as it expressed beautifully the prayer that I had prayed for many years. 

Here are the lyrics:

"I Will Follow"

Where you go, I'll go
Where you stay, I'll stay
When you move, I'll move
I will follow...

All your ways are good
All your ways are sure
I will trust in you alone
Higher than my side
High above my life
I will trust in you alone

Where you go, I'll go
Where you stay, I'll stay
When you move, I'll move
I will follow you
Who you love, I'll love
How you serve I'll serve
If this life I lose, I will follow you
I will follow you

Light unto the world
Light unto my life
I will live for you alone
You're the one I seek
Knowing I will find
All I need in you alone, in you alone

In you there's life everlasting
In you there's freedom for my soul
In you there joy, unending joy
and I will follow 

 Following God's will is not always easy.  There is a peace that comes from walking the path that God has set before you.  Even in the midst of stress, heartache, and to-do lists that seem unending, God is my rock and my refuge.  I trust that he loves me and wants what's best for me. 

During this crazy, hectic time, it will be important for me to remember that what God wants most from me is me.  Not my to-do list, not what I am doing for him, but ME!  So, if you see me overwhelmed and about to crack...ask me if I have spent time with God lately.  No item on my to-do list is more important than that one.

Interrupted by homework

This blog has been interrupted by homework!  


I promise to return soon with more crazy stories from this adventure called life.  Until then, here's what I look like:

Emotions of a Pastor's Family: Part 2--where would we live?

The last few days have been an interesting few days for us.  We have spend several days in the area that will be our new home in June.  We got to tour the parsonage, visit some restaurants and check out the shopping.  Aaron and I wanted the girls to have a realistic view of where they were moving.  So often, our imaginations can make things much, much worse for us!

The trip has been interesting from the standpoint that we have one daughter who is almost excited about the move and one daughter who is absolutely dreading every piece and part of it.

She is going to live!  We found two malls within 45 minutes of our place.

Parsonages are a blessing but can be the source of much stress for the family!  On one hand, you don't have to spend time searching for a place to live on the other hand, pastor families do not get a choice as to where they live.  There can be a sense that you have no control over the situation.  You do not get to choose the location, the style, the size or the details.  Most people have never been in this kind of situation (unless you are military, etc.).

Looking at the parsonage calmed my their nerves.  Don't get me wrong--I am very THANKFUL to have a parsonage, but there was much anxiety over what kind of space would there be--would there be space for my beloved freezer, space for a study, enough room for our furniture?  Would there be pieces of furniture already there?  Would I be able to garden?  Would we be able to have a pet?  WOULD THERE BE AIR CONDITIONING? 

We were all please by the answers we found.  There is AIR CONDITIONING!  We can have a cat and I will be able to garden.  There is room for my freezer and my second refrigerator. (what can I say??  I love to entertain!)  Plenty of space in the basement for the girls to have some space and a possible space for an office. 

Here are some pics of possible flower gardening space and there is a location for some raised beds for vegetable gardening.  All in all, we were pleased.  Of course, the highlight of the parsonage tour was spending time with folks from the churches!

Emotions of a Pastor's Family

As a family, we keep moving toward Aaron's graduation and the BIG move.  I can't help but be a bit reflective at times and my emotions are like a roller coaster.  I bounce between excitement, sadness, anxiousness....

I have always said that being in ministry is all about building relationships for it is within those relationships that one can truly share the love of Christ.  When moves loom, those relationships can cause heartache.  We have said goodbye to congregations and friends before and I wish I could say it get easier, but it doesn't.  I guess we would not be living out our faith if it did.

Perhaps the hardest part of this move is watching our girls deal with their emotions while trying to managing our own!!  They are just really starting to understand the depth of the love that God has for them and struggling with why in the midst of that love He would ask them to leave that which they find comfortable.  There are lots of tears and lots of stress involved in trying to wrestle with these things.  Pastor families struggle with the same issues as other families.  It is just a reminder that emotions are fragile

Sorry for the rambling...I warned you though in an earlier post that I may be rambling about our upcoming move.  Don't get me wrong, we know that God has called us to this new place (hoping to be able to reveal soon!) and we are excited about it, but transitions even if good ones are difficult.  Please pray for all families dealing with being called to a new place.  

Palm Sunday

This past Sunday was Palm Sunday, the day that the Christian church celebrates Christ's triumphant entrance into Jerusalem.  I have always felt a bit conflicted as I watched the children in the congregation parading around the sanctuary waving palm branches celebrating his riding into the city on a donkey heralded as a king by those gathered for the Passover simply because I know the rest of the story.  I know that in just a few days, that many of these same people will be shouting "Crucify him!  Crucify him!"  If I am honest, I spend this day with a knot in the pit of my stomach, always wondering if I would have joined with the crowds in these shouts demanding the death of the very one I had just honored as a king.



To make things just a bit more antagonistic for me this year, Palm branches were given to each person, young and old, as we entered worship.  We were instructed to wave our branches as we sand our praises.  I tried to comply, but that same struggle enveloped my mind and heart.  As I worked through the emotions of that morning, I have come to realize that it is a celebration---just not the type of celebration that those first century folks were having.  I am not celebrating the coming of a king who will liberate me from my political oppressors.  I am celebrating the Messiah that is coming to liberate my from the power and bondage of Sin.  That is something to celebrate!

As always, my family has no problem being silly celebrating!  Here are a few pictures of their antics. 

My crazy family...pictures are worth a thousand words!

Today was a beautiful day in the Bluegrass!  We decided to take some photos for Aaron's graduation announcements.  Here are a few of the "out takes."  I love these crazy people!

That's a normal reaction when looking at book written in Hebrew!

Exhausted after all these pictures!

Tree climbing mishaps

Abby is an incredible tree-climber.  She loves to climb absolutely as high as she can and give me a heart attack in the process.  She has climbed trees since she was able to reach the lowest branch.  As a little one, she would often climb up so high that she would freak out and not be able to get herself down.  Anna would run inside in a panic and Aaron would have to go outside and get her out of the tree.

As she has gotten older, she continues to climb higher and higher.  This past week, she discovered a new tree just down from our house that is a perfect climbing tree.  She has made it into her little "clubhouse" and often sits and reads up there.

She convinced Anna to come and climb the tree with her.  Anna made it up the tree just fine...coming down was another matter.  She swung off the final branch and as her feet hit the ground they flew up and she promptly landed on her backside.  While trying to catch herself, she managed to hurt her shoulder.

So....we ended up in the emergency room on Sunday afternoon.  The good news is that the collarbone is not broken....the bad news is that they put her in a sling anyway...

The doctor told her she needs more practice climbing trees.  I think he just wants more business!

A day of (much needed) rest

I got to spend a day in Berea, KY this week.  Me and a few of my colleagues traveled to the small town to do some business.  While they were in a meeting, I got to spend some time BY MYSELF!  Although I do not require a huge amount of alone time, I was in desperate need of some time to just be still with my own thoughts without someone needing something from me.

I don't do "quiet" time well.  You will never see me just sitting still.  So walking around on a beautiful spring day admiring God's handiwork and the handiwork of others was a great way for me to quiet my mind.

Here are a few pictures from my day in Berea.

There were tons of spring flowers in bloom.

I really don't know what the deal was with these giant hands, but they were all over the place.  I couldn't help but imagine them being a hand of God just waiting for me to sit in it and rest.

One of the craft stores.  I meandered forever looking at all kinds of beautiful pieces of art.

I know that we are all busy, but it really is important for us to take time out of our crazy, hectic lives and remember that each one of us are beautifully and uniquely made.  Spending time admiring the beauty around us, helps us remember that we are beautiful to God.  I hope that you can have some peaceful moments in your life this week!

Preacher Kids....snacking on communion

Last night was homework night at our house.  We all had homework that needed to get done.  Anna had two tests, Abby had one test and I have more work to do than I even care to write about.  Aaron was in class so he missed the Atchley family homework hour(s).

While the house was quiet and everyone was dutifully studying (a  major minor miracle in itself), I looked up to see this:

If you can't tell what she is doing, she is snacking while studying.  If you look very closely, you will see that she is dipping bread into grape juice and eating it.  I chuckled when I realized what she was doing.  She said that she was "snacking on communion."  Abby was bounding down the stair about that time and raced over to get in on the action.

Now, don't go all theological on me and post comments and send me e-mails about how this goes against United Methodist practices and such...just enjoy it for what it is:  Two preacher's kids who used to play baptism in the bathtub have moved on to snacking on "communion".   

I will have to admit that in an evening full of stress and pressure, the thought of God's grace being available to anyone at any time was comforting.  They may have been snacking and not thinking about the significance of the sacrament of communion, but it made me stop for a second and just rest in the fact that I am saved by faith alone and that nothing I can do will add to that or subtract to that.  I needed that!