It's the little things....

I am not a "girly-girl."  I have never been one to wear a lot of make-up and am always a low-maintenance hair type of girl.  (Pony-tails RULE!)  My getting-ready-routine is quick and easy.  I have never been one to take forever to leave the house and have never, ever been a fan of all of that smell-good stuff.

However, a few years ago, I fell in love with a scent from Bath and Body Works.  It was just perfect for me!  It was light and fresh (no super flowery scents for me!) and it came in a shower gel and lotion.  A multi-tasking product:  I could get clean and smell yummy!!  So, out of character, I bought the whole set!!

I was in heaven.  I actually thought that I was turning the corner and heading a little ways down the girly-girl path.  When I used the last of my shower gel, I rushed back to Bath and Body Works only to find that they had discontinued my favorite scent!!  I think the lady behind the counter felt sorry for me as I just stared at her in disbelief.  I am pretty sure she thought I was going to melt down and fall to the floor screaming and crying, but I didn't.  I gathered myself together and calmly walked out of the store only to frantically call my sister in Arizona to moan and groan and whine and cry about how unfair this world was.  Being the loving sister she is, she checked the Bath and Body Works Outlet (isn't she lucky!) and found a few more bottles, bought them and shipped them across the country to me.

Unfortunately, they eventually ran out too and this time no wonderful package arrived from Arizona with refills.  They really weren't going to make them anymore.  It was a sad, sad day.  I have continued to think about that lovely scent and although I have tried several other products and scents, nothing has come close to my lovely Lemon-Vanilla Bath and Body Works shower gel.

You can only imagine my joy when I saw an e-mail from BB&W with the header  "For a limited time:  Lemon-Vanilla products are back!"  I did not pass go.  I did not collect $200.  I clicked on the link, order FIVE bottles and jumped for joy!

The package arrived today!!  I am a happy (and yummy smelling) woman!!  It's the little things....

The man needs new shoes!

Aaron wears two types of shoes right now--Crocs and tennis shoes--and only wears tennis shoes when absolutely necessary. 

He met me for lunch today at work which means he walked in the rain to meet me since we only live a block away from my office.  As he was walking me back to my office, he nonchalantly tells me that he needs a new pair of shoes.  He shows me this...

Poor thing...he had been walking around with a hole in his shoe!  Every time he took a step, water shot up through the hole into the shoe!!

Isn't he pitiful?  Guess we will be going shoe shopping....

Big changes are coming!

Six years ago, Aaron and I started planning the "next steps" in our lives and ministry.  We had been involved with youth ministry vocationally for many, many years and although we loved it (and all of our kids!), we felt that God was calling us to pastoral ministry.  (An important note here--Aaron is going to be the one who is going to be the pastor, however we feel strongly that we were called to this kind of ministry as a couple.)  After two years of much prayer and planning, we packed up our family and all of our belongings and moved from Tennessee to Wilmore, KY. 

We are approaching graduation (at least Aaron is) from Asbury Theological Seminary in May.  And although I do a little happy dance every time I think about Aaron graduating, reality soon hits that with graduation comes a great big change!  We will be packing up our belongs and moving from Wilmore, KY to somewhere in the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church.  (I can't tell you where yet, but stay tuned because I will be able to soon!)

Transitions are difficult even when they are good transitions. Transitions are hard even when they mean that a fulfillment of a calling from your Creator and Savior is being fulfilled.  The details of moving, saying good-bye to jobs, friends, soccer teams, schools, etc seem to just come in waves like those of the ocean onto the sand.  Some are small and others knock you down! 

I just want to warn you that I will be using this forum as a way to process my emotions--all of them...the good, the bad and the ugly!  For now, I am holding on to Jeremiah 29:11:

Deal of the Year!!

We have been doing a LOT of traveling over the last few weeks.  In fact, we visited 6 states in 8 days.  Needless to say, we are exhausted.  Abby had two soccer games in the Louisville area this weekend and we decided to see what kind of hotel room we could get using Hotwire.  We had decided that if we could find something less than $50, we would actually break even with the cost of gas being what it is.  So we found a 2 and 1/2 star hotel for $41.  I took a chance and booked the room.  Of course, you can't see what hotel or what kind of room it is.  Sometimes this works out well and other times...well let's just say that we have been disappointed before.

Not this time!  Look what $41 got us this weekend!!

The room with the KING size bed

The "sitting room" complete with kitchen!!

All kinds of amenities including a large arcade, indoor swimming pool, great gym and large indoor play space.

Needless to say...we were pleased with the outcome.  Hope the rest of adventures with Hotwire.com is just as successful!

Spring Soccer Season Has Begun

The spring soccer season  has begun!  The CSC Gold 2001 Girls opened up the spring season in Birmingham, Alabama at the prestigious Vulcan Cup.  It was a BEAUTIFUL weekend!  The girls played well  and fun was had by all!  Here are just a few pictures from the weekend:

Anna and Abby playing before the tournament started.

Abby warming up

Love this picture!

Anna showing off a move

It's always a good thing to bring home some hardware!

Vulcan Cup 2012 Finalists

Confessions of a Soccer Mom--It's all worth it!

All the time, all the effort, all the money....all the bruises, scrapes, sore muscles....all the lessons learned, the miles traveled, the McDonald's cheeseburgers...all the stains, sweat and blisters....

IT'S ALL WORTH IT!!  Here's the proof....

MEAD CUP 2011 U11 CHAMPIONS!

Winning Keeper...5 games, 4 allowed goals and 2 shut-outs!  Great effort!!

Hold 'em high girls!

Can't be prouder.  The 2001 Commonwealth Soccer Club Girls Gold team...your sweat this summer in 100 degree heat paid off.  Hard work ALWAYS pays off!

It's almost football time!!

About this time every year something happens in my family.  There's an excitement in the air...you can literally feel it.  The calendar flips over to show September and I know it is coming.


An exclamation from my loving husband, "Ya know...it almost FOOTBALL time!!"  and I always grin.

He loves it and I love him.  I know that there are lots of women out there who complain about how much time their man spends watching sports.  I just can't bring myself to do it.  He enjoys it so much and gets so excited about it, especially when the team in Orange and White takes the field. 

He gets so excited and loves it so much.  How could I ever complain about his hours and hours of watching it?  All kidding aside...I really don't mind.  I get lots of joy watching him watch football.  I just make sure there are no breakable objects in the room and that he is not sitting under a ceiling fan.  It's all fun and games until something gets broken...like fingers in a fan.