rocky top fun with a little roll tide on the side…

believe it or not…
it was a picture perfect weekend here in east tennessee and i. did. not. take. one. single. photo.
i had the kids in town, a radio broadcast saturday morning (k-town gals all girl tailgate talk show) at which we catered and talked Petro's, grocery shopping, appetizer making, salad tossing, button creating (gone horribly awry, i'm afraid), tailgating, visiting, packing up, going home. whew. and that was just saturday! who has time for pictures??
anyway, by the time we got down to the stadium to tailgate, the cornflower blue skies of earlier in the day had evolved into grayish skies and i just elected to focus on the human beings in attendance rather than always being "that girl" who shoves a camera in everyone's face. looking back i kinda wish i had, but i'm fine with the mental memories. bamagirl snapped one with the parents and boywonder. so yay. one photo.
oh well…
sunday we attended church, lunched at our favorite (well, it's bamagirl's all-time favorite so she always lobbies hard for that one since she rarely gets to go there) thai restaurant for lunch, visited with friends at the house and all too soon, it was time for bamagirl and bamagirl'sboy to go back to tuscaloosa {with a victory in hand…heavy sigh}. nothing like a 30 hour visit! {happy to report that i was able to finish bamagirl's button project… her design which i illustrated and then made into legit buttons to wear to the game. you know… AOII Roll Tide with a cute little elephant… perhaps it was all that red and alabama nonsense that made my computer crash! too late for the UT/Bama game, but she and her sorority friends will have buttons to wear for the rest of the season.}
boywonder is on fall break this weekend, so he's hanging out chez parentals until tuesday nite. he'll play basketball with the boys {the hubs, his brothers and other guys play every monday nite} and then we'll gather for our usual late-night monday nite dinner. just me and the boys… i love my mondays!
so now it's off to work. which really just entails me staying off facebook and blogspot for a time. easier said than done.
i've got plenty to keep me busy today. my window is open and i'm working to the sound of a steady stream of rain. it's a perfect monday after a picture{less} perfect weekend.

oh, my scattered brain.

not even sure why i'm here today or why i'm posting with literally nothing to say. ha! sounds like every post!
lots on my plate today and the a.d.d. is messing with my ability to focus. not to blame my lack of attention. perhaps it's carpal tunnel of the brain… or whatever you call doing a repetitive task to the point of it being daily brain surgery just to get going.
but i'm a happy girl, despite the CCT (i'll affectionately call it cerebral carpal tunnel). it's a beautiful day, the birds are chirping gaily outside my open window, the smell of freshly cut grass is wafting in to make me wish i was outside today (just please, not doing yardwork!). i have a ton of work to do and a dinner to go to later today and a yardsale to be at tomorrow morning at 6am (must go to the bank today and secure some change) and i have dust bunnies running through my house that should seriously be saddled up and ridden away. both the kids (and bama girl's boy) are coming home this weekend for the big UT/Alabama football game which will probably result in much orange blood-letting, but it will be fun anyway. we're going to tailgate with meeka and pops and some of their friends… should be a pretty massive crowd.
i believe my a.d.d. goes hand in hand with my epic procrastination skills.
go me!
oh, and i've tried the whole grown up using capital letters at the beginning of sentences for awhile now on my blog. did you even notice? i have grown weary of the practice and along with my crazy-huge dust bunnies… have decided to shrug my shoulders and say "whatev."
sunday our girls will be hanging out with Gomer from Hosea. i can so relate to her inability to fully accept the idea of full forgiveness and being washed clean. should be some interesting conversation. at least i'm hoping.
so that's it. i probably won't see my blog again until monday. or maybe sunday night. but who am i kidding? my brett (albeit a naughty brett these days…) is playing my packers. i still have a hard time processing that. but it's not as bad as when the titans play against my colts. or more specifically, our peyton. he's practically the patron saint of football here in knoxville.
oh, and sorry no pictures today. like eradicating/corraling/hog-tying my dustbunnies… just don't have time today.
but i will leave you with this… i saw this and thought if i just tried one hair whip, i'd end up in halo traction. you might want to try this yourself… but only if you have an ambulance standing by.

Love Immeasurable… Love Divine!

Great weekend at the Gorge.
Tons of work.
Grabbed a couple of the 300+ shots I took and made a one minute vid. Enjoy!

Ryan Long was amazing…this is his song he lead us in worship.
Now back to work…

PINT: the fall love affair version

wanna play along? c'mon, you know you do. head on over to that one mom, and link up!

Off for a Gorge-ous Weekend!

No time to really post a real post… busy packing, which wouldn't have been stressful if I had taken my winter clothes out of the attic before 9pm last night. Sigh.
Or if I hadn't watched Grey's Anatomy this morning as I sorted through clothing. Double sigh.
Still need to grab a shower and be to the church by a reasonable time.
Why the need to sort and pack and leave?
Why I'm going to the gorge, that's why!
Our church's high school ministry is taking our high schoolers off to fall camp at Doe River Gorge… only the best spot in upper East Tennessee!! It's an annual trek and so fun. Our gathering times happen under a huge tent… no heat except for some space heaters. With temperatures to dip into the 40s at night, the tent gets really cold after the sun goes down. The days are slated to be sunny and warm (ish) so I don't think anything will get in the way of the annual football game. Guys vs. Girls. Guys on their knees… girls fully ambulatory. The girls actually won last year.
I am approaching this weekend with much prayer. It's been a rough few months for me and I'm fearful that I'm emotionally and spiritually weary before I even get on the bus. Praying that the Lord will fill my heart to overflowing so I can effectively pour out His Spirit to my high school friends.
I'll be taking many pictures over the weekend in hopes of telling His Story upon our return. My hope is to use this as a tool to "sell" myself in a future position where I might be able to creatively share His Story and all He is doing in and around us. Pray, too, for opportunities there, too.
Have an awesome weekend. I'm looking forward to sharing God's goodness to my high school junior ladies and sharing life-giving opportunities with my fellow leaders. May God get all the glory!

afternoon indulgence

The hubs gave me an afternoon spa vacation… not sure if it was for mother's day or perhaps for our anniversary… and the gift card sat in my little file of papers on my crowded desk. At the risk of forgetting it or just not taking advantage of it, I made my appointment a few weeks ago. I decided to take the plunge. The only appointments they had were in the middle of the week. Do I dare take an afternoon off to pamper myself?
Not only yes, but hell yes!
It's been an incredibly tumultuous past nine months. Corporate merger, increased work load, new bosses, new accountability procedures, more pressure, family friction… it's not been an easy go. An afternoon spa vacation sounded like a small corner of heaven.
And it was.
Upon arriving, I was ushered into a calmly lit dressing room where I divested myself of the sports skirt and sleeveless tee and locked away my belongings, including my lifeline to the outside world… my cell phone. I turned that sucker off and went off to indulge myself in an afternoon removed from all earthly trappings.
Freedom!
After an hour-long massage that kneaded out the tension in my neck and shoulders {not completely, but I'll take what I can get!}, I was ushered into a small alcove where lunch awaited me. Really? Lunch?? Chicken salad croissant {I only splurged on 1/4 of the bread} accompanied by a luxurious fruit cup. I haven't had fruit in 9 weeks…can I just say I had escaped to heaven? It was divine. I ate the fruit off the chocolate drizzled cheesecake, too, and I'm not gonna lie… I had two bites of cheesecake. It was a tiny cheat, but I figured, since I'm in heaven, it won't matter, right?
It's not like a cup of fruit and two bites of cheesecake is going to turn me in to a Macy's Day Balloon!
After lunch, I enjoyed a steamy shower, slipped back into my own clothing and dried and fixed my hair. Off to a spa mani and pedi.
Ooooo La La!! I'm hooked.
Soaking and salt scrub. Hot paraffin wax treatment. Lotion massage. Cuticle cream, buffing, polish.  
It's such a little thing, but I have found having my nails painted makes me feel so put together! Who knew?

I'm no hand model, that's for sure! But it makes my hands so happy!

And having a nice pedi the day before I went to the foot doctor to have a suspicious lump looked at… that was providential timing!

Throughout the afternoon, though, I hand pangs of shame. I don't deserve this kind of pampering. I shouldn't be taking this much time off of work. I haven't done anything to merit this much favor.
I know many would say, Of course you do! You work hard! It's been a tough year!
And to a degree, that's true.
But I also know there are so many more deserving of this treatment. People who have suffered or sacrificed so much more than me.
I'm so thankful that my husband loves me enough to pamper me in such an extravagant fashion. It's not an everyday occasion. I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon. It was luxurious and relaxing and made me feel beautiful. Even though as soon as I left, I returned home to catch up on work.
But as my fingers flew across my computer keyboard, I admired the pretty french manicure.
And began dreaming of going again someday.

I'm happy to report the suspicious lump on my foot is a ganglion cyst, and not something more serious. And the foot pain I've been experiencing is nothing more than plantar fasciitis. If I had been paying attention to the symptoms, I would have been able to self-diagnose that one. Duh. My son had it for a few years, and our symptoms are identical!

PINT: the uninspired version

it's PINT. i'm too lazy to tell you how to link up.

Can you hear me now?

There's not alot on my mind these days… but that's never stopped me from speaking what little there is! ha!
I've had some awesome conversations over the past week with REAL people. I know… amazing, right? And I've had some great contributions (OL and IRL) to my question about living radically for Jesus. I've been consciously and intentionally engaging in human interaction of the real-life variety and have been blessed for my efforts.
On Monday, I met three of my old college sorority sisters. This was a source of some pre-meeting anxiety for me… not knowing who was going to be there or how many… having gained weight since college… having only been a member for a year (I deactivated after having to appear before the counsel for having dropped out of school for two quarters… paying for school and sorority myself was overwhelming and their lack of understanding my absence was the catalyst for me deactivating) I was fearful of not being accepted. It's funny how easy it is to go right back to all those high school/college insecurities. It ended up being really fun, and there was a small crowd, which helped alleviate my concerns. I didn't talk too much (a miracle in itself) and felt like I really belonged. We're planning on doing this on a regular basis. Next time, I'll bring my camera!
Lately, it seems the hardest conversations I have are the ones with the Hubs. I don't know if it's just too much togetherness or that we are impatient to really listen to one another's hearts. I'm sure there's a bit of both involved. I'm striving to be a better listener (yes, another miracle, folks!) and affirm his ideas and resist the urge to criticize. It's the ones we are closest to that are often the hardest relationships!
I had a great week of interacting and investing and breathing Life into my friends and those I'm in ministry with.
I've discovered that living radically for Jesus is an ongoing process… for me this week it means getting out of my comfort zone, interacting with people and listening. For anyone that knows me… that last one is pretty radical!

Rhythm of Life

Not only did I have to set my own alarm clock for this morning, but I had to make my own coffee, empty out the brew basket myself, feed the dogs and walk all the way to the street and get the paper. I had to pour my own milk. Put out my own vitamins. Do my own devotion.
I know, poor baby, right?
Well, if the Hubs was home, all of this would have been finished for me. Or at least done together.
It's the rhythm of life. At least for us, it is.
The Hubs is in Atlanta, at our corporate office. He's there looking at truck options (mobile Petro's) and pre-fab building manufacturers (for plopping down a ready-made Petro's). He's also catering a golf tournament for one of our partners in the hopes that a potential franchisee might pop out of the woodwork. It's what we fondly refer to as shaking hands and kissing babies.
Speaking of shaking hands and kissing babies…
I went to a gubernatorial {who makes up words like these anyways!!?} debate at the UT Alumni Hall (newly repurposed… it's a beautiful auditorium in one of the older buildings on campus. It used to be the old basketball arena…a really long time ago.). My favorite candidate is a personal friend of ours… it's crazy to think that he will more than likely end up living in the gubernatorial mansion in Nashville soon. CRAZY. He is the former mayor of Knoxville and is just the realest, most preciously honest Christian man I know. {I know, honest politician is sort of an oxymoron, but he is. He's the real deal.) He loves Jesus and loves people and would like to help everyone… but realizes that all these things requires revenue and he's a responsible budgeter. I don't envy that job. not at all.
Sorry… I wandered down a dead-end street there… I'm back.
I love our little routines. Even when I complain about them. Sometimes I don't always want to be the laundry girl… but when he steps into that role… it usually results in me having to do extra ironing, so it's best that I just do it myself. I don't take out the trash… he doesn't dust the house. He is the resident critter-gitter… I wash windows.
We have this little pattern. This rhythm together.
I'm not a huge fan of banging this drum by myself, but it's okay. It's not for long.
I think of my in-laws who are joined at the hip. It's hard not to think about how it will look when they're not a pair anymore. I'm aware of my friends who are playing solo…and not by choice. The music they're making is not the same as it was…
That's not to say that the sound isn't beautiful.
The important thing is that the music continues…

radical

Still pondering and praying about what it looks like to live radically for Christ. I'm not a fan of locusts. Thankfully, I don't think the God of the Bible is asking me to change my diet that way.
But I do think He's calling me to change. Change my diet for what I desire…for what He desires.
Have you heard about Radical, by David Platt?
{watch it on youtube for the full effect. this format doesn't allow enough room to see it well}

I haven't read it yet… but I'm getting ready to.
I'm praying about what living radically looks like.
Have you read this book? What are your thoughts?

PINT: pining for a lost friend edition

thanks to that one mom for hosting my weekly meme. Check out what others have gone on and on about… all on a post-it, of course!

all things new

BABETTE COLLAVO, NPS PHOTO

What is it about the changing of a season that gets me so excited!? {Except for winter. That is so not exciting, and if it wasn't for Christmas, I would boycot the season entirely.}

Fall here in East Tennessee is beautiful. Even though it's early October, the leaves really haven't even begun to turn… we're still a few weeks away. There's nothing quite like the fall display of colors in the Smokey Mountains. One look across a valley of autumnal splendor and you can almost smell the hot apple cider and fresh-baked pumpkin bread. 

I love me some fall!
I also think there's nothing quite like a beautifully sunny, crisply cool Monday. Mondays can be hard for some, but really, I have this totally renewed feeling like I could really accomplish something amazing. Is it because I had a delightfully relaxing weekend? {And by "delightfully relaxing," I mean taking the car in for an oil change, taking the dogs for rabies shots, getting a box springs from the warehouse, stopping at the grocers, sewing curtains and cleaning out the pantry/closet downstairs… which of course did not include traveling all weekend to work and sweat at a college football game.} It's easy to feel refreshed and ready to start a new week.
To appease the hubs, I've also embarked on a quest to cultivate IRL friendships. As someone who works from home and rarely has to leave the house {except to forage for food}, it's key to my well-being and sanity to seek out human interaction.
I've done this nicely in blog-land. I've developed some sweet friendships with people I never would have encountered IRL, and I'm super thankful for the interesting, inspiring, incredible women I've met in cyberland. I love that I can hang out with my friends at a moment's notice. I don't have to make a "playdate" with any of them. I can choose to visit at my whims… even if it is at 2 in the morning. Some of my friends are just a tweet away. And even though some of these conversations happen with people watching in the fringes, it's a fun way to share bits and pieces of life.
IRL relationships are not so easy. And for me… it brings back feelings of self-doubt and social anxiety. I am going to a gathering of sorority sisters tonight. Since I deactivated my sophomore year, I don't really feel like I belong… but I'm going at the coaxing of a friend who happens to be the mother of one of BamaGirl's closest friends. So I'm going… but I'm nervous about it.
Tuesday is the Young Life banquet. Over 2,000 people will be there… and my nephew will be one of the speakers. With the exception of my SIL, the entire family will be at our table {an answer to prayer} and while I don't think any of them will be quite ready to walk the aisle, it's another opportunity to be sowing seeds for our unbelieving family. BoyWonder is attending his first banquet as an attendee…so exciting to see a new generation investing in the lives of high schoolers.
Wednesday is youth group activities and the afternoon and evening will fly by… late dinner with the Hubs afterwards. Sometimes we grab a few leaders and make a party of it.
Thursday I'm having lunch with three friends who are moms of BamaGirl's friends. People I don't normally see, yet enjoy. I'm finding I have to be super intentional about spending time together. It's so easy to say Oh, we really should get together… and then never do.  Later that day, I'm attending a rally followed by a political debate. Our former mayor, and personal friend, is running for Governor and I'm going to lend my support. The Hubs will be in Atlanta, so I'll be going stag. Another potentially awkward/uncomfortable social scenario. Pray for me not to have diarrhea of the mouth I usually get when I'm nervous.
Friday will be here before I know it. I'm still debating on having the yard sale early since the weekend I scheduled it for is actually the weekend I'll be away at fall camp with our high schoolers from church. Whoops! The following weekend would be alright, but with BamaGirl and BamaGirl's BamaBoy coming in for the big game, that might be more to bite off than I'm ready for.
Whew. I think I need a nap.