A Penny's Thoughts

Swimming

2008-08-30T23:04:00.003-04:00

Brad, Claire, Nate and I went swimming tonight. We had tons of fun playing with the waterproof camera. Well. Until the battery died.

Making Aiden Smile

2008-05-13T10:24:00.002-04:00

Great Grandpa and Aiden bonding.

From our trip to Washington

2008-05-06T18:45:00.008-04:00

At the rehearsal dinner, laughing about some anecdote!

Sisters!

The beautiful Bride!

Leaving for their honeymoon.

I actually felt pretty in this dress!

I have more photos on facebook, and Nate will be posting some soon on his facebook account, too, so stay tuned!

Happy Birthday, Nate!

2008-03-01T20:54:00.002-05:00

I Love My Nephew!

2008-02-20T08:19:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

2008-02-01T10:15:00.001-05:00

I love you!

More Aiden...because I just can't get enough!

2008-01-03T10:04:00.000-05:00

I'm an Aunt!!!

2007-12-25T16:21:00.000-05:00

Aiden Charles Murray Pass is my new nephew. This photo was taken when he was less than an hour old! Love at first sight. I'm hopelessly addicted to this child already! For more details, see Brad and Claire's blog.

My New Friend Dora

2007-11-24T09:22:00.000-05:00

I guess I need to work on my enunciation skills, because when I told Pari and my mom that I had pictures to show them of my new front door, they both thought I said my new friend Dora. So, here you go folks, my new friend Dora. Oops, I mean my new front door!

My Set of Soul...

2007-11-11T09:04:00.000-05:00

God is STILL good.

Hooray for the Red Sox!

2007-10-30T08:57:00.000-04:00

Right before game four of the World Series, Claire and I got together to carve pumpkins. We have done this every year for a while now and always have a blast. This year I decided to carve this:

More pictures to come on facebook...

October

2007-10-20T22:52:00.000-04:00

So, it's been a month of anniversaries, good and bad. It's been a year since we got our dog, Phoebe. So far, she's been a good fit. She tries so hard to be good.

It's been two years since we bought our house. Hard to believe that it's been that long. Time flies! We are still very happy here and still slowly working on fixing it up and making it ours. I love decorating!

It's been seven years since Nate and I first started courting! We celebrated by stopping for a couple of nights at Cape Cod on our way home from Fairwood. (I have pictures on my Facebook account if you want to check them out).

It's been almost one year since I started working at Wolf Camera. There is still so much that I don't know about cameras, but I've been learning a lot!

And now, I must flee. I'm watching the Red Sox. I love being a Red Sox fan!

You are not going to believe this!

2007-09-16T13:28:00.000-04:00

The other evening, while brushing my teeth and various other of my nightly rituals, both of our cats hopped up on the counter for a drink of water. This is normal. I went over to Nate's sink and turned it on so they could take turns drinking while I finished up with my teeth. Then I turned off the water and climbed into bed. Then I heard a trickling sound coming out of the bathroom. All I could figure was that the cats had somehow figured out how to turn the water on, so I went to investigate. I poked my head around the corner in time to see our cat Melvin with his rear over the toilet relieving himself! Nate and I are thinking of setting up a video camera so that we can catch him in the act!

That circle with the C in the middle means something!

2007-08-17T20:51:00.000-04:00

At the store where I work, copyright laws are taken very seriously. We are very aware that it is a federal law that we cannot reproduce professional pictures without a written release from the photographer or studio. We probably turn away 4 or 5 people a day if not more, telling them to come back with written permission. These nice, friendly southern folk are usually pretty unhappy and unfriendly and sometimes downright rude when we tell them we can't copy their pictures. You should hear some of the things people say to try to get us to break the law for them.

"It's me in the picture!"

"How do you know it's professional?"

"But I bought it, it's mine!"

"What if I cut the part off that says it's copyrighted?"

"This is ridiculous!" (usually accompanied by a disgusted look as they stomp away)

One time, my manager asked a woman who took her formal wedding pictures, and the woman said that she had done them herself! Hmm....

Today's customer takes the cake, though. She wanted me to copy these pictures of her son who passed away 10 years ago. When I told her I couldn't, she said, "This is like having my son die all over again by telling me you can't do it!"

Go Braves!

2007-08-02T08:00:00.001-04:00

Tuesday evening, Nate and I went with my manager and her fiance to a Braves game! We had an awesome time and they beat the Astros 12 to 4! We even got these nifty yellow hats, courtesy of DHL! I didn't want to lug around my big camera, so I just used my phone to take pictures and it actually did a decent job!

What to say...

2007-07-25T13:50:00.000-04:00

Well, I guess it's time to update, eh? Since I last posted, I've turned 33, celebrated our 6th anniversary and worked my tail off at Wolf Camera. In between all of those momentous activities I've been at home, feebly trying to figure out which cluttered room to tackle first. Nate and I are both messy pack rats. The mess is really starting to get to me, though, so I'm trying to come up with a fabulous plan to get back on track and keep ahead of the clutter instead of drowning in it. Maybe it's time to give FlyLady another try...

I've been struggling a lot lately with discontentment. This birthday hit me hard. I never thought that I would be childless and working at a camera store at 33! This isn't the way it's supposed to be, right? It's taken a lot to get my focus back on the fact that God has a perfect plan and that I'm in it. He knows my desires better than I do. He made me and planted those desires in me to begin with. Who am I to then turn around and say, "but wait, this isn't how it's supposed to be! This isn't what I had in mind for my life! What's going on?" I've really been convicted lately that my attitude is not what it should be. To complain to God like that is to question His control and plan for me. It's like a slap in His face. Oh, how I've hurt Him. I heard recently on a radio program that parents need to be willing to be unpopular and unloved in order to keep boundaries for their teens in the interest of their safety physically and spiritually. Hopefully they'll thank them down the road for those parameters they buck so hard against now. I'm taking a step of faith now and thanking God now for the fact that my life doesn't make sense. It doesn't need to. As long as I'm in the center of His will, and I know I am, I can be content regardless.

God is good. He loves me. And I can rest in that.

I Love Roses!

2007-06-22T08:01:00.000-04:00

A Magnolia from Stone Mountain

2007-06-06T18:58:00.001-04:00

I've Been Tagged!

2007-05-23T07:23:00.001-04:00

Claire has tagged me. So, now I have to state the rules: I must share seven random facts about myself and tag seven other people, listing them here on my blog and leaving comments on their blogs so they know they've been tagged.

1. I drove around a 2007 PT Cruiser for two weeks while my car was being fixed.

2. My car was being fixed because Nate and I were rear-ended on Easter Sunday and pushed into the car ahead of us. We were the peanut butter in the sandwich.

3. When we were rear-ended I hurt my neck, so now Nate and I are going to the best chiropractor in the world once a week.

4. My toes have green polish on them.

5. I was shocked to see the new colors of the front hall at Fairwood, because Nate and I did the exact same thing in our dining room!

6. I've been to all but 4 states and to 6 countries, not counting our own.

7. Brad is three years younger than me, but when he was starting to pass me in height people thought we were twins.

So now, I tag Lori, Jill, Kristi, SNS News/Silas, Mom, Katie, and Andrea!

My own disclaimer: if you hate these things and don't want to participate, please feel no pressure. I'll love you anyway!

When Not to Multitask

2007-05-11T07:52:00.000-04:00

Nate and I were out the other day, driving in busy Atlanta traffic at speeds of around 65 mph, when we looked over and saw the woman in the car next to us filing her nails with NO hands on her steering wheel!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2007-04-24T12:21:00.000-04:00

I love you, Mom. Thank you for being such a wonderful mother and friend.

In the Kitchen with Nate

2007-04-17T22:07:00.000-04:00

Any excuse to use his power tools...

Happy Easter!

2007-04-08T18:58:00.000-04:00

Once again Claire, Mom and I decorated Easter eggs! Fun as always. I'm thankful that Easter is about more than just the eggs or the bunnies or the candy. It's about an empty tomb.

Experimenting with the camera...

2007-04-02T21:27:00.000-04:00

Portrait of a Stranger

2007-03-30T15:35:00.000-04:00

This gentleman came into our store today.

Inside Looking Out

2007-03-29T19:52:00.000-04:00

Black and White

2007-03-28T19:51:00.000-04:00

A dandelion from our backyard.

Self Portrait --- A Bad Hair Day

2007-03-27T08:42:00.000-04:00

Corners of My Home

2007-03-26T11:00:00.000-04:00

I am participating in Liane's photo week challenge! This happens to be one of my favorite corners.

Before and After

2007-03-24T17:10:00.000-04:00

We recently had new siding put on our house, and while we were at it, chose a new color, too. So, here are a couple of pics showing the before (with Nate in front) and after. What a shocker, we chose green!

Edmund Joseph

2007-03-04T21:24:00.000-05:00

As Claire mentioned on her blog, Dan and Pari just had their third baby. He was born on Nate's birthday. Six pounds and 14 oz. He's so little and cute and I've already fallen head over heels! Here's some pics from when Claire and I took his older siblings in to the hospital for a visit.

Happy Birthday, Nate!

2007-03-01T11:06:00.000-05:00

Let me just say that I think I have the best husband in the world. He cooks for me on days I have to work late, and sometimes on other days just because he enjoys it. He doesn't even use recipes and one time made the crust for chicken pot pie from scratch without even looking in a cookbook. It was the best I've ever had. He buys me flowers. He often comes home with chocolate for me or some other random Nate-like gift for me. He loves me more than he loves himself. He even went to the store on his own to buy a skirt that he knew I wanted! He is handy around the house, too, and can figure just about anything out. He's one of those people that knows a little bit of just about everything. There have been many times that he's blurted out some random piece of trivia. He prays for me every day and tells me he loves me multiple times a day in words and in actions. He's steady enough not to let little things get to him, and isn't easily fazed. But, he's also tender-hearted and not afraid to cry. I love you, Nate! Happy Birthday!

A New Camera!

2007-02-16T09:51:00.000-05:00

I have a new camera. A Nikon D50. I love it! I fell in love with it with the first click, and I've been clicking away ever since. Here are a couple of samples. Nate is cutting the crepe myrtle back in case you are wondering!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

2007-02-01T19:53:00.000-05:00

Zip over to Avalanche Cowpoke's blog and wish him a Happy Birthday. He is the greatest dad in the world after all.

Just outside our basement door...

2007-01-10T08:38:00.000-05:00

...we found this dead bug. Yes. It's real.

I'm so busy!

2007-01-04T09:34:00.000-05:00

Busy, busy, busy.

I need to go do dishes and get the laundry started and get ready to teach Joshua. So, I will leave you with this picture of GREEN! Can't wait to see it again on the trees!

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T12:19:00.000-05:00

Paper or Plastic?

2006-12-23T14:02:00.000-05:00

The other night, Nate and I were at Brad and Claire's to play games. Before we got started, Brad showed us his new Nintendo DS. (I think that's what it's called...) Anyway the more he showed us, the more I wanted one and kept saying so to Nate. You can use the stylus to write notes and doodle and if you are in the same room with someone else who has one, you can send these notes to each other. (Brad later demonstrated this feature by scrawling out, "Penny smells bad!" What a lovely brother.) Again, I greedily said to Nate, "I really want one!"
He muttered, "Why? You can do the same thing with a pencil and paper!"

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2006-12-05T09:09:00.000-05:00

We put up our tree on Sunday! We also put lights around the front windows along with those fake candles. We still have a little more that we want to do in the front yard, then we'll see if we can get a picture. But that might be tricky, so don't get your hopes up.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-23T16:00:00.000-05:00

Nate and I are in Florida for the extended weekend. We just had a lovely feast with his parents and now the effects of tryptophan are setting in. We got up at 6 this morning to drive down here and decided to have our own Thanksgiving service at 9 when we knew our church would be meeting. So we prayed together and then we played the "When I go to Jerusalem..." game. Only we called it, "I'm thankful for..." Here are the results, some serious and some silly:

I'm thankful for:

Apple pie
Brad and Claire
our Cars that haven't broken down
Dads, grand and otherwise
Edibles all year
our little Family
Guns (because Nate's secretly a good ol' boy)
our Home
the Individuals that are our friends
Jesus' love
Pari, whose full name really begins with K
Labor that has brought in money
Moms, grand and otherwise
Nate's siblings
Open Door Chapel
answered Prayer
Quietness
our Rose bushes
Telephones, cell and otherwise
one nation Under God
Various music
the World Wide Web
Xtras
You & me (Nate and I, that is)
Zion

Peggy?

2006-11-15T09:18:00.000-05:00

For some reason, people have often mistaken my name for Peggy. I guess it's sort of like Penny, but it has happened a lot. One of my new co-workers called me Peggy at first. My manager was quite astonished and said, "You don't look like a Peggy!"

Speaking of work, I'm really enjoying it so far. I know that people have been praying for me and I really appreciate it. I have a TON to learn, but it's going well. I'm even processing film now! And by the way, be careful what you take pictures of, people. Think about the poor person in the lab! Oh my word.

Nate is not working now. You can pray that he will find new employment, with just the right company. His last company was dumb. It's been nice having him home, though. I worked until closing on Monday, so he fixed dinner for Grandpa. Yesterday I worked until about 3:30, but he still fixed dinner for us without my even asking. AND, as we speak he is fixing breakfast. Not just cereal or eggs or something. Crepes! Without a recipe! Yum. Maybe he should become a chef...?

Hi-Ho Hi-Ho It's Off to Work I Go!

2006-11-08T09:09:00.000-05:00

I got a job! At a camera store!!! It's the same chain as Brad's but different store. Brad recommended me to them and has been a huge support, answering all of my questions, dumb and otherwise. I have a feeling I've only just begun with my questions to my brother. Thanks Brad, for being patient. I'll just be working 20 hours a week and starting in the lab. I would appreciate everyone's prayers as I begin this new adventure!

Phoebe is growing like crazy, and driving ME crazy. Puppies are a lot of work. She's slowly turning into a lovely little dog, though.

Grandpa came to live with us a year ago yesterday. We've had our ups and downs. It's a challenge having to share your home with an elderly person. (To put it mildly). Next week, we are planning to move him to Brad and Claire's. Please pray for them and him.

I will leave you with another photo of the foliage, which has been stunning lately.

Meet Spike

2006-10-31T20:22:00.000-05:00

Joshua's Birthday

2006-10-31T08:11:00.000-05:00

Joshua's parents had a Time Change/Birthday party on Saturday. He and another woman in our church share a birthday, so Pari asked if I would make the cake. Here it is. Joshua loves trains, so I did the train for him and the flowers for Kyoko.

Puppy on the Brain

2006-10-21T16:48:00.000-04:00

Phoebe is growing and learning rapidly. We've had her for three weeks and already she has wormed her way into our hearts. She keeps us busy! We discovered today, as you can see, that she loves water!

Our New Security System

2006-10-06T17:36:00.000-04:00

Phoebe
She's an 8-10 week old Border Collie-Black Lab mix. Nate found her last Saturday being given away for free. She's quite smart and endearing. We are working on the simple commands of "Come," "Sit," "Fetch," and most importantly, "No."

Georgia Foliage

2006-09-21T14:02:00.000-04:00

NewThought

2006-09-12T09:47:00.000-04:00

I know in my head that God loves me, but it's not always something I feel or can easily understand. I probably never will fully grasp it until I get to heaven. I am thankful, though for this new thought I found in a Bible study book I've been doing recently:

God loves me because that's Who He is. He IS Love. You might say that He just can't help it!

Black/White

2006-09-01T08:04:00.000-04:00

Melvin being cute.

Blue

2006-08-31T08:02:00.000-04:00

Another Red

2006-08-30T18:39:00.000-04:00

I know, we're only supposed to do one photo a day, but I found this Cardinal feather on the deck this evening and couldn't resist.

Red

2006-08-30T08:31:00.000-04:00

Green

2006-08-29T08:23:00.000-04:00

I love green glass, so this one was easy!

Monday - Yellow

2006-08-28T08:03:00.000-04:00

Color Week has begun. This little guy works as a soap dispenser when he is not being a model.

Stay Tuned

2006-08-27T08:44:00.000-04:00

This is Color Week, starting tomorrow. Inspired and organized by Liane. I plan to participate and I would encourage others to do so as well. I had so much fun walking around with my camera yesterday looking at color and trying to decide what to do each day. You can go to Liane's blog here for more details.

I Still Don't Like Bugs

2006-08-23T11:24:00.000-04:00

A little piece of advice: don't kneel in the grass without looking first. I have more than 50 bugbites on my legs from doing so. No, I'm not exaggerating.

Oh, the itchiness.
Oh, to just give in and SCRATCH!
Oh, lead me to the Benadryl!

Before

2006-08-14T15:32:00.000-04:00

After

2006-08-14T15:19:00.000-04:00

I Don't Like Bugs.

2006-08-10T09:21:00.000-04:00

Well, it has been awhile. I've been busy!

I've been teaching/tutoring my cousin's son Joshua two days a week. He is three and already knows all of the letters of the alphabet and some of his numbers. We've been working on what the letters say and some counting. He is quite the mimic, often quoting lines from Thomas the Tank and repeating big words that he hears adults say. Tuesday, when we were assembling our "number snake" he said, "Simply splendid!" It's not very funny in writing, but when you hear a little three year old pipe up with those words in a cute sing-songy voice, it's hilarious!

I've also been busy painting our living room in preparation for the arrival of Someone. There's nothing like the knowledge of company to kick me into gear when I have projects to do! I will post some before and after pictures soon. Brace yourselves.

If our neighbors happened to look toward our house this morning, they would have seen a crazy lady brandishing a floor lamp (the kind with the shade pointing to the ceiling) and waving it outside furiously. The reason for this insanity is that when I walked into the living room this morning to survey the paint progress and evaluate what still needs to be done, I saw a HUUUGE cockroach on the CEILING!!! Nate's at work, so I called Brad and told him in as pitiful a voice as I could muster of my plight and he LAUGHED. He said that maybe if he had time he would stop by and help. Thanks for nothing, pal. So, I hung up and told Grandpa about the creature and we stood there contemplating the best way to get it down when I thought of the lamp. After a brief struggle, I caught the hideous thing and yelled to Grandpa to open the front door and, as the neighbors probably saw, furiously shook the lamp outside until the bug plopped out into the ivy. Eww. I still shudder thinking about it.

And here is a picture I took when we went to Savannah and Tybee Island for our anniversary.

Do you have the wingspan of an eagle?

2006-07-11T21:18:00.000-04:00

On the way home from church...

2006-07-09T17:49:00.000-04:00

Claire and I had a good talk today. I came away with this:

If our lives were easy, would we appreciate heaven as much?

Happy 4th of July!

2006-07-04T09:34:00.000-04:00

More Sewing...

2006-06-27T08:55:00.000-04:00

I was inspired by Liane when she made her bag to make one of my own! I did some searching online, combined a couple of ideas and came up with this. I used material from a couple of old skirts I had kicking around the closet.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

2006-06-18T09:04:00.000-04:00

The Red Sox are in town playing the Braves and WE'RE GOING! I'm so excited! Brad, Claire, Nate and I will be headed out this evening armed with signs, so look for us on ESPN! We'll be in the outfield. We are trying to think of ways to get on TV! Any ideas?

Our Roses are Blooming!

2006-06-13T13:16:00.000-04:00

So thirsty...

2006-05-30T09:33:00.000-04:00

Melvin likes his water fresh!

I'm a Happy Little Homemaker!

2006-05-19T15:32:00.000-04:00

I just finished sewing together these kitchen curtains out of kitchen towels...

...on this machine!

A Not So Typical Meal in Our Home

2006-05-15T16:51:00.000-04:00

The other evening Nate, Grandpa and I were sitting down to dinner. The rain was falling and sounds of thunder rumbled in the distance. As Nate sat down and started to say, "Let's pray," BOOM! The chair he was sitting in split in half and he tumbled to the floor! Grandpa and I were startled and checked to see if Nate was okay! While we were surveying the damage and recovering from this unexpected shock, the room brightened with a FLASH of lightning and BOOOOOM!!!!!!!! Thunder right over our heads literally made us jump! Well, at least Grandpa and I jumped, nothing really rattles Nate. Oh, my word. It took a few moments for our hearts to settle back down so that we could eat! Thankfully, Nate is fine. The chair is not, though, and will be used for firewood next winter.

Eww.

2006-05-06T22:06:00.000-04:00

Nate went out to the garage this evening to find an item for tomorrow's object lesson at church and spotted, much to my dismay... A COCKROACH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yuck!

Ooooh, a Plant!

2006-04-26T13:07:00.000-04:00

Some of you will recognize this plant from our church.
When the sun hits it just right, it's breathtaking! I love it.
Let's hear it for simple joys.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2006-04-24T09:12:00.000-04:00

I love you!

Eggs!

2006-04-18T19:51:00.000-04:00

Here are a few of the eggs I did at Brad and Claire's for Easter!

2006-04-11T16:51:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting out on the deck enjoying the beautiful sunshine, a perfect breeze, listening to the birds chirping and...the neighbor children playing Narnia! HeeHee! They are so cute! It's hilarious listening to their interesting combination between what they've seen in the movie and they're own imaginations. One of them is even trying to talk in an English accent!

Bits and Pieces

2006-04-07T16:34:00.000-04:00

So, yes. We are back and have been for a week. I've just been too lazy to update. Nate and I drove up to Fairwood for Jan Hansen's memorial service. A truly moving time for a worthy woman. We are planning to plant a Dogwood tree in our yard in her memory. We will miss her.

I have to say that the highlight of driving up and home again was listening to Focus on the Family's dramatized version of The Chronicles of Narnia. I highly, highly recommend it! The hours flew by as we listened to the adventures of the Pevensies. While up north we had the chance to catch up with friends. We were extrememly busy every day! I even squeezed in a trip to RI to visit Mrs. L. and the H. family!

On our way home we took a couple of extra days to go to Savannah and Tybee Island. We love the ocean and have been feeling the need of a break from the routine of taking care of Grandpa. We love him dearly, don't get me wrong. He just takes a lot of extra energy and patience. We enjoyed Tybee Island so much that we are already trying to figure out when we can go back again!

Let's see what else has been happening...Grandpa put BBQ sauce on his salad the other day. Nate and I had all we could do to keep from laughing. I'm sure he though it was dressing, but he manfuly ate it all! Grandpa knows that I enjoy yard sales. When I came down stairs from doing chores and stuff earlier today, I found a note from him telling me of two that were in the subdivision. No big deal you might think, but writing doesn't come easy to him anymore, so to find this note from him was really sweet!

Claire and I went to IKEA in Atlanta yesterday and I found a beautiful picture to put up in our dining room. And, Nate began work this week! We are so thankful! God is good!

2006-03-22T19:31:00.000-05:00

Nate and I are headed north, so I will leave you with this picture of one of my favorite things in our new house. See you later.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2006-03-17T16:44:00.000-05:00

And in honor of this green holiday, ladies and gentlemen, I have mown a lawn for the first time in my life! Unbelievable, I know, but Brad always did it when we were growing up and somehow, I've squeaked through my adult life so far without doing it, and finally today, I did it! I'm so excited. I really enjoyed it, and I think that Nate's thanking his lucky stars that I enjoy it! I'm sure that our neighbors were applauding that we were finally getting the lawn done. It was starting to look a little rough around the edges. They were probably laughing, too, because I was out there in one of my shorter spring skirts and had a silly grin on my face! I'm sure they're saying, "Guess what our crazy new neighbor did today!"

Happy Birthday, Nate!

2006-03-01T22:47:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to write all day and now that his birthday is almost over, here I am. Better late than never, though. I just want the world to know how much I love and appreciate my husband. God knew what He was doing when He brought us together. Nate is perfect for me in so many ways. So, I win all of the jelly beans, folks!

Today we were shopping and this cute little girl showed Nate her candy and he kindly asked her if it was delicious. She said, "We believe in God, so we don't eat it." HeeHee!

When I looked outside this morning, I saw a great sea of white. White flowers that is, on the tree outside our bedroom window! I love spring!

Snow!?

2006-02-09T15:27:00.000-05:00

Dan and Pari's 3 year old son Joshua is obsessed with Thomas the Tank. All of his playing and conversations are about trains these days. He's so cute! Pari told me that while she was on the phone the other day, Joshua was really quiet...uh oh. She went into his room and there he had taken a 5 pound bag of flour and poured it all over his train set table! He wanted snow, just like in his Thomas the Tank movies!

I wish you could smell them!

2006-01-23T15:48:00.000-05:00

Nate brought me these beautiful roses the other day!

Sunshine

2006-01-12T14:29:00.000-05:00

Oh, what fun it has been to have Melissa here. Friday night after she and Lisa arrived we went over to Brad and Claire's for a game night with a bunch of friends. Our brains were stretched with some of the games. What a lot of laughter!

We have had a week full of antique shopping, video blogs, outlet store shopping, reading, web surfing, laughing, etc...Today we are laying low, doing some laundry and cleaning and picking up the pieces from having our Master bath worked on.

I have to brag a little. It's in the 70's today with bright sunshine. Melissa is in fact eating lunch out on the deck wearing shorts, a t-shirt and bare feet! Woohoo! I stopped mid-swipe of the rag on the tub to go open all of the windows in the house. I was going like gangbusters flinging wide the portals to welcome in the fresh air, when BOOM! I stopped in my tracks. We have the kind of windows that can swing out at the top so you can clean both sides more easily. I forgot that one of them was broken and it came down and smacked me in the forehead and sent my glasses flying. I now have a nice purple bump above my right eyebrow. Ice has kept the swelling to a minimum and I am so thankful that it wasn't worse and that my glasses weren't broken and that it barely hurts now. I'm sure that it will be turning colors over the next few days, though!

More Rebekah!

2006-01-08T19:51:00.000-05:00

Isn't she just adorable!

Rebekah Coronetta Pass

2006-01-07T13:00:00.000-05:00

...and her big brother Joshua!

She arrived yesterday just before 7:30 in the evening to Dan and Pari Pass.

Claire and I are taking care of Joshua until his family comes home from the hospital. When I went to pick him up yesterday when Pari went into labor, I told him, "Mommy and Daddy are going to the hospital to get your baby sister!" He said, "Yessir, Penny!"

Happy New Year

2006-01-02T11:14:00.000-05:00

I haven't seen my husband yet this year! He left Thursday for New Hampshire for the Year End Convention and will be home tonight. Every once in a while I get taken by surprise by how much I miss him. Wow! I guess the longer you are with someone and the more your relationship grows, the more you miss them when they are gone. Okay. Enough sap.

We are having our Master Bath worked on, so we are being temporarily forced to use the guest bath in the hall. Life is tough.

Melissa is coming!!! And Lisa N. is coming, too!!! Woohoo! I miss my friends. As much as I love living here in the sunny south, I'm envious of the time that Nate has had with family and friends in the frozen north.

Well, I must flee. I need to go shopping for gas, groceries and cat food. I'm trying desperately to come up with some funny anecdote to make this post more interesting, but I'm coming up empty.

Sorry.

At least you know I'm still here.

2005-12-24T13:43:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Yum!

2005-12-20T21:03:00.000-05:00

Here is my gingerbread house! As you may have read on Claire's blog, Pari and I went to her house to build these yummy creations. We did a little graham cracker house for Joshua to decorate, but he was more interested in eating the candy than putting it on his house!

2005-12-16T18:57:00.000-05:00

The most popular joint in town.

Nate and Brad (Yes, they are wearing aprons...)

2005-11-24T18:31:00.000-05:00

Behold Bountiful Blessings Below

2005-11-24T18:22:00.000-05:00

-God's everlasting love and patience
-Nate (of course)
-Our new house!
-books
-our cats
-a guest room (come one come all!)
-a family room with a tv
-a living room without a tv
-a fire place
-candles
-the ocean
-friendships
-Blogs
-snow up north (and not here!)
-coffee (and creamer to make the coffee good.)
-good movies and music
-letting myself listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving
-my pillow
-forgiveness
-colors
-wind chimes
-cat paws and purrs
-this list instilling a thankful heart in me
-my wedding ring
-my family
-inside jokes
-clocks, but not always having to live by them
-pictures and memories
-the Bible
-the Truth
-God's grace
-roses (my favorite flower!)
-the hard times that come along to make us stronger
-answered prayers

A Peek Into Our Windows

2005-11-18T19:06:00.000-05:00

As far as settling in goes, sometimes I feel like I am swimming in a sea of boxes and junk with my head barely above water. There are items that I have even unpacked and wondered why I bothered packing it and where in the world I am going to put it! Every once in a while Nate will holler out in frustration, "Let's throw away all of our stuff!"

Grandpa has been a happy resident of our basement for almost two weeks now. He's incredibly easy to please for meals. Partly because he puts either vinegar or BBQ sauce on just about everything and then compliments me on my cooking ability. He has done some raking for us and he loves being outside in this GA weather. Being a lover of children, he's been walking the street introducing himself to some of the local urchins, carefully writing their names down on a pad of paper he keeps in his pocket. He's getting a little deaf though, so when we are reading Friday emails together WE HAVE TO YELL! YES, WE HAVE VERY PEACEFUL SABBATH MEETINGS!

It has been so very fun having my family less than two hours away. Mom and I went shopping together this week, as did Claire and I. Claire even popped over to borrow some flour! What I love is that after we are all done being together there isn't a long drive at the end for someone. Hooray!

Have any of you seen the new nickels? There is one that I love. On the back, with a view of the ocean it says, "Ocean in view! O! The joy!" Hmm. Now that's a cheap Christmas idea for me...!

We're Home!

2005-11-04T14:01:00.000-05:00

Let's see if I can remember how to Blog. It's been a while!

We are safely moved into our new home. I love it more and more every day. The cat's love having two stories to race around in, too! I love having my own laundry room. I love having four bathrooms. (I might not, though once I've had to clean them all over and over.) I love having a master bathroom and a walk-in closet in our room. I love our garage door opener, too!

We still have boxes piled up everywhere, but I'm taking my time opening them. I should be hard at work now, but this is the first time in more than a week that we've had internet access, so here I am, being lazy.

So, yes, we are still in the land of the living and loving the Georgia sunshine and warmth. It's still short sleeve weather down here! Yeehaw!

All I Can Say is, "Wow!"

2005-10-08T21:54:00.000-04:00

After a busy week of driving south with Brad and Claire and going house shopping, we seem to have found a winner! After a little negotiating, we've come to an agreement with the owners on a reasonable price. The next step is the inspection report this week and then closing in a couple of weeks. We are so excited and overwhelmed by God's leading. His timing and guidance are perfect as always.
The icing on the cake is that we are in the same neighborhood as Brad and Claire and less than a mile away from them and 15 minutes from church! Woohoo!
We have lots of room for guests! Come on down!

2005-10-03T19:18:00.000-04:00

God is good. Yesterday. Today. Forever.

2005-09-21T20:23:00.000-04:00

Nate captured this shot when we went to the ocean last weekend to watch Ophelia's impact on the waves.

Life

2005-09-19T15:13:00.000-04:00

I'm taking a break from scrubbing the kitchen floor on my hands and knees. This job is one among many that need to be done in the next two weeks. Sometimes when I'm cleaning here in the apartment, I feel like I take two steps forward and one step back. There is always something to be done! It never ends! We are not the types to sit on the couch with our hands folded. We LIVE here and therefore it gets messy. Sigh. At least the busier I am the faster time will go until we get to go to Georgia and look for a HOUSE! Hooray! I know, I know, I'll have more to clean. That's okay, though. I consider that a pleasant problem!

Yesterday Nate and I went to Providence with Paul and Laura. We walked around for a bit trying to find a place to have brunch. We failed, but ended up at a nice place for sandwiches. We even jaywalked right in front of three cops in our quest for good food. Woohoo. Life on the edge!

This morning in my Bible reading I read in 2 Chronicles about King Amaziah who, "did right in the sight of Jehovah, yet not with a whole heart." My prayer is that in all that I do for God whether just being a housewife or when Grandpa moves in with us in GA, or whatever else comes my way, I will serve God with all of my heart and with a good attitude.

That said, the laundry and the kitchen floor are calling me! Hooray!

2005-09-13T20:23:00.000-04:00

This beautiful rose is from my Aunt Glady's yard in California.

Sigh.

2005-09-11T17:35:00.000-04:00

We made it home in one piece!

Daddy dropped the four of us off at the airport last week, full of energy and ready for the job ahead. Yesterday, he picked us up at the airport, mere shadows of our former selves dragging our luggage wearily behind us.

I slept for a solid 14 hours and could have slept longer, but figured I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. I love our bed. It is the most comfortable bed in the whole world and I'm glad to be home to it.

So, now we recover and rest up from the job of cleaning out Grandpa's house and start thinking ahead to our trip to Georgia to find a home. Please pray about this next step. It looks big, but we know that God has something just right set aside for us. Thank you also, those of you who prayed for us while we were in California. Those prayers made a difference, we could tell and we appreciate them and you.

Time to Say Goodbye

2005-09-07T23:50:00.000-04:00

Wow.

We have been SO busy, as I'm sure most of you have read from Claire's blog. I have so many memories of this place. I was baptized in the pool out back, I've watched Grandpa make Charlie-dolls, I've played by the creek, I've worked in the garden, I've swung down the pole into the family room countless times, I've lain on the couch next to the organ listening to Grandpa play by the hour, I've had Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners here on Grandma's china, I've roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire while watching the "cool" people play volleyball, and sometimes they even let me play, I helped Grandpa clean the house and care for Grandma when her memory and her ability to walk failed her. The list goes on...

I'm thankful for all of the pictures we have of these memories and I'm thankful for the week of hilarity that we've had, and, yes, even my cold, because it helps take my mind off of leaving. So, now, this is my last night here at Grandpa and Grandma's house. We have a busy day tomorrow, finishing packing up the boxes to be shipped and cleaning up last minute trash. Thank you for letting me take this time to remember.

2005-09-05T00:03:00.000-04:00

Imagine my surprise when I opened a cupboard to sort through pictures and found this one on top! He's been perched on the mantle ever since!

Home Again! (for now)

2005-08-31T19:35:00.000-04:00

After almost two weeks in NH staying with my Grandpa while Dad and Mom were away, I'm once again sitting in my own chair, with my own husband right here, and with my own cats running around. Even after leaving Nate for this long to his own devices he still loves me! Roses and baloons were waiting for me on the table and he brought chinese food home for dinner! This bliss will be short-lived though, because we leave on Saturday with Brad and Claire to go work our heads off in Gpa's house. My fortune cookie said, "You are given the chance to take part in an exciting adventure." How true.

On the spam front, I've been mildly annoyed at the stupid comments and finally changed the settings to only allow bloggers to comment. However, I have also received one mildly profane comment and decided, especially since I know some children who read my blog, to change the settings again so that you have to identify a word to comment. I appreciate your patience and continue to welcome and even wait with bated breath for comments from those I know and love!

"Oh, Atlanta, I hear you calling..."

2005-08-27T20:50:00.000-04:00

Well, I think most of you know that Nate and I have been praying for a long time about moving to Georgia! We feel God leading us there and we are very excited! We will be buying a home, because the market is good down there right now and we plan on Grandpa Pass living with us for a while.

So, as Claire mentioned in her blog, there are a few things that we have to do first. Fly to CA with them and clean out Grandpa's house. Around 50 years of belongings to go through, so you can pray for speedy work and easy decisions on what to keep and what to throw away and what to give away. Anybody want to come lend a hand?

We are also planning a trip to GA in October to scope out houses. You can pray that will go smoothly as well. I keep saying, "When I grow up and own a house, I want..." I guess that time is quickly coming!

Overall, even with the busy schedule ahead of us, we are excited and God's hand has been in all of the events up until now leading the way to the south! We will miss our friends up north, but not the snow. Y'all are welcome to come down for a visit!