Last Day of Vacation

Today was our relaxing day at the lodge. Okay, it wasn't exactly relaxing, but right now we're just on the computer and reading in front of the fireplace in the lobby. Not too shabby. Actually the highlight of the day was getting Dean to HIKE! He swears it wasn't hiking and we were just taking a walk. True, we were doing more walking than hiking (it was a paved road that led to the Fontana Dam), but you have to start somewhere. And it was absolutely beautiful!


We then made our way to the thriving metropolis of Sylva. It's the big town next to Cullowhee, home of Western Carolina University. And if you know us at all, you know that no trip is complete without a visit to a nearby college football stadium. So today we jumped out of the car to see the Western Carolina Catamount campus. Very cool. Sylva has a population of a whopping 2,500 people. It's actually a really cute little mountain town... we were big fans. We had an awesome dinner and made our way back to Fontana. Again, in the dark. But we're getting better at it.

Apparently Christian camps come up here to this resort to get away from everything and have their retreats. And why is it that a Christian camp is never complete without at least three guys playing guitar outside on their free time? Playing the EXACT SAME THING and singing slightly off-key with the token egg shaker guy. We heard this earlier today, left to go on our hike, came back about an hour and a half later, and they were still out there. Seriously?!? This guitar guy phenomenon is something that is experienced at every camp. And Fontana is no exception. It just makes me chuckle.

We're heading home tomorrow after an awesome trip. I've missed Tommy and can't wait to see him again (although I hope he doesn't wake up at 4 am for us like he did for his MeMe and BeBe this morning... sorry guys!). I'll check in later!

Holy Moly, We Just Drove Through Smokey Mountain Park in the Dark!

And we survived. Barely. Okay, no close calls, but picture steep mountains on one side, steep drop-offs on another, hairpin turns, pitch black, the possibility of ice, and truckers barrelling down your back. But Dean's a champ and drove through it splendidly!

We made the gorgeous drive through the Smokey Mountain National Park today and were just amazed at all the beauty. And all the people. And the tourist traps. On one side of the park is a "charming" little town called Cherokee (it's the closest thing to Fontana and it's 25 miles away). It's actually a Cherokee Indian Reservation and on the strip there's great shops with names like "The Wig Wam", "Tomohawk Tom", and "Moccasins". The funny thing is (besides the stereotypical names and people flocking from all over to go to these places) the people who work in these places have thick southern accents and blond hair and blue eyes. And Leona Lewis' "Keep Bleedin' Love" was playing in the background. It just seemed a little out of place. But fun.

Then we headed across the park to Gatlinburg, which is directly at the end of the park. I've never seen anything like it. It's like Branson meets mountain town, with about 15 Ripley's Believe it or Not museums and more candy shops than you can count. Oh yeah, and if you want to get an old time portrait made, you know the one where you look you're in a old western saloon, this is the place to do it. They're literally on every corner. But incredible food! We just walked the shops, had lunch at the Pancake Pantry, and strolled to The Peddler for dinner. Absolutely amazing dinner!! Then we made our white-knuckle drive back to Fontana.


Tomorrow's just a day for some R&R right here in the village. No phone service, just us and nature (Dean's beginning to panic a little). So far, it's a great trip!

Greetings from the Mountains!

Dean and I are up here in Fontana Village, NC (go nowhere for about 85 miles, turn left, and then turn right). I haven't had cell phone service since about 6:00 last night, which is great... except no checking on Tommy. No worries, we're heading to Gatlinburg now, so we can call there. It's about 60 miles from here, but will take about 2 hours because we have to go up and over a few mountains. It's absolutely beautiful and rest assured that I will post pictures hopefully tonight. Dean and I are having such a great time, it's definitely an awesome anniversary trip!!

Some Random Weekend Thoughts

I feel completely energized right now. Not because I'm just finishing my first cup of coffee or because Tommy slept through the night last night for the first time in weeks. No, my friends, it's because I just made homemade waffles and got to use my new Kitchenaid stand mixer for the first time. And I love it. And I'm trying to think of other things to mix at this moment. Yes, I am a dork.

While my favorite thing about being a mom is staying at home with Tommy, I think it gets me into trouble. By staying at home, I look at our house all day and I see so many things I want to change. Get rid of the carpet and put in wood floors. Repaint. Get new curtains. But do you repaint before or after you put in the wood floors? Probably before, but that means I need to do it soon and I'm not not ready for that. See? Not only is this all expensive, but it requires more time and effort than I have available right now. Hmmm...

Dean and I are heading to North Carolina tomorrow! The weather will be cold but still really pretty and we're just so excited to get away one more time before things kick up for spring semester. We will have been married five years tomorrow! Actually we met exactly seven years ago today on a blind date. Let's just say that time really flies. But I love him even more today than I did then! Isn't marriage great?!?

'Twas the Day After Christmas

I just spent over an hour putting together a Thomas track, complete with a station house, a tunnel, a bridge, and directional change places and as soon as I finished all Tommy wanted to do was watch Curious George. Figures.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, I know it was one of my best. It was so nice having my parents there and I really enjoyed having a houseful of people at all times at my inlaws. I'm definitely a "the more, the merrier" type, so 15 people around the dinner table was right up my alley.

Tommy had a bit of an overwhelming day. This was his first Christmas where he really could understand what was going on and, poor kid, all he wanted to do was play with each toy as he got them. We just insisted that he keep on opening gifts (otherwise we'd still be opening them now) and he responded by having major meltdowns. When he opened Thomas bath toys earlier on in the morning, he grabbed them and ran toward the bathroom, saying "Tommy go take a bath!" so when we had to say no, he wasn't thrilled, to say the least.

In all of his confusion and misunderstandings, I did find one that was really touching. All season long we've been talking about how Christmas is when we celebrate Jesus' birthday. He's been pumped about that one, mostly because he knows we eat cake at birthday celebrations. But when he woke up yesterday morning and saw me icing Jesus' cake, he got so excited to go to the party... to see Baby Jesus! He talked all about how he was going to see Mary and Joseph and the sheep and Baby Jesus and Jesus would sit in a chair next to him and blow out the candles. I tried to explain that Jesus lives in our hearts, but of course that's a bit tough for a two-year-old to wrap his mind around. So we just tried to change the subject. We moved on to Santa and how there would be more presents at MeMe and BeBe's house and we asked him who would be there. His only response was an excited "Jesus!" We kept suggesting other people too and he would finish with "And Jesus!"

It occurred to me last night that I could really learn something from Tommy. More than any presents he would receive, he just wanted to see Jesus. After all the craziness at Christmas, he had his focus exactly where it should be. Of course he had a great time and loved all his presents but I think what he wanted most was for Jesus to be there. I pray for that same desire.

Merry Christmas!

We've had quite a busy last few days in the Inserra household. In order to totally immerse Tommy in everything that is commercial Christmas, we took him to the park with lights in Tallahassee, Dorothy B. Oven Park. When you drive through it takes just under a minute, but the fun thing is you can get out and walk around all the paths. Tommy loved running to all the different lighted characters and was really excited to see Santa in the fire truck. He still talks about it and is now confused over whether Santa delivers toys in a sleigh or a fire truck. Oh well.

I also got together with my smalll group girls and had dessert at the Melting Pot. I have no idea why we haven't done this before! It was really fun! I love those girls!!

Yesterday we experienced the first annual "Watching of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (the original) on Christmas Eve Eve", a tradition begun by yours truly. Tommy was totally into it, but was kinda freaked out by the abominable snowman. However, Yukon Cornelius saved the day and all was well (see Dean's post for his top five Christmas movie characters... Yukon made the list).

My parents are on their way to town today to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas with us. Can't wait for them to get here! And Jason will be spending his first Christmas as a Tallahassee local. Fun will be had by all. There's lots more to come with our traditional Christmas Eve service at Killearn Lakes Methodist Church and ending the night with dinner at Outback Steakhouse. Then there's all the festivities tomorrow. I'm pumped, in case you couldn't tell. Tommy's really excited about Santa, but we'll see if he changes his tune when he goes to sleep tonight thinking a strange man with a beard is going to be in his house.

On a different note, I'd like to nominate Bennett's present to Sally as the best early Christmas gift this year... a little black lab puppy named Annie! Now Dorsi has a cousin!!

Tommy meets Santa

We attempted the Santa thing. Tommy's been talking so much about Santa these past few weeks so I asked him if he wanted to go see the real Santa at the mall (is he the real Santa? Or do all the mall Santas help the real Santa?). He got so excited and kept telling everyone we passed in Kohl's that we were going to see Santa at the "moss"! When we finally got there we walked over to where Santa was and I could feel Tommy's grip on my hand tighten a little. Then I picked him up to see Santa from the side and he thought it was great. Waving to Santa and all of that. Until I pressed my luck. I asked him if he wanted to go sit on Santa's lap and suddenly it was "All done Santa!" and he buried his head in my shoulder until we passed. But after Santa was out of site, he chattered all throughout the mall about how Santa had a red coat just like him and pants. I'm not sure why he was so impressed that Santa was wearing pants, but he kept saying "Santa wearing pants?" so I just went with it.

On the way back, he couldn't stop talking about Santa and so I said, "Tommy do you like Santa?"
"Yes"
"Do you want Santa to come to your house on Christmas Eve and bring you presents?"
"Yes"
Do you want to go see Santa again?"
"No"

Hoochee Book Club

About 3 weeks ago, I was reading on Ainsley's blog about a book club she was starting. I thought, "How fun! A cyber book club where I don't know anyone!" (No sarcasm at all, I really did think that was great... and I still do!) So I immediately ordered the first book off of Amazon. It's called "The Letters". I had heard in advance that it was sad and I am known for completely sobbing uncontrollably through books, so I was prepared for this. A little hesitant, but ready.

The book is about a husband and wife and their incredibly strained relationship (they're actually waiting for the divorce to go through) after the tragic death of their only son. The first thing that I enjoyed about the book is that it is only letters, thus the title. There's no narration, no explanation. You find out all you need to know in these letters between Sam and Hadley. Sam has moved out of their house and traveled to Alaska where he has to take a 10-day dogsled expedition to where their son, Paul, died in an airplane accident. Hadley, meanwhile, headed to an old abandoned cabin to sort things out and rediscover herself (still not quite sure what that means).

What strikes me as interesting is how quickly the letters express Sam and Hadley's love for each other. Their deep, undying love. This is intriguing because interspersed between their memories and admissions that they still do love each other are little mentions of what stage their divorce is in at the moment. It's kinda like one of those movies where you know the guy and girl are really into each other, but you feel like you have to cheer extra hard to get them together.

You can begin to imagine their pain with the loss of their son and the loss of each other as their support. Thankfully, I didn't sob throughout the book, mainly because I could see that they did still love each other and I held out hope that they would work things out. Did they? Well, you'll have to read it to find out.

Friday Top Five (On Saturday)

Ok, so I'm a day late, but I wanted to continue the tradition of a top five list. I've thought long and hard and ransacked my brain and here's what I was able to come up with:

Top 5 Signs That You Might be the Parent of a 2-Year-Old at Christmas Time

1. You know the Micky Mouse Clubhouse Special Santa call and use it regularly (if you don't have a two year old but still want to learn it, it's "Santa, Santa, Ho Ho Ho!" with your hands cupped around your mouth... or like Tommy with your hands plastered to your cheeks, Home Alone style)

2. You relish gaudy Chrismtas decorations. The more that dance, sing, jingle, and bounce all at the same time, the better!

3. You either have to stop by the mall and visit Santa on a daily basis or you are avoiding him (in person) like the plague. We're doing the latter.

4. You're becoming conscious of all the must-have toys but (here's a helpful hint) if you only let them watch the Disney Channel or PBS or Sprout, they've never seen toy commercials so you have probably another year or so before you have to camp out on Thanksgiving night outside of Walmart. On second thought, better pick a different store... maybe Target, my personal favorite.

5. You're now conscious of the Christmas music on the radio and find yourself filtering it. For example, is it appropriate for a two-year-old boy to sing "Santa Baby"?

Boys Night Out

Last night while I relaxed at Starbucks with one of my girls from my small group, leisurely sipping on a festive peppermint mocha, Dean and Tommy had a boys night. They received front row tickets from our friend Clint for the Florida State vs. Charleston Southern Basketball game. Tommy was so excited all day. At first he thought he was going to play basketball and Dean was going to watch him, but he soon got that one straightened out. Dean said that all throughout the game, he was giving play by play calls... actually it was more like "The boys are running! The boys are running! The boys are playing basketball?" (if you know Tommy, you know he gives play by play of everything in his life) They even caught a t-shirt that was flung into the crowd! He can't wait to wear it. It's XXL. Oh well!

My Proud Moment

Tonight I made soup. Not just any soup. It was a vegetable soup that contained onion, garlic, carrots, zucchini, cabbage, mushrooms, tomatoes, green beans, pearled barley, vegetable stock, and various spices. And Tommy ate it (he doesn't usually go for vegetables). Not just one, but two bowls! I'm still ecstatic!

Sand Castles

Christmas is exactly one week away. I have exactly 3 presents that I've bought and wrapped. Most of the Christmas cards are done, but I'm still waiting on a few addresses. The bathrooms are dirty, I've fallen behind on my cookie-baking marathon (I haven't done Swedish cookies with a press yet!), and our Christmas lights kinda look like crap because I need to get some more and redo all of the outside lights. The question is should I fix them this year or wait until next year?

With all of this weighing on my mind, I did what any rational person would do. I went out back with Tommy and played in the sandbox.

Wednesday Randomness

Dean's parents got a Christmas jigsaw puzzle. And I'm addicted. Not that I'm neglecting my child or anything, but I may go over there today when no one's home and work on it. Definitely a Christmas tradition I want to continue.

Dean's coming home from North Carolina today. Yay! I've missed him terribly!! But I know they had a great time and got lots of work done.

Every morning for the past year and a half Tommy's eaten two waffles and a banana for breakfast. This morning was the first morning I let him have a little bit of syrup with it. I think now he's hooked. And now I've got to take cleaning him off after breakfast to a whole new level. I think I see syrup in his hair. I'll clean it out after I get a few more pieces in that jigsaw puzzle.

I got the new Scotch Gift Wrap Cutter and it's unbelievable. Totally worth the $4.99 I spent on it. I was wrapping some of Tommy's presents yesterday (just to help Santa, you know), and I loved it so much that I went around the house looking for more things to wrap. So if you get a potholder with stains on it, that's from me. And I realized that I desperately need to finish my Christmas shopping!!

I just finished the book "The Letters" last night for the Hoochee Book Club. I'm feeling a little reflective about it today. It didn't make me cry, but it was definitely sad. But good. And had a twist. Okay, enough about that, I'll post more on that on Monday.

My parents went to Nashville today and are spending the night at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. They saw it on the Travel Channel for most decorated hotels at Christmas time. Rumor has it they're paying a little extra to have an elf tuck them in. Hmmm...

Away in a Manger

As Christmas draws near, I manage to keep Tommy busy by doing what every pastor's kid does. No, not sneaking out and getting someone to buy him alcohol! He plays with our various Nativity sets. His favorite is by Little People, and it really is adorable. He sits at the dining room table with it all throughout the day and just plays with the different characters. He's really amused that although the angel is supposed to go on top of the stable, any of the characters can fit on the post, so he'll put a sheep or a camel up there.

In the last few days he decided to add some more of his Little People to it, especially the characters from his zoo (he has a ton of Little People!). So lately as he describes the Nativity scene, he talks about Mary, Joseph, the wise men, the donkeys, the polar bear, the seal, and the monkey in the tree!

Monday Morning Thoughts

We had a great night at the Well last night (I feel like maybe I start every Monday blog with that statement, but it's just so true)! If you didn't get to go, you can watch it here. Dean pretty much explained why you can't have Christmas without the Cross... if we had no need for a savior (whose ultimate work would be done on the cross), then we don't need Christmas. It was great. And then there was Ellie Stubblefield playing "Carol of the Bells" for the offering. Here's the story behind that one. She played that in my recital on Saturday and when Matthew heard her, he asked her to play it for the offering the next day. She said she would, and she knocked it out of the park. Go Ellie!! That's a pretty scary thing for an eleven year old to do, getting up in front of about 150 people and playing a song. I'm so proud!!

We're trying to teach Tommy some of the more important lessons in life. Like obedience and how to keep his cool when he's getting frustrated. Dean's been working with him a lot on those two things. When he gets upset and starts to think about throwing a fit (multiple times a day) we remind him what the rule is. "Tommy, there's no..." and Tommy replies with "Freaking out." It may not be conventional but at least he remembers.

Yesterday, Dean asked him to do something and Tommy ignored him. So Dean reminded him, "Tommy, remember when Mommy and Daddy ask you to do something, you have to do it. That's called o..." (waiting for him to fill in the blank) Tommy looked at him and thought for a minute and then said "Obama!" Thanks to my brother in law Bennett for making my two-year-old excessively political.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Today was the big day. My first annual holiday recital was today and it was great. Of course the kids were nervous, but they all did great. And my good buddy Rachel Boeselt sang "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" with me on piano, so I feel like we ended with a bang. And Matthew was awesome as our emcee! I am making a public apology right now for not getting him on board for this recital until last night! He did my spring recital and did an awesome job and I just kept forgetting to ask him. But of course he pulled it through for me and did great.

Tommy didn't take a nap today. Or yesterday. And tonight he fell asleep on my lap while we watched "Elmo in Grouchland" (Dean was watching it for the second time today). It was 6:00. Hopefully he sleeps through the night and doesn't wake up remembering that he hasn't had lunch or dinner today. Don't worry, we don't starve our child, he's just been snacking all day. Tomorrow we need to get back on track and eat right!

Had a great dinner last night with friends Adam and Teri Hill, Matt Long, and Matt Robinson. It was fun to get the worship leaders from two different Tallahassee churches in one room. A lot of the conversation went way over my head (I know nothing about amps and guitar pedals and basic sound guy stuff), but still lots of fun.

Well, tomorrow's Sunday. As Dean says, Sunday always comes. And after the amazing night we had at The Moon last Sunday, I'm so excited about tomorrow. I love that I'm so excited about my church!

Friday Top Five

Happy Friday! This morning I decided to list my top five favorite Christmas traditions that either I've grown up with or have recently begun with Dean and Tommy:

1. Baking cookies the entire month of December. My mother-in-law thinks I'm nuts but I think every year I get more into it and just bake like crazy. I totally got that from my mom, who is probably pulling a pan of gingerbread men out of her oven at this very moment.

2. Christmas shopping in the mall. I know it's way easier and more convenient to do all my shopping online, but there's something about going to the mall and fighting the crowds. And hearing the Christmas music piped in. And seeing some of the disgruntled looking employees in Santa hats. And of course the decorations. Even just to look and not buy anything. But I won't leave until I've at least bought a frou-frou coffee and sipped that for a while. That's just part of the fun.

3. The Time Life Treasury of Christmas album. When we had it, it was an actual record and I loved it. I still smile when I hear Elvis singing "Here Comes Santa Claus". I couldn't tell you half the songs on there now, but I think it was the only Christmas music we had when I was really young. At least it's the only one I can remember. Then we got The Carpenters' Christmas Portrait CD.

4. The First Baptist Fort Lauderdale Christmas Pageant. Yes, I was a regular in the Christmas Pageant for 10 years. But this wasn't just your run-of-the-mill little church play. No, when I last was in it, we had 19 performances spanning 3 weekends. They rent a circus full of animals (literlly, a circus), who traipse in and out of the church for a month straight. I imagine camel poop is very hard to remove from the carpet. Last year when we were in Ft. Lauderdale for Thanksgiving, Dean went down to First Baptist to meet with one of the pastors and while he was waiting, he heard a knock on one of the doors and when he opened it 3 goats walked through. That's the Pageant for you. It was a huge part of my life growing up and I've done everything in it from being a blinking star in the children's part to a flying angel in the biblical scene. It's a great ministry that has led lots of people to Christ and something that is a part of many people's traditions in South Florida.

5. Walking through Dorothy B. Oven Park. It's small, but I think they have lit every sqare inch of that place and have everything from the basic lit reindeer to coca cola bears to giant gingerbread boys and girls. Tommy hasn't been through there yet this year but we're going the first night we get a chance. As you get closer to Christmas, the right lane on Thomasville Road before you get there is backed up for blocks with people waiting to get in. It's definitely worth seeing and walking around.

I've been psyching myself up to potty train Tommy for the last month or so and the original plan was to do it over Christmas break. But as that time draws closer, I am getting cold feet. So last week I decided I would wait til we're both ready. I mean, do I really want to be cleaning up the grossness that is pee pee and poopoo on Christmas?? But Tuesday at his school, I was talking to another mom about potty training and how she was able to succeed with her four kids. She said her pediatrician said 27 months is the magic age (Peter do you agree?). Now I'm confused because I was taught that there's no magic age for anything! Except maybe driving, voting, and drinking. But being potty trained? But it freaked me out because at this very moment he's 27 months old. However, next Wednesday he turns 28 months old. I don't want to miss my window!!

So I've talked to him lots about it since then and every time I change his diaper we talk about how some wonderful day he'll wear big boy pants and sit on a big boy toilet. This morning before the potty training conversation, we were talking about Christmas and I asked him "Who's coming to your house on Christmas?" hoping for the "Santa!" response, but instead I got "A toyet!"

Christmas Tree Down!

Well, it finally happened. We figured that eventually with a very active two-year-old and a nutty 90 pound lab in too small of a house, the Christmas tree would eventually become a casualty. And the other day, it did. But not in the dramatic moment that we thought it would. We were not all sitting out here, singing Christmas carols, basking in the glow of the twinkle lights. It didn't happen when we were trimming the tree, drinking hot chocolate, and teaching Tommy how to hang ornaments without ripping the branches off. No, it happened when the living room was empty and Tommy was taking his nap. Dorsi was in her kennel, so she can't even be the culprit. But, no matter, Dean and I heard a loud crash and rushed in to confirm our fears. The entire tree was on the ground and the already sloppy job I'd done of hanging the lights was even sloppier. And of course I had just watered it, so there was about a gallon of water all over the floor as well. We managed to get it back up, clean up the mess, toss the lights back on, and rehang the ornaments. I'll admit it looks pretty sad now, but at least it's got character.

My Week at a Glance

This Saturday will be a big day in the life of Mrs. Inserra's Piano Studio (I actually don't have a name for it, but that sounds professional enough). It's my first every Holiday Recital. Since I started teaching two and a half years ago, I've gone from 5 students with a recital at a very kind lady's house to 14 students and having to do two recitals a year in a church. All with no advertising! Woo hoo! It's actually a lot of fun for me. I'll be the first to admit, my administrative skills are lacking, but I'm learning as I go. And I have very understanding parents who are just thrilled that their little angels are able to play the piano. The kids are excited too. For some of them this is their third recital. I'm just living vicariously through them, because in my early piano career, I never had a recital. I guess you could say my first "recital" was when I auditioned at Florida State for the music program and had no clue what to expect. I think that was a good thing. Otherwise I would have wet my pants (Speaking of auditions, shout out to Rachel Boeselt for scoring an audition at FSU for her Masters). So this Saturday, there will be lots of kids and parents and friends and family all settled in to hear a few renditions of "Up on the Housetop", "Jingle Bells", and others. I'm pumped.

Small group last night was great. I absolutely love those girls, and it's great when new people join us too. But sad when old friends leave. Kate had her last night this week and will be graduating this weekend, so we'll miss her lots! We're going through the Beth Moore Study, "Stepping Up" in our group, and it's been so great for me to have something fresh. Her DVD's are awesome, she's such a powerful teacher. And I've never studied the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-134) before, so this is a whole new thing for me. My prayer for this group is that they all really do the study. Not just to get the homework done to check things off their list, but to actually immerse themselves into studying God's word and praying. Even just for 6 weeks. I know that's a commitment I'm making.

Well, I'm off to pick up Tommy from Mimi and BeeBee's house. He won't want to leave. He'll cry and probably eat a waffle. But then he'll be fine once I get him in the car. Gotta love my buddy!

Being on the Moon

Last night was an incredible night. We had an early Christmas service at the Moon, one of Tallahassee's most famous night clubs. What an atmosphere! It would actually be a great place to do church all the time. We had lots of people show up, and of course we grossly underestimated how many would be there. Dean was hoping for 350. When all was said and done, we had 570 show up!

The music was great, I had a blast playing there... very rock star feeling! Matt Long did an incredible job (as did the rest of the band members), and Rachel Boeselt about blew the roof off. Natalie Mitchell was awesome on the couch, just being real and connecting with people. She has a real story to tell! Matthew Robinson is amazing as the man who puts it all together... seriously, I don't think most people have a clue as to how much he does. And he has a full time job that has nothing to do with the Well. If he's not too busy to help out, much less play a major part in the Well, then no one is!

Dean was incredible preaching up there! I prayed for him the whole way there, that his cough would just magically disappear, and it did. And I wasn't surprised. I was so proud of him. I'm always proud of him, but last night I was just bursting with pride. One thing I've known about him since I met him is that when God calls him to do something and he does it, it's going to be incredible. God has immensely blessed everything he's done and he's always had immense success. And it's obvious that it's God working through Dean because he would be the first to tell you he doesn't have the experience to make these things happen. Praise God!

I feel like I'm just rambling, but words really can't describe the experience last night. I have to admit, I was a bit edgy after our crazy Easter service, but I think we were prepared for whatever might happen. We had someone prepared to call 911 if needed (lessons learned from experience), we had armed security, and it all went off without a hitch. And it made the 11:00 news last night!

I'm really excited to see what God is going to do with the Well next!

Winterfest

Last night was the annual Tallahassee Winterfest. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this somewhat small-town phenomenon, the nighttime festivities begin with the mayor flipping a switch somewhere downtown and that turns on all the Christmas lights that people have been setting up along the streets and parks in the downtown area. When the lights flick on, the Jingle Bell Run starts. From what I hear, it's quite dramatic.

We didn't quite get there in time, but we made it in time for what we like to affectionately refer to as The World's Longest Parade. And when we got in place to watch the parade, I noticed some part of culture that I haven't been a part of yet. I like to call these people "Parade Moms". They can be dads too, but they're usually mother-wolf type people. Some friends of ours had gotten there at like 2:00 in the afternoon to get a seat in the front and they offered to bring Tommy down with them. Well, actually they just swooped him up and brought him forward (thanks Craig!), and so my mother-in-law went down to sit with him. They then cleared a seat for me, so I got to go too. That's when it happened.

We had been standing about 4 or 5 people deep and so when I made my way the front, I asked the lady in front of me to please excuse me. She turned to me and in a pretty nasty voice said, "And where do you think you're going?" Startled, I said "I have some people down in the front and they have a spot for me". To which she responded with "I don't think so! You're not standing in front of my kids!" I then was finally able to see Tommy sitting on the ground and so I said "No, I'm not standing in front of your kids. I'll be sitting right there with my two-year-old!" She let me by but not before warning me again of the grave dangers of standing in front of her kids.

Really? Do you have to be so worked up about it? I mean, first of all, I would never stand in front of kids in a parade, I would let them be in the front, but second, she's saying this as people in happy gingerbread costumes were walking by. Frosty the Snowman and other jolly Christmas characters were going by at this point and she's being all Bah Humbug. Now I understand it's not just her. This is parade culture. Actually it's parent culture. And I pray I never get caught up in it. Granted, I will protect my children no matter what, but I'll try to do it nicely. And in the meantime we'll be sure to get to parades with at least a few hours to spare so we can grab our seats in the front.

In case you were wondering, Tommy had a blast at Winterfest. He didn't talk much there, but that's because he was taking it all in. The only scary parts were when we were leaving and we had to pass by the people dressed as a giant nutcracker (I have to admit, I was a little scared too!), a gingerbread boy and girl, and Frosty the Snowman. He just cried and pointed in the opposite direction and exclaimed "Go that way! Go that way!" But when we got home and I was tucking him into bed, he couldn't stop talking about everything, especially those characters. Our conversation went something like this:
He said "Tommy saw a big nutcracker?!?"
"Yes you did! What did you do?"
"I waved and said 'Hi Big Nutcracker!'"
Yeah right. Maybe next time, buddy!

My Little World-Changer

I'll just come out and say it. Tommy can be a very difficult child. He's unbelievably strong-willed and doesn't back down easily when he wants to do something. Or doesn't want to do something. Dean likes to say he just has a world-changing personality. Meanwhile, this world-changer is two and somtimes makes his mamma crazy!

We had a play group at Jen Simmons' house yesterday morning and we started by Tommy not wanting to change out of his pajamas. Or change his diaper. Or put on his shoes. Or his jacket. He would scream, arch his back, throw himself on the floor and hurl whatever I'm trying to put on him across the room. I should've just given up, but I really wanted to see Jen and Amy, so I pushed through, singing silly songs as we went.

While at Jen's, he made the two little girls (about a year old) cry at least once each, pulled toys away from the other boys a number of times, and was in timeout twice. Probably should have been in there more.

Then when we got home (after he fell asleep on the way but woke up when I was carying him into the house), he had lunch and then freaked when I told him we were going to go read now (code for "and then take a nap"). I tried everything I could for 2 hours to get him to go to sleep. I was supposed to have a make-up piano lesson at 3:30 so I needed him in his room and sleeping at that time. Well, it didn't happen and I wound up freaking out about it, just about on the brink of tears. Nothing frustrates me more in life than Tommy not sleeping when he should. I finally put a Thomas DVD in the computer and put it in his room, keeping him in his crib so he just sat behind the bars and watched it like a 31 pound inmate. My piano lesson never showed, so I read my Beth Moore study and prayed for patience and forgiveness.

I know I need to chill about his sleeping habits (or lack thereof), and maybe I'll even have the creativity (and patience!) to do what Ainsley did yesterday. In the meantime, as I sit here writing this, he's snuggled up to me on the couch in his flannel Christmas PJ's cuddling his elephant and blanket with a pacifier in his mouth. What a sweet boy...

Friday Top Five

So it's not technically Friday yet, but I'm starting a new tradition of posting a random top 5 list on Fridays. This week it's about being a pastor's wife. Here are my top 5 most unique things I've encountered in my stint so far as a pastor's wife. In no particular order:

1. The unbelievable number of crosses we received as wedding gifts. Seriously, there's no way we can display them all.
2. The greatness that is having a husband with a really flexible schedule during the day (flexible meaning he's not gone from 8-6 every day. He may be gone numerous days at a time, but then he might have a few mornings free and can be here with Tommy while I take a shower).
3. The difficulty that sometimes comes with having a husband who has to have lots of meetings at night (makes cooking dinner and having nighttime routines tough)
4. The automatic counseling role I have in the church... and among people not in church. I love it, don't get me wrong, I just hope people aren't disappointed when they realize that even though I married a pastor, I don't have an automatic degree in counseling.
5. The assumption that just because I'm a pastor's wife, I play the piano... oh wait, I do!

Honestly, I couldn't have imagined anything better in my life than being married to Dean (who just happens to be a pastor). I love literally doing ministry along side my husband and getting to take an active role in the Well. I'm thrilled to lead a small group/community group/Bible Study (still don't know what to call it), and to play in the band every chance I get. Yep, things are good right now!

Any ideas about more top 5 lists?

Singin' Santa

A couple years ago, some family members, who will remain nameless, bought us a Surfin' Santa. You know, one of those singing, dancing, bouncing Santa's dressed like a member of the Beach Boys with a Santa hat and glasses. At the time, we had just found out we were pregnant with Tommy but hadn't told anyone yet. So they had bought this Santa just for us. Well, now Tommy is obsessed with it and it's all we hear. And he wants everyone to dance with him. At 7:00 in the morning. I'm not a morning person!

Another great thing about this Santa is that you can start the music, stop it at any time and then start it over. That way if you like the introduction, you can hear it over and over and over again. Good thing we haven't shown him the dancing Christmas Tree yet. I tell you, the fun never stops here!

The Christmas Turkey

I was reading to Tommy last night from a book called "Cricket at the Manger", which has some pretty illustrations... think the scenes from the stained glass windows in cathedrals. Halos and all. I was trying to get Tommy to understand how everyone was so excited to see Jesus when he was born, a message the book certainly conveys. When they were all gathered around in the pictures I said "Tommy do you see what they're looking at? Oh my goodness, what is that?!?" And with confidence and also a little bit of confusion in his voice he said, "A turkey!"

Say My Name, Say My Name

Tommy and I were driving home from his grandparents tonight and he was talking about going home. We're trying to teach him about personal pronouns and not just to refer to himself in the third person (i.e., him saying "Tommy wants to go home"). Have you ever tried to teach someone how to use "I", "me", "you", and "my"? It's not easy. So I said "We're going to my house. What's my name?" (not sure why I asked that). He just busted out with a garbled form of "Krissie". Guess we're on a first name basis now.

I'm Baaaaack

It's been a while, friends, but Dean and I are back from our trip to Oklahoma. It was so much fun and the whole time we just couldn't believe that someone had paid for it for us! What an incredible gift, we are forever grateful!

Bedlam was awesome. For those of you who are confused (as I was about a month ago), Bedlam is the name of the Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State game. The two schools are intense rivals and the state literally revolves around this game every year. We decided to root for OSU and were disappointed (and cold) in the end, but what an incredible game!! Their fans are so into it, putting all of us FSU fans to shame. Their stadium was completely full and NO ONE sat down the ENTIRE game. Keep in mind that it never got above about 40 degrees and there was a windchill. Old people, young people, moms holding babies... everyone stands for the whole game. Everywhere else that's just the student section. As Dean observed, you get the feeling that every single person in Oklahoma decks out their house in either OU stuff or OKU stuff. Christmas trees donned in Orange or Red, driving around Sooner Schooners instead of pickup trucks, riding Bullet the horse to get around town... ok, well maybe not that intense.


We also took the day on Sunday to drive around Oklahoma City, going to the Cowboy Museum (which was really cool, by the way!) and taking a pilgrimage to Norman, the home of Oklahoma University, and apparently the college football capital of the world. I was a good wife and indulged Dean while he salivated over all the trophies, pictures, and other memorabilia.

We ate well too! On Saturday after we got there, we went to Brick Town, in downtown Oklahoma City. We ate at an incredible restaurant on Mickey Mantle Drive called Nonna's where I had the most amazing chicken pot pie. This was definitely not your grandma's pot pie! And the biggest highlight was my birthday dinner at Red Prime Steakhouse. Definitely worth the pricey bill.

So all in all, it was a great trip. We're still recovering and Dean's actually sick in bed this morning... a common occurrence after a trip. We're glad to be with Tommy again and he seems glad to see us too. It's good to be home!