Smith Family Adventures

great education blog giveaway

2011-06-30T14:56:00.000-07:00

Erica over at Erica's Elementary Excitement is hosting a fabulous giveaway! Get on over there, check out her blog, and enter! Good luck pals!

http://erica-elementaryexcitement.blogspot.com/2011/06/beginning-blog-giveaway.html?commentPage=4

busy, busy, busy

2010-05-31T07:09:00.000-07:00

Alternate title - showers and sewing

Whew....what a past 2 months it has been! I'll just hit the high points here, because we have been busy!

- our roof is fixed, and there have been no wasps!!!!!

- hosted a baby shower for Sarah with my sweet life group girls - it was cute and a good time

- sewed, sewed, sewed...

- hosted a baby shower for my sweet friend Lanie Beth with another great group of girls - it was BEAUTIFUL, and such a wonderful time

- sewed, sewed, sewed

- hosted a couples wedding shower with Christina and Rachel for Katie and Nick - we did an entertainment theme, so we played Battle of the Sexes (the boys won) and the Newlywed game (Glenn and I won!), and everyone brought Katie and Nick things for game night, or date night, or parties they would host, etc. It was a blast!

- sewed, sewed, sewed

- attended a baby shower for my dear friend Allison Barton in Macon - it was so great to see her and Noah (or at least her cute Noah belly), and to see Lisa and Shane, and other people I hadn't seen in too long

- attended a lingerie shower for Katie - so.much.fun!

- attended Nick and Katie's wedding - it was GORGEOUS, and I had a blast cuttin' a rug out on the dance floor with all my Momentum peeps - Momentum really represented on the dance floor that night

- we are now giving Brooklyn injections twice a week with a trial medication to see if it keeps her allergies at bay....yes, she's the first animal to do this trial in our vet's office...ever - oh we love our little HM dog!

- went to NC to see my family for an early mother's day, Evan's 2nd birthday party, and for Caleb's prom - that's right...my baby brother went to prom! yeesh, I'm old! He was so handsome, and Landis (his girlfriend) looked beautiful, in their matching Carolina blue! It was a great time with my mom, Mark, and Caleb, but as usual too short!

- my best friend (of 17 years) Jamie, her husband Eric, and girls, Bella and Lauren (Tot) came for the weekend - it was so much fun! Jamie and I can always just pick up where we left off, our husbands love to discuss and debate theology, and her girls are so precious, and such a hoot! We went to Noah's Ark, ate lots of goldfish and strawberries, went to church, and had a great time visiting ....I can't wait until they come back!

- got to visit Brad, Lanie Beth, and precious Rowan in the hospital - Rowan is perfect, and just lovely (as we all knew she would be!), we just love her to pieces!

- went to Birmingham to visit Glenn's Papa, and his mom and sister came up too. It was fun just hanging out with family, and we did a little shopping, a LOT of eating, and we got to meet all of Papa and Rose's friends in their senior's sunday school class....that was a hoot!

- last day of school was Friday!!! YAY!!! I only have to go back Tuesday and Wednesday and then I'm officially done for 2 months of glorious summer vacation!

Here is what we have coming up:

- today we are going to get our free Chick-fil-a spicy chicken sandwiches (check out their website to see how to get yours free), going to Ikea, and then taking dinner to Brad and Lanie Beth

- tomorrow is my BIRTHDAY! (the last year of my 20s....I should have a bucket list or something!)

- my dad and Glenn's parents are coming to help us replace the wall in our living room where the water was leaking in - that's going to be an undertaking

- my parents are coming to town to go to the Braves/Tigers series - Mark and Caleb are big Detroit Tigers fans, so that will be fun.

- we are going to Pensacola for our annual 4th of July celebration with Glenn's family

- Glenn is taking one class this summer

- I am going to attempt to get my sewing room as close to complete as money will allow this summer

- I had to move classrooms again, so I will be working on getting the new one set up this summer as well - hopefully this will be my last move for a while!

wow...are you tired yet?! I am exhausted just seeing it all typed out....

So, that's why I've been a bit MIA lately....hopefully things will calm down a little bit so we can get some rest! :)

some thoughts and emotions

2010-03-26T10:12:00.000-07:00

Last May Glenn and I started trying to have a baby. We were very excited and thought it would happen right away. I expected that I would be very close to meeting our little bundle right now. But it didn't happen. By about September be realized that with Glenn back in school we wouldn't be able to afford a baby. This was probably the most difficult realization for me because I have wanted nothing more than to be a mother. So, we stopped trying....and a few weeks later I suddenly had 10 friends who came up pregnant. Now, please don't misunderstand me! I am THRILLED for my friends, and I know they will make amazing mothers, and I truly believe that each of those babies is very blessed to have each of those sweet women as mothers. But I couldn't help thinking, it should have been me. I struggled for longer than I would like to admit, and still do sometimes, with self-pity and let's be honest, jealousy. With God's help I am getting over it, and had really gotten over it, until last week.

Last week Glenn came home and told me about this dual degree program that Ga Tech and Clayton State are doing that would enable him to get a Electrical Engineering degree at Tech and a Computer Science degree at Clayton State. This would enable to him to get a better job, and make a bit more money. All things that are great. However, it would also mean he would have to go to school for another year. This means that he won't be done for 4 more years. 4 more years! We will be 33 and 34 when he graduates. This also means (because I've been thinking a bit selfishly lately) that I won't be able to have a baby until I'm 33 (at least - if I can even get pregnant, but I can't go there yet or I'll completely lose it!). 33 for baby number 1. We want two kids....so I'll be even older when we have baby number 2. I have to be honest and say that I was a lot panicked at the thought of being almost 70 when my kids are only in their mid-30s. So, after being upset and talking through this with Glenn like an adult instead of a spoiled child. I first thanked him for working so hard for us, to give us a better life in a couple of years. And then we talked about the fact that when he graduates I would most likely be able to be a stay at home mom, which is what I have always wanted.

So comes the thought...will it be worth it to wait until I'm in my mid-30s to have a baby if I get to be a stay at home mom and really enjoy being a mom vs. having a baby now, and having to work extra jobs just to pay for daycare and never get to see said baby? I think yes. It's not easy to say that because what I really want is to be a mom now and for it to just work out so that I can stay home. But I realize that's not reality. And that's obviously not God's plan for us...it's just my plan. I'm still not 100% thrilled with this situation that I'm in, and i have a feeling I will have more a a few breakdowns over the next 4 years as it continues to feel like I am the only one without a baby. I just have to keep telling myself that it will be worth the wait, and that it will all work out, and keep praying that God will get me through this, because I really can't do it myself...I won't make it through these next 4 years without him.

Again, let me be clear that I AM very happy for all of my soon to be or new mommy friends! Please do not take offense to this...this is just me being honest.

the big day

2010-03-14T19:29:00.000-07:00

Well, today was the big day...the day of my 5K. I have been look forward to/training for/having anxiety over this day for months. I went into it thinking that I was fairly prepared. I was able to run/walk two other 5Ks this week (not official ones, just me at the park), and I started at completing it in 5o minutes, the next time I shaved off some time, completing it in 47.5 minutes. My goal for today was three-fold...(1) To finish with dignity, (2) to finish in 45 minutes, and (3) to not slow my friends down. I was able to finish with dignity, but I'm afraid I did slow my friend down a bit. However, she was a great encourager, and with her encouragement I was able to finish the race in 42.5 minutes....2.5 minutes faster than my goal! Yay!!! It's been a long journey to get here, and I have an even longer one ahead of me as I continue to run and try to get in shape, and to become healthier and thinner. It's going to be a long road, and I will not give up. My race is over, but my journey is just past the starting line. I am finally starting to see some tiny results, and while it's not happening as fast as I would like for it to, I am determined not to give up until I get to where I want to be.

In conjunction with this I have started reading Beth Moore's new book So Long Insecurity. I am about a third of the way into it, and it is rocking my world...which is just what I need! I am going to blog more about that later, but if you haven't gotten the book, I HIGHLY recommend it...go get it today!! Okay, here is a before and after pic of my 5K team:

Glenn's 30th birthday part 1

2010-03-14T19:20:00.001-07:00

This weekend Glenn's parents came to town to help him celebrate his birthday. Glenn's actual birthday is this Thursday, March 18th. He will be the big 3-0! I can't believe we are almost in our 30s...Glenn much sooner than me...but still, I'll be joining him in a year and 2 months. Crazy, cause most days we still feel like we are 18!

Anyway, Saturday night we went to dinner at Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse...let me just say....YUUUUMMMMYYY! It was super good food, and a fun atmosphere. It was like having dinner inside a very fun hunting lodge, complete with talking buffalo head. Apparently the moose is their mascot of sorts, and right in front of the restaurant, they had a giant moose made of wood. Now, I have a love for mooses (I know that's not the correct plural, it's just more fun), so we had to take a picture by that cute guy.

On our way to the restaurant we saw the most vivid, huge rainbow I have ever, ever seen. It was incredible. The picture doesn't do it justice...it was so beautiful! I like to think of if it as a little sign that the best things are yet to come, and that our 30s will be even better than our 20s. I know...it's just a rainbow, but let me have my moment! :) Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure:

Zoo date

2010-03-14T19:10:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Glenn and I went to the Atlanta Zoo. It was Educator Appreciation Day, so I got in free and we got a discount on Glenn's ticket....yay for super cheap trip to the zoo! We haven't been to the zoo together since we were first dating, in fact, the zoo is where Glenn first referred to me as his girlfriend. It was sweet. :)

So anyway, we just took our time wandering through and looking at everything we wanted to see. We spent a long time in the reptile house because Glenn wanted to see them feed the viper....I was not so thrilled, and I could have lived my whole life without seeing that...but he enjoyed it. The zoo was super crowded, but we were still able to see everything we wanted to see and only had to wait a minute or two for people to move along. It was a really fun day, and I'm glad we had the opportunity to go and spend the whole day just being big kids. After the zoo we went to have ice cream, which is always fun! :) Here are some picture for your viewing pleasure!

about to turn a corner

2010-01-25T15:48:00.001-08:00

1 more day of week 3 and then on to week 4...apparently I'll be running 3 miles consistently in just 6 weeks...I'm feeling more confident that this will be attainable. Every day gets easier, and every day I get more and more excited about the actual running part of the run/walk.

Saturday I woke up with a terrible cold, and I have felt bad all weekend. The old Angela would have just said, "you don't feel good, take some time off, you deserve it." But, the new me decided to forge ahead and get my workout in anyway. It was definitely tough, and I could tell that I was more rundown than normal. But now that I've done it, I feel great! Okay, I don't actually physically feel great....but you know what I mean! :)

This is the time in a workout where the old Angela would start to get discouraged and give up...but not this Angela. My pants have started to become snug around the legs, and I have no idea where my weight is...I'm not looking for at least another week. BUT I know that this is normal. I know that my legs will get bigger before they get smaller. I know that I will probably gain weight before I lose weight. So, instead of being discouraged by my tighter jeans....I'm choosing to be encouraged, and excited, because that only means this is working! I WILL stick with this...I'm going on 3 weeks straight, and I have to say I think that is the longest I've stuck with any sort of workout routine. So, in short, I'm proud of myself, and super excited to see how far I can go with this, and what the outcome will be. If nothing else I will prove to myself that I can do it!

Thanks for joining me on this journey....

update

2010-01-13T15:17:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post a quick update on my journey. First I want to thank my sweet friends and little brother for your encouragement. It keeps me going more than you know!

Okay, I completed day 2 of week 2 today, and it was easier than day 1 of week 2. This week I am running for 90 sec. and walking for 2 min., and so on for 20 minutes, after a 5 minute warm up walk. I have one more day of this week and next week I will up it to running for 90 sec., walking for 90 sec., running for 3 min., walking for 3 min. and then repeat. So far I am sticking with it, and it's actually becoming fun, because I can feel it getting easier, and I am seeing results already. I have lost 4 pounds since my last post! Yay! While my clothes aren't really any looser, the scale shows the loss, and I know my body will be close behind. My sweet little brother told me last night not to get discouraged, and to keep going, and the results will come soon, and they will be worth it. I am taking his sage, 16-year old advice. :) I'm going to keep on keeping on!!

Confessions of a Wannabe

2010-01-04T16:03:00.001-08:00

Since this is a new year, a new decade, and a fresh beginning, I have been thinking about the things I want to be...so bear with me, there are a few, and this may get more introspective than you are ready for! (this starts off a little pathetic acutally...but I promise it's going somewhere!)

I have always been the chubby girl. I have always been the biggest girl in the group. This has not been easy, and I am constantly thinking about it. I LOVE my amazing, beautiful friends, but it's not always easy having amazing, beautiful friends when you feel less than amazing and definitely too fat to be beautiful....only pretty cute at most. These are harsh realities, and while they are not healthy thoughts, they are honest. Some of you might be asking yourselves, well, if you are so unhappy about it then why don't you just lose the weight. Good question. The truth is, I've tried, and failed more times than I can even begin to count. I always start off fairly gung-ho, and give up shortly after starting for 2 main reasons....(1) Working out only makes me realize how truly out of shape I am, it is not fun at.all, because it is so hard, and (2) I so desperately want to lose the weight that I get very discouraged with less than immediate results.

This leads me to the first 2 things I want to be: (1) Disciplined and (2) Thin and healthy

I have made the decision to start this program called Couch to 5K. The basic premise of the program is that it enables you to go from being a couch potato to being able to successfully run a 5K (3 miles) in 9 weeks. It takes baby steps each week, gradually increasing the time you run, and decreasing the time you walk. It's 20-30 minutes each work-out, 3 times a week. This is doable, and honestly less overwhelming than trying to squeeze in intense workouts at a gym where everyone around me is fabulously perfect, and I leave feeling worse than I did when I went in. It's just me, my new running shoes, and my neighborhood, and this certainly ups the comfort level for me. So, as a way to help motivate myself to actually follow-thru this time, I am signing up for a 5K with some friends....in 10 weeks! This will give me just enough time to complete the program....no.time.to.slack.off! It also gives me the motivation to not be the chubby girl that slows down her friends....yet again....

My hope is to sort of chart my journey over the next couple of months. No, I will not be posting my weight (I wish I didn't know what it was, I certainly don't want others knowing this information!) I will say it's "holy crap, that's ridiculous"! Hopefully I can move it to "wow, that's still not good" down to "Eh, not too bad", and finally to "yay! That is pretty good!" But more than that, I want my clothes to fit better (being in smaller clothing would be awesome), I want to be healthier, and I don't want to be the chubby girl anymore.

Okay, on to the next thing I want to be: (3) Proud of who I am no matter how I look in the mirror.

In case you haven't noticed, my self-esteem could use some work. I attribute my lack of self-esteem to many things, mostly internal, but also due to some external factors. Such as, it feels like EVERYONE is thin....everywhere you look you are confronted with why it's beautiful to be thin, and if you are over a single digit size there is something wrong with you, and you are to either to be pitied, made fun of, or - even worse - be subjected to the single digit size people around you talk about how fat they are while you look at them and think (seriously...if you are fat, then what on earth am I?!) I am not saying this to offend anyone, and I realize that even thin girls don't always have the best self-esteem....it's just extremely unsettling to listen to thin people talk about how fat they are, because I think to myself, "if they think they are fat, what must they think of me?" However, I also realize that thin people don't want to listen to fat girls state the obvious, because it's uncomfortable....and let's be honest, no one likes to listen to people degrade themselves. So, I'm going to work on stopping. I'm going to work on realizing that God made me who I am, and while it is my fault that I have let myself get this overweight, I was obviously not meant to be a size 2.

I moved from feeling down on myself and determined to change my appearance, to still being determined to make changes while learning to love who I am, and accept that being beautiful has much more to do with who I am, than how I look, or the size of my pants. I stumbled across this blog today -http://operationbeautiful.com/ and I was sobbing as I read about this. A dear, sweet girl named Caitlyn has started Operation Beautiful. She is making an effort to stop all of the fat talk among women (no matter what their size), by posting random notes in public with simple messages like "You're Beautiful", or "The mirror does not define who you are" or "Wow! You look fabulous today!" I think I may join the bandwagon...so be looking for notes. I think it is a GREAT idea, and I encourage you all to do it! You never know how much this might mean to someone.

So, my last wannabe of this post: (4) I want to be beautiful

inside.....

If you are still reading this - bless you! Here's to a great 2010!

You are beautiful!

PS - I did not post this as a means to fish for compliments or to have people tell me I'm not fat....It was just some stuff that was on my mind, and I wanted to get it out. Thanks for indulging me. :)

Busy schedules, leaky roof, and wasps

2009-11-01T10:31:00.000-08:00

Are you intrigued yet? Lately we have been so busy we don't know if we are coming or going. And unfortunately it doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Between Glenn's 3 classes, studying, and working full time he is busy all the time. And I am of course working full time, and then tutoring 4 days a week. Add in all of the normal stuff like cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, and sewing projects, I don't ever get everything accomplished. It can feel very overwhelming most of the time, and I have moments when I come close to melting down, but then I get over it and get back to trudging along to get as much accomplished as I can.

So, on top of all of our daily stress, our roof has been leaking. There is no hail damage, or anything wrong that insurance will pay for, its just leaking. And since on top of being super busy and stressed, we are also poor, we can't afford to get it fixed...so we are sort of in limbo about that right now.

And, let's just add in one more thing to the mix....wasps. In our house. We have an infestation of wasps apparently. We have no idea where they are coming from. We see about 1-2 per day, until last Thursday when I got home and there were about 30 0f them flying around in our kitchen. YIKES! Glenn got home about 5 minutes after me and the wasp massacre of 2009 began. In about 10 minutes he had killed them all, and he didn't even get stung!! We discovered a window in our kitchen had come off track, thus creating a crack for them to fly in, and there is also a small hole in the screen. Well, Glenn fixed the window and we thought the problem was solved...but we have found and killed 4-5 more over the last couple of days... go figure. Again, no money for an exterminator, so we will just keep killing them, and pray they go away!

So, life is a bit difficult for us right now, but we are trying hard to find the blessings in our day to day...they are there! We know God will take care of us and get us through this time, and someday we'll look back and understand what all of this was for...

Zoo Field Trip

2009-11-01T10:16:00.000-08:00

Last Friday the 3rd grade at CIE went to the Atlanta Zoo. It was a dreary day, but thankfully it didn't rain until the very end of the day when were loading back on the buses. However, when it did finally rain..it poured. 130 kids, plus 8 teachers soaking wet on a school bus for 30 minutes back to school....stuffy, not fun, and a lot smelly! Overall it was a fun day, but the kids were wound up super tight. Most of them had ever been to the zoo before, and were so excited they were literally jumping from animal to animal and SCREAMING at every animal we saw. It was crazy. We had to finally have a pow-wow when my class almost took out two deaf kids in the retile house. It just goes to show how totally different our kids are this year after getting 400 new kids from other schools. I was glad they were so excited, but we had to have a little lesson about how we act and keep our excitement under control in a public place. Ahhh, life lessons...anyway....here are some pics...enjoy!

U2 Concert

2009-11-01T09:51:00.000-08:00

So, about a month ago, Glenn and I, along with his parents and sister went to the U2/Muse concert. It was awesome!! Considering I have only been to 1 major (secular) concert in my life (New Kids on the Block in 4th grade) it was quite an experience. Here are some pics from the night. It was great! (blogger is making the pics all crazy...sorry!)

Summer Family Fun

2009-07-15T17:23:00.001-07:00

Glenn and I have had a LOT of family togetherness over the last month, so here is a recap, and a few pics.

My mom stopped by for a long weekend to hang out, and helped us work in some of our flower beds. We cleaned out a lot of crap, and planted some really pretty flowers. No pics of this...sorry, you'll just have to take my word for it! :) Two days after she left, Glenn's entire family (mom, dad, sister, and brother) came into town for a Braves game fiesta! We went to 1 Yankees game, and 2 Red Sox games. It was pretty fun, but super hot!! Glenn had a blast, so that makes me happy. The following weekend we made the trip to Pensacola to see Glenn's family again and spend the 4th with them. We also got to see lots of good friends that we miss a lot, and wish we could see more often. The fireworks were great, as usual, and the homemade ice cream afterwards was awesome!! The weekend after that we went to Myrtle Beach with my family for my stepdad's 55th birthday! It was a lot of fun, we had a couple of great beach days, went out for some yummy seafood, played putt-putt (there were a million people there, so we had to keep ourselves entertained in between holes, but everyone got a hole in 1!! but Mark and I got 2!!) and played a hilarious board game called Quelf. What a great weekend! Sadly, all the family time is over, and it is back to reality. Glenn is finishing up his first 2 classes, and will probably pull straight As! yay! And I have 1.5 more weeks of freedom before school starts again. It's been a great summer, but, as always, it has gone by too fast!!

Here are a couple of pics from the 4th and Myrtle Beach. (not all in order, the 4th pics are last for some reason)

etsy

2009-06-14T18:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my friend Lanie Beth, I am now an Etsy seller!! I had no idea what etsy even was, and had never heard of it, but after LB sent me some cute ideas from there and suggested that I put my stuff on-line, I decided to check it out. SOOOOOO much cute stuff!! and not just mine :) there is some really professional, adorable stuff, and there is honestly anything you can imagine for sale! There are some incredibly talented people in this world, that is for sure.

So, here is a plug for my etsy site. You can either click to the right of this post, and it will take you there...or you can go to http://wishcreations.etsy.com

I have 5 super cute onesies (6-9mos.) and 2 bib and burp cloth sets on the site right now. I will be adding many more things over the next few weeks. Thanks for taking a look, and tell your friends!! :)

bows and beyond!

2009-05-03T16:20:00.000-07:00

So I am embarking on yet another crafty adventure...bow making!! I made my 1st seven of them this afternoon and wanted to show them off. I think they turned out pretty cute!! I have about 12 more ribbon patterns that have yet to be made into bows...and I will post pics as more are made. They are of course for sale if anyone is interested. The bitty ones are $2, the medium ones are $3 (or 2/$5) and the larger ones are $4. Let me know if you need/want some bows!!

Quick update on lots of things

2009-04-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

Okay...so first an update on baby Evan. He is home, and doing very well!!!! He is completely healed from his bacterial meningitis, and is doing better every day relearning how to eat and crawl and sit up. His muscles got so weak from everything he went through and laying in a hospital bed for almost a month, that he's had to get stronger. I know that they were concerned about his hearing, he doesn't seem to be hearing very well, and hearing loss can be a result of bacterial meningitis (the kind he had that is contracted from ear infections). But I don't know the latest on that....a couple of weeks ago it was still the same, but they are working with him! Thanks to everyone who prayed for Evan, my cousins, Chris and Jennifer are incredibly grateful and blessed that so many who don't know them or Evan would pray so diligently for him!! We serve a great God who chose to heal Evan, and we will be forever grateful for that!!!

It's nearing the end of school for me! Only 21 more days, and it will be Summer Break!! I have LOVED being in 3rd grade this year, and I work with the 3 most amazing women ever!!! I am so glad that I get to work with them again next year...they really make me love coming to work!

It's nearing back to school time for Glenn! He will be starting pre-engineering classes at Clayton State in May. Please be in prayer for us as we try to decide if this is the path God wants us on.

Our home renovation project is almost done! (pictures in a few weeks when it's totally complete, and a more detailed blog outlining the drama and fun for you!) I know you are all on the edge of your seats!!!

My sewing is coming along...mostly I just really love doing it!! I made several things for our Silent Auction at school to raise money for Relay for Life, and I will be making some aprons, bows, and dresses to sell at our school's Spring Carnival. I'll post pics later of the things I have made recently.

And, finally the reason for the procrastination in posting pics is because I have lost my camera charger. My beautiful, newish, pink camera is out of commission because of the stupid lost charger....so once I buy a new one I can start taking and posting pics.

Well, friends, that's it...not super exciting, but at least an update of our lives.

Evan

2009-03-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

I felt like I needed to tell Evan's whole story...I know there are so many people praying for him, and I have only been giving snippet updates on Facebook. I know I like to be able to pray more specifically, so here are the specifics. First of all, Evan is my cousin Jennifer's 10-month old son. He is one of the cutest babies I've ever seen! He laughs a lot, and has a very sunny personality. On Wednesday, he was taken to the ER via ambulance because he was having a seizure. The seizure lasted for 2 hours before they (doctors) were able to get it to stop. THroughout the past days they have determined that Evan has a strain of bacterial meningitis (not the fatal strain) but nonetheless critical. When by Friday afternoon he was still having mini seizures, they decided to do an MRI to try to figure out what was going on. At first glance the neurologist said he thought it looked like there were 2 small places of infection on his brain (the meningitis clearing up) and that was what was causing the mini seizures. By Saturday morning he had finally woken up a bit, and was using his paci, and was able to be held by Jennifer, and her husband Chris a bunch. But, Sunday afternoon he had a pretty violent seizure. They scheduled a CT scan and that, and the official MRI read determined that he had had a small stroke and now has 2 spots of dead tissue in his brain.

The meningitis won't be totally out of his system for at least another week, and at that point they may begin to determine just how much brain damage he has suffered. Please be in prayer for Evan, Jennifer, and Chris. They are so worried about him, and the fact that a 10-month old baby has had a stroke is terrifying! I will do my best to update everyone on Evan's progress, and we are all praying for divine healing, and complete recooperation for Evan!!

I am attaching some pictures of Evan so you can put a face with a name.

Holiday wrap-up

2009-01-08T13:02:00.000-08:00

Okay...hang on, this could get a little crazy!

So, Christmas Eve Glenn, Brooklyn, and I packed up and headed to his parents' house in Pensacola, FL. Once we arrived we had enough time to unpack, get settled, change clothes, and then off to Mawmaw's house for the Christmas Eve finger food fest and presents. Then on Christmas morning, since Glenn's dad had worked the night before, we were all up at 7:30 (yes AM!) to see what Santa(aka the Smiths) had brought for us. We opened crazy amounts of gifts, and everyone got really nice stuff, and Glenn and I did our presents for each other then too. Then it was off to Mawmaw's again for the Christmas feast...which was basically a rerun of Thanksgiving...so much good food!!! Christmas Day night, Bekah (my sis in law) and I went to see Twilight, since I had gotten hooked on those dang books over break. It was pretty good actually. The next night Glenn and I met our friends Steven and Mandy to go see Marley and Me...all 4 of us cried! The early antics of Marley reminded Glenn and I very much of our crazy Brooklyn! It was great to see Steven and Mandy, even if it was just for a couple of hours. (we miss you guys!) Saturday was a bunch of football, and Saturday night I made my first bag with my new sewing machine...only to realize the next day that we had put the straps on the wrong way and had to take most of the dang thing apart and start over! But it turned out super cute in the end. After one more yummy meal at Mawmaw's on Sunday, it was time to hit road back to Atlanta.

We were home all of Monday and Tuesday, when we were off again on New Year's Eve to go to my parents' house in Durham, NC. Luckily traffic was great and we made it there by 11:40...I was worried I was going to be ringing in the New Year in the car! My family started a tradition this year with pancakes at 1:00am! The next morning we got up and had Christmas #2 with my family, opening all of our presents and having fun hanging out. Later that day we watch the Dawgs win the Capitol One Bowl! We had a bunch of other family over for dinner on Saturday night, and it was so good to see everyone! On Sunday Glenn actually played bass at my parents' church and sang a little back up! He did a great job, but then, he always does!! I still love to see him play even though I've probably seen it a million times! He truly loves to lead others in the worship of our Lord, and it totally shows when you watch him!!! On our way home on Sunday we stopped in Gastonia and visited and had dinner with Jamie, Eric, Bella, and Tot. It was so much fun to see them all...the girls are so cute and so much fun, and it made me miss by best friend even more!!! We got home at almost midnight on Sunday night, and it was back to work Monday morning for both of us.

I think we are finally starting to catch up on our sleep and get back into the routine, but now we need a vacation from our vacation!

On the job front...there are none. I think we have pretty much decided that Glenn is going to go back to school to persue a degree in Engineering. (not sure what kind) We will have to move eventually once he figures out where he wants to end up going to school at. (Meanwhile, he can take some core classes here in town) We are still up in the air though, and are still trying to figure out exactly where God wants us to go.

So, that's the holiday wrap-up for us! We are looking forward to seeing where God takes us in 2009...it will all be new, uncharted territory...but we know He will lead us to where we need to be! We hope everyone has a wonderful 2009!!

playing catch up

2008-12-15T12:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know it's been a while, but there hasn't been much excitement to report, and I hate to write about the mundane!

For Thanksgiving Glenn, Brooklyn, and I made the trip to P'Cola to spend the long weekend with the Smiths. It was lots of fun! I really have the greatest in-laws ever, and I love going to visit! After a YUMMY meal courtesy of Mawmaw (with enough food to feed an army...and all of it unbelievably good!) Karen (my mother-in-law) and I hit the stores for Black Friday. We sat down the night before to decide our plan of attack, and were out the door by 7am! (I will always get up for shopping!) We found some really great deals, and got lots of fun things for everyone! Mama Smith bought Glenn and I a Dyson...which I am so excited about I can't stand it!! AND IT'S PINK!!! I am in love with this vacuum cleaner!!! So, after we shopped til we almost dropped we headed home for a quiet night of pizza and cards. On Saturday we watched some football...1st the Georgia game...we won't even talk about it...then the Auburn/Alabama game...we won't talk about that one either! The only bright spot of the day was the Heels pulling out a win over Dook! We headed home on Sunday and sat in traffic for what seemed like a million hours! Brooklyn was a very good traveler and always loves going to see MeMe and Papa!

No change on the job front. Glenn is just undecided about what he really wants to do...so we are exploring a few options. We have a few resumes out for youth minister jobs, but so far haven't heard anything about any of those. It's just frustrating because he feels so bad for "dragging me into this" and that breaks my heart! Please continue to pray for us...mostly for direction and guidance, and a sense of peace for Glenn. This is not an easy time for him, and extra prayers will help! :) God has been amazing through all of this so far! This was our first month without his paycheck, and although he is working full-time at the UPS store, that is only a little less than half of what he was bringing in before...but we have managed to pay all of our bills, tithe, take Brooklyn to the vet unexpectedly, participate in some Christmas giving, but presents for each other, and our family, and still have a tiny bit left over! On paper there is NO WAY that should have worked out...we should be WAY in the hole....but God has worked it out! He is so good!!!!!!!! We know that one day we will look back on this experience and say, "Oh, I totally get it now!" but truthfully, it is hard when you are in the thick of it! Thankfully we have the love and support of family and friends, and we have an amazing Father to go to!! I can't imagine going through this and not having a relationship with God, and a husband that is truely seeking His will for our lives, and amazing family and friends...so thank you to all of you who have prayed for us, and who have been there for us!! (Life group...we couldn't do it without you...we love you all!!)

So, that's pretty much it...only 4 more days of school, and I will be on Christmas break so yay for that!!!! Merry Christmas everyone!!

Job Hunt Update

2008-11-12T15:12:00.001-08:00

So, we finally (after a month) got the polite, "thanks, but no thanks" email from NAMB. Well, that's fine, it's obviously not where God wants us to be. Plus, Glenn probably wouldn't have fit in very well there anyway...the guys on the website all needed serious makeovers! ha-ha!

Anyway, we are now on the hunt for a youth ministry job. We are sending out about 7 resumes to various churches across the Southeast. We are praying about where God wants us to go, and we are desperately trying to figure out what He wants for us. Next month will be our first official month with only 1 paycheck. We are nervous about this, but we know that God will take care of us, and work everything out. As a result I have become inspired to really start saving some serious money. I have been clipping coupons, and paying attention to all of the sales and rebates at Kroger, Rite Aid, Walgreens, and Publix. I do have to go to multiple stores some days, but so far it's been worth it! I have saved 50% of what I have spent this month! I was able to cut the grocery budget by $100 this month! I hope to cut it even smaller as I begin to get better at this whole savvy shopper thing. Anyway...I was proud of myself, so I had to share!

Please keep praying for us, and we will continue to keep everyone posted on the Great Job Hunt of 2008!

Not much to report

2008-10-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

I know I promised to keep everyone posted on Glenn's job situation, and I haven't done that. But that is because we don't have anything to report. Unfortunately, we are in the same place we were when we got the news. Glenn has applied for a job with the North American Mission Board, and we are still waiting for news as to whether he will get an interview or not...we hope to hear something this week. He has been working sporadically at the UPS store to bring in some extra money to squirrel away, and we have been in competition with ourselves (the best kind!!) to see how much money we can save at the grocery store each week...it's been pretty fun, and we've done really well. Other than that we really don't have any news. We appreciate so much the prayers from our friends and family, and we ask that you keep them up!! We are faithful that God will get us through this time, and show us where He wants us to go from there! It's really cool to see Him work during this time!!

So, Thursday was Brooklyn's 1st birthday! She had puppy ice cream and Glenn and I sang to her. She of course, had no idea what was going on...but she LOVED all the attention!! We will be going shopping this week for a birthday toy courtesy of Nana and Papa!

Well, half time is over...gotta go cheer on the DAWGS!! Until next time...

Prayers please!!!

2008-09-21T15:58:00.000-07:00

So, this weekend Glenn and I went up to TN to see my dad and other TN family. Overall it was a really good trip, much to my relief. So, we are very happy about that! We watched football all day yesterday, and I was the only one to go to bed happy! Tennessee lost, Auburn lost, North Carolina lost....but Georgia won!!! GOOOOO DAWGS!!!! 4-0...take that!!! Also, some interesting facts I learned while watching the game... only 3 other teams have been moved down to #3 while remaining undefeated, and all 3 of those teams went on to win the national championship the year they were moved to #3. Interesting huh?!

Anyway, moving on. Thursday, on our way up to TN, Glenn got a call from Rob (the money man for Mobilizing Students!) and Rob told us there is no more money, and that as of Nov. 1st there will be no more paychecks. YIKES!! Needless to say we are very overwhelmed, and very unsure as to what to do. We are faithful that God will take care of us, and get us through this time. However, we have some huge decisions to make. So, please be in prayer for us, as Glenn and I try to decide what God has in store for us over the next several months, and for the rest of our lives. Please pray that Glenn will find a job he likes, that will make us enough money to get by, and that God will show us where we should go from here. We appreciate so much the support and prayers we have already received from friends and family, and we will keep you posted on this new chapter in our lives!

Fall break, travels, and marriage

2008-09-17T19:05:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is already Wednesday night of my fall break!!! It's been very restful, productive, and a lot of fun. I think I could easily get used to being a stay at home person! :) So, last weekend we (the band, Mere, Brooklyn, and me) headed to Pensacola, FL to play at Glenn's uncle's church. There were a decent amount of people there, and the band played for awhile, so it was a lot of fun! I was able to watch the UGA/SC game at my in-laws house, and even though they are DIE HARD Auburn fans, there were helping me cheer on the Dawgs! We headed home on Sunday after being stuffed full of amazing food prepared by Glenn's grandmother and mom...it was REALLY YUMMY!

The rest of this week has consisted of cleaning the house, getting school work done (report cards, lesson plans, etc.), and hanging out with my sweet husband. I have really enjoyed getting to spend all day with him everyday this week, I will really be sad to go back to work.

In other news, our church has started doing a marriage series, and our Life Group is going a Song of Solomon study. I am very excited about both of these, because you can always learn more about what makes a good marriage, especially since we are still new at this! 2 years does not make us experts by any means!! So, needless to say, it will be fun and interesting to see where God takes us through these studies!

Well, that's it for now! Until next time....

Football Weekends

2008-09-06T17:34:00.001-07:00

Well, so far the Dawgs are 2-0. Take that all you naysayers! (who knows if I spelled that right!) Anyway, we have had some fun football Saturdays so far. Our living room has been converted into a sports bar of sorts, thanks to my football obsessed husband, who has rigged up 3 TVs so we can watch 3 football games at one time! These TVs are not up all week long, they are only rigged up like this on Saturdays. Men love it, women think it's ridiculous, I just think if that's what makes him happy, then it's fine with me! :) Last week we had our friends Derrick and Lauren come over to cheer the Dawgs on to their victory over GA Southern, and today we had my friend Allison come up, and bring Bailey. We cheered the Dawgs to victory over Central Michigan, while we played referee for our very rambunctious puppies!! They had fun though, and should both sleep VERY well for the next couple of days!

Tomorrow I will be going to see Glenn and the rest of the Momentum flag football team play their first game, so that should be fun. There will be more updates on that later, apparently Glenn will be playing Wide Receiver...so we'll need to make sure he has very unslippery hands!!! :) Also tomorrow, Glenn will be playing in the Momentum band, and leading worship in both services, so that will be fun. It will also be a little weird, because I've never seen him play with anyone but the CWB...so we will be branching out!

Only 1 more week until Fall Break!!! YAY!!! I am REALLY ready for a week off!! I need to rest, regroup, and get ahead of the game (by more than just a day or two). We will be going to Pensacola, to see Glenn's parents, and the CWB will be playing at a church down there....that is as long as Ike doesn't decide to land on PCola instead. The tail-end of my fall break we will be going to TN to visit my Dad and family up there. So even though it will be my "break" I won't be doing too much resting, since we will be pretty busy. Oh, well, story of my life!!

Until next time...GOOOOO DAWGS!!! Enjoy watching us win!! :)

My life is a movie

2008-08-17T14:44:00.000-07:00

Well 3rd grade is off and running with a bang! Well, I should say a few 1-2 punches!! That's right...in the entire 10 days of school so far I have had one student punch 2 separate people, and another student just slap another girl in the face. I'm thinking of inviting the Ultimate Fighting people to come and do a special in my classroom, because seriously, I think a few of these kids could qualify! So, my life was immediately spiced up by "Kung Fu Panda" when he punched a kid on the 4th day of school...when asked what he could have done instead of punching him, he replied, "I could have hit him harder." Noooooo, but good try!! Since then Kung Fu Panda has punched one other kid, and my Diva In Training just straight-up slapped a kid in the lunchroom, and ripped off her necklace. In addition to Kung Fu Panda and Diva In Training, I also have Junior Napoleon Dynomite in my class. Imagine Napoleon as an 8 year old, same voice, and same random comments, and that's what I've got. A couple of examples... "Mrs. Smith, sometimes, when I look in the mirror, I can see myself as a grown-up. I have a goatee, and it's pointy, with a stripe down the middle." Okayyyyyyyy. Here's another one.... "Mrs. Smith, sometimes I have stress in me, and then I don't." Riiiight. I have no idea what to do with 99% of the stuff this kid says to me!!! But, he makes me laugh, so that makes it all worth it!! So, needless to say, 3rd grade is off to an interesting start!!

On a complete opposite note, Glenn is thouroughly enjoying his life as a house husband and Brooklyn and I are very glad to have him home for a while!! With that being said, call us, we'd love to hang out!!

That's it for now, and I will leave you with this....

Everybody was kung fu fighting.....those cats were fast as lightning.....

time to take a break!

2008-08-10T15:44:00.000-07:00

Okay, I realize our blog is entitled "Smith Family Adventures", but that title is misleading, at least right now...we are a very uneventful family right now, but sometimes that's nice.

Since it feels like EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THE WORLD is either pregnant or has a baby and has their pics posted on their blog, and we can't participate in that because we are in the 1% of people who have no baby, and no baby on the way, I have decided to post pictures of our puppy. In my opinion Brooklyn is as cute as a baby anyway!! :) So, here she is...all 40 pounds of her!!!

Well, everyone should be happy to know that Glenn and the rest of the CWB have a month off!!! YAY!!! I, and the other wives are very excited, because we have missed our men! The guys are excited because they all need a break. Traveling and leading worship all over the country, while it's an amazing and rewarding job, is also an exhausting one, so they all need some naps and time at home!

The 1st week of school is officially over! It went pretty well, I have a lot of the same kids as last year, but I also have some new kids...and lets just say that a few of the new ones are making life interesting. There was a lot of drama in my class this week, hopefully this is not a sign of things to come, but merely a rough spot in the settling in process. :) I am really happy with the way my classroom looks, the awesome team I have to work with, and how on the ball I have been so far!! We'll see how long I can keep it up!

So, as exciting as all of that was, there is nothing else to report. We are tired, need naps, and are really looking forward to having some time together with Glenn being here, and not having to go to work at the UPS store. It will be a fun month!

There's no place like home

2008-07-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

WOW! What a summer!!

The Chris White Band has been super busy with traveling all over the country, and fortunately I'm a teacher, so I get to come along in the summer. It's really fun to be a groupie, and just get to hang out with cool teenagers from all over the place, and worship every night. The only down side is that we have only been home for about 15 days total, the whole summer! And now, although it's been a great summer, I only have 2 weeks until school starts...yikes!!

Glenn will be getting to concentrate on his job with Mobilizing Students, without having to go to the UPS store anymore!! YAY!! He will be substitute teaching sporadically to keep himself busy and to bring in some extra cash (that certainly never hurts!) It will definitely be nice to have him home in the afternoons and be able to hang out more when he's not traveling.

We have finally found a church that we love...yay! We are going to Momentum Christian Church here in McDonough, and absolutely love it. We have the opportunity to co-lead a Life Group with a super cool couple, and I am going to start working in the children's ministry come August. Glenn will rock his bass in the praise band when he's home and needed. :) We are really excited that we finally found a church that we love, can serve in, and is close to our house!

We are really settled in to our adorable little house...we still have some projects that we want to tackle...but I'm quickly learning that is an ongoing thing when you own a house!

Our little Brooklyn makes us laugh everyday! We love her to pieces, and she has become a member of the family. Well, who am I kidding, she's our baby! :) She has been to the emergency vet clinic more than Glenn and I have been to the doctor this year...she's allergic to a lot of stuff, and gets into everything! She's very happy, very nosey, and loves to cuddle and give kisses. We adore her!!

Well, that's about all that's going on in the lives of the Smiths... everyday is an adventure in our little family. We are just taking life a day at a time, and seeing where God wants to take us next!