THE NEW BLOG IS HERE!!!

Fruit and Bread has grown up and moved! Head over to the new blog to win lots of fun prizes from photography sessions to a gift card and one of my favorite books!! Make sure to update your bookmarks!

New blog coming soon!

THE NEW BLOG IS ALMOST HERE!!!!!! Who would have known that keeping up 3 blogs would be so much work?!?! Well, frankly, I could have guessed that :) Right now, yes, I am the crazy person that has been trying to keep 3 blogs updated with all the various facets of my life. This little baby has been the hub of my personal life while I have a blog for my photography business here in Tennessee AND a blog for my work in Iowa. So I thought, time to condense and expand in a new direction. So begins the countdown to fusion! Soon I will be all one and I can’t wait! This new blog is going to be focused on 3 things:

1. Showing my most recent photography work From around the world (Tennessee, Iowa, the Caribbean, wherever the camera takes me it’s all landing here!)

2. Keeping up to date on my life, Because if I abandoned my “fruit and bread” I think a few people might kill me :)

3. Offering up the true, the fun and the beautiful for my readers. Exploring the world through what interests me and my clients, who are actively involved in living life, planning the wedding of their dreams, starting families of their own and soaking up all the intricacies of our world. (This means tips, stories and experiences from some of my amazing clients and people in the industry that I love to work with, travel, art, relationships and whatever else I can dream up!)
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So starts the countdown! In a few days it’s going to look a lot different around here and I can’t wait to share in this journey with everyone!
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Kristyn Hogan is a wedding & lifestyle photographer based out of Murfreesboro, TN serving the Nashville area including Murfreesboro, Franklin, Brentwood and Smyrna as well as Iowa and worldwide. www.kristynhogan.com

Somebody give me an Unhealthy Recipe!

So I decided this Sunday that I actually want to cook something. Okay, so I cook a lot. But it's only during the week and it's always something ultra-healthy. And then on Sundays we just end up eating frozen waffles for breakfast, some chocolate for a pre-church appetizer (no judging! by the time Sunday at 9 am roles around I NEED my chocolate!) and going out to eat for lunch/dinner with coupons to fast food places or wherever has a good deal for the week. I mean, let's be honest, this girl cannot say NO to Wendy's or Five Guys but then I start to think about all the hearty meals I'd like to actually cook myself and never do because we don't keep any unhealthy ingredients in our house so I have nothing to cook them with.
So I need your help!

RULES
1. It CAN have as much butter, oil, fat, whatever in it.
2. It cannot be a pot roast, basic baked chicken or a bleepin salad--nothing that remotely resembles something I could adapt to our Monday-Saturday eating lifestyle.
3. It cannot be too complicated because I don't want to buy a gazillion ingredients. We're on a budget here :)
4. It CAN use healthy ingredients (chicken, vegetables, etc.) but come on, people, it better have some crap in it too :)

BREAKFAST: I'm thinking sausage, eggs, etc. or maybe one of those breakfast casseroles? Ideas?
LUNCH or DINNER: I was kind of thinking beef nachos/taco salad with all the trimmings? Any better ideas? It can be anything from Italian to Chinese to Mexican to whatever. Actually Chinese sounds kind of good!
DESSERT: I don't care if it's from a box or from scratch but it better have lots of chocolate in it, it better have NO amount of fruit in it whatsoever, and it better be decently simple to make (no made from scratch pies please)

Deadline is Saturday (tomorrow) at noon because I don't enter Wal-Mart on my day of rest. Entering the pits of hell known as 50 screaming children in Wal-Mart would defeat the purpose of a restful day :)

The winners will receive good will from me forever and something I'm not going to tell you about yet, but it will probably be good.

ALL YOU READERS OUT THERE, I KNOW YOU HAVE GOOD RECIPES, HAND EM OVER! :)

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Kristyn Hogan is a wedding & lifestyle photographer based out of Murfreesboro, TN serving the Nashville area including Murfreesboro, Franklin, Brentwood and Smyrna as well as Iowa and worldwide. www.kristynhogan.com

What to do in Nashville (Part Three)

Go to Rock Island State Park! It's about an hour from us and is one of my favorite places on earth. We camped for a few days in an amazing campsite, explored the waterfalls, jumped off the waterfalls, cooked over the fire and just relaxed. And then I took my favorite picture of Matt ever. With a half broken point and shoot camera. Figures! Matt's face lights up when he talks about Natural Movement founded by Erwan Le Corre
and this photo reminds me of what he dreams of doing one day when his body is finally healed. If you want to see the craziness I'm talking about watch the video at the bottom of this post!

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Kristyn Hogan is a wedding & lifestyle photographer based out of Murfreesboro, TN serving the Nashville area including Murfreesboro, Franklin, Brentwood and Smyrna as well as Iowa and worldwide. www.kristynhogan.com

evening

August 26 (Evening):
Though Jesus is holy and just, yet blended with His purity there is so much truth and grace, that sinners run to Him amazed at His goodness, fascinated by His love; they salute Him, become His disciples, and take Him to be their Lord and Master....Look, sinner, to the bleeding Saviour, and as thou feelest the attraction of His love, fly to His arms, and thou shalt be saved.
-Charles Spurgeon

("Morning & Evening")

What to do in Nashville: Part Two

Visit Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint in Nolensville, TN. It's been voted the best BBQ in the Nashville area and although I wouldn't consider the Hogans complete BBQ experts, this was the best we've ever had. Again, you'll wait in line (and they said it's not unusual to run out of food) but worth it!

We had Michael (my brother), Aubrey (his girlfriend) and Brad (Matt's best friend) all in town and thought we'd try it out. This place definitely doesn't disappoint!

Matt & I shared the Brisket Tacos (YUM!!!!! Completely unexpected flavor and amazing), also at our table were Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Ribs, all with equal praise. Half the restaurant was ordering brisket tacos and the other half was getting pulled pork so it sounds like those are the things to get.

Michael loved it so much he bought an entire gallon of their BBQ sauce and stuffed it in his luggage to fly home the next day! (True Southern BBQ Joint when it has an Auto Repair shop out back!)

So who's coming to visit next? You'll be full when you leave!

This is what the Hogans do in Nashville: Part One

Living outside of Nashville I feel like maybe I should actually be documenting the things we do in this lovely town. So this is post number one. It's been a crazy last month or so with lots of visitors along with two surgeries for the husband and lots of work. All these things have been great for us but have made me a bit exhausted so here is what I can muster up of my world for today. So far what I can say for Nashville is that unless you love country music it's not necessarily the most exciting vacation destination in the world but it's a great place to live and we really love it here. So in a quest to come up with as many things for our visitors to do, we started finding yummy restaurants, which apparently isn't that hard to do around here.
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First off, the famous Pancake Pantry in West End. Where you'll wait in a line that stretches around the block for 30 minutes-2 hours. And the line will be worth it.

We lived here for months without ever going here until a couple months ago we decided we must try it out and have been here 3 times since and anyone who comes to visit us will be going as well, it's our new tradition :)

They have at least 20 different kinds of pancakes. Sweet Potato pancakes, Caribbean pancakes, Blueberry pancakes, Swedish pancakes, Chocolate crepe pancakes, Sugar and Spice pancakes, Pigs in a Blanket pancakes (no joke), and the list goes on. And we haven't heard anyone disliking any of them yet.

Apparently it's really common to see famous people here on a regular basis but since I don't know country music I wouldn't know if I saw them, so we just enjoy the faces of our beautiful friends and family, stuffing their faces :)

The only pictures I have are of our first trip with friends. And when I took my brother and his girlfriend last week I forgot to take stuffing the face photos. Papa Jim-Bob & Mama Rose (those are your Tennessee names) :), where are all our pictures from your visit?!?!? This blog is not complete without them!

a love that i know.

Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love. (Psalms 48:9 NIV)

Video by Jon Rawlinson in the 2nd largest aquarium in the world, Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan. Song by Barcelona "Please Don't Go"

a little giant part of me.

i don't usually cross post things that are also on my business blog but it is true that a lot of what ends up on there is evidence of my daily life. i have a passion that is quiet but honest and it is embedded in my daily breathing. i believe there is something deeper in my calling-not to make art but to capture it as it happens.
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these are our friends. they are moving to germany. they love each other a lot. i have seen their relationship grow from tiny to this. which is the art i saw happening on sunday, july 5, 2009. and i let the light of them reflect into what i have to give.
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this is what i do every day. and it is a little giant part of me.
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best seen in HD (button in the bottom right corner). let it load all the way before watching.

What my husband does on high doses of pain medication.

About 30 minutes after Matt has been wheeled into the hospital room after his shoulder surgery the following scene unfolds.

Matt begins to shake his head back and forth on his pillow as if answering "no" to a question I have not asked.

Kristyn: "Matt, what are you doing?"

Matt: "I'm rocking myself to sleep!"
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Kristyn's Healthy Chicken Enchiladas

Always on the quest for new tasty and healthy recipes, I tried coming up with super healthy chicken enchiladas last night and they were definitely a hit! Matt & I were both pleasantly surprised by how good and "normal" they tasted. Some of the recipes I found online had up to 75 grams of fat per serving! These probably have about 4 grams of fat per serving and fill you up like crazy.

**2-3 chicken breasts (2 reg. size or 3 small)
**1/2 onion
**1 c. fat free cottage cheese (or you can do FF sour cream if you're scared of cottage cheese but I promise you won't even taste it so be brave and just try it! Adds better protein than sour cream.)
**2 c. fat free cheddar cheese (they have it at WalMart)
**package of whole wheat tortillas
**can of black beans
**can of rotel (mild, original or extra hot depending on your preference, I use original, spicy but not over the top)
**can of red enchilada sauce
**spices: parsley, oregano, salt & pepper, chili powder, red pepper, minced garlic

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cook chicken on the stove (I add some red pepper, salt & pepper & garlic while it's cooking)
3. In another pan, cut up the onion & saute (with PAM)
4. In a different pan, bring rotel & black beans to a boil, reduce heat and simmer a few minutes
5. Shred the chicken into little pieces with 2 forks, then return to the pan and combine chicken, cottage cheese, 1 c. cheddar cheese, black bean/rotel mix (spoon out so you don't add the bean sauce), 1/2 can of enchilada sauce, sauteed onions and a pinch of each of the spices. Mix all together.
6. Roll mixture into tortillas and lay in 9x13 baking dish. (I was able to fit 6 1/2 enchiladas in this dish)
7. Cover with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese
8. Bake 20 minutes
YUM!

Kristyn Hogan is a wedding and lifestyle photographer based out of Murfreesboro, TN and Cedar Falls, IA serving the Nashville area including Murfreesboro, Franklin, Brentwood and Smyrna as well as Iowa and worldwide. www.kristynhogan.com

oven mitt puppet shows

rome by memory

i found this today on a blog that i frequent and was simply amazed. having been in rome before, the vastness of what this autistic man has done by memory is astounding.

if i don't get here soon...

I have to get to Hallstatt, Austria.
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I was watching "Austria in HD" on public television the other day and I fell in love with this place. The top picture is on my desktop right now and I can't stop staring at it.

Our good friends are moving to Germany this summer for the army and thus we finally have the opportunity to make the long awaited trip to Austria/Germany/Switzerland/Czech Republic that we've been yearning for for quite a while now. Matt went there with his grandfather as a teenager but we can't wait to go together. Anybody been there and have any suggestions/tips/etc?
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And as long as I get to Hallstatt, I'm good.

like opening up the attic

i loved writing poetry. really loved. and if i was honest and actually made an attempt, i probably still do, but i'm not sure if my soul feels the need anymore. so i opened up an old email address from high school to find a whole folder full of my writing. this one dates back to 2002. 7 years ago this is what i was thinking one summer day.

barrington drive
my dad holds his shovel in one hand
and the balance of the world in the other

he looks at me and says

"it acts like it wants to rain"

and i smile
because i like the idea of
fresh dirt scattering into the
storm sewer for shelter

and like everything else
i think it acts like
it wants to do a lot of things

"that oughta be neat, kristyn"

and he points to the sky
before disappearing to the backyard

i'm confused
and contemplate hidden meanings
as i hear an airplane
move up the sky
playing hide and seek
with the sunset

(i've always wondered
what it would be like
to dive into the last moments
of something before it ran away)

maybe that's what he meant

to get away

and dusk is much too enchanting to miss
with it's hurricane blankets
plunging across the confetti bitten sky

i think of memories
and snow falling on the freeway
and the night glow of anticipation
and then his face

my knees fall asleep
and i search for fireflies
because i've gotten used to wanting things
that i know i won't get

and i think to myself

july is just enough
to make me want to breathe

somethin tells me it's all happening at the zoo

the alligator pit at the nashville zoo fascinates me.

Zebras are reactionaries,

Antelopes are missionaries,
Pigeons plot in secrecy,
And hamsters turn on frequently.
What a gas! you gotta come and see
At the zoo.
Simon & Garfunkel "At the Zoo"

kristyn says: "eat this!"

Finding healthy and flavorful/tasty recipes has become one of my new hobbies as eating super healthy can sometimes get a bit monotonous making the same things over and over again. Frankly, cooking without oils, fats & butter can make finding traditionally flavorful things a bit challenging. Today I hit the jackpot with 2 new recipes! Try these Hogan lifestyle approved healthy dishes. They both turned out really yummy and I promise you will like them even if you don't normally eat healthy!
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THAI CHICKEN
this is kind of a Thai version of Chicken Fried Rice Chinese Food
2 big chicken breasts (cooked)
1/3 box whole wheat angel hair pasta (cooked)
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup chopped carrots
3 egg whites
soy sauce
garlic, minced onion & red pepper
seasoning mix (I used Sun Bird Fried Rice Seasoning Mix from Wal-Mart in the Thai/Asian section)
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*cook the chicken w/ some garlic, minced onion & red pepper, cut up into small pieces
*add in peas & carrots
*move everything to side of pan and scramble 3 egg whites, mix in
*add in soy sauce, seasoning package and cooked pasta, mix everything together
*simmer covered for a few minutes and EAT!!

I didn't end up taking an "after" photo of this one actually cooked, but you get the idea!
SALSA CHICKEN & RICE
recipe stolen from the McCormick seasoning packet
pkg. of McCormick Salsa Chicken & Rice seasoning (found by the taco, fajita, roast seasoning packets)
1 1/2 c. brown or wild rice
1/2 can Rotel or 1 can diced tomatoes (depends on if you want it spicy)
1/2 c. chunky salsa
1 can corn, drained
1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast
2 1/2 c. water
1 c. shredded Cheddar Cheese
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*preheat oven to 375 degrees
*combine rice, tomatoes/Rotel, salsa & corn in baking dish. Top with chicken.
*Mix water & seasoning mix. Pour over chicken & rice. Cover with foil.
*Bake 45 min.-1 hr. or until chicken & rice are fully cooked.
*Remove foil, sprinkle w/ cheese. Bake 5 minutes. YUM!

Our 2nd Anniversary trip to the Emerald Coast!

ok this dumb thing is cutting the slideshow off and i can't figure out how to fix it, so go here to watch it for real:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQivMkLL9lc

to my baby sister

My beautiful little sister- you're officially graduating from high school this Sunday, holy crap. I feel like just last year I was 10 and you were 5 and we were sharing a day bed (or maybe I was 5 and you were zero and I dropped you on the floor, whoops :)...and it feels like just last week that I was an "adult" and you were in high school and I made you share your bed with me when I was married and Matt was in Tennessee working. (Oh wait, that really did happen last week :) (but it happened other times too in the past :)
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I hope that when we visit each other when we are old and gray that we still get to have sleep overs :)
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Okay, now I shouldn't have said that because I start getting all sentimental and you always tell me I'm not a crier and I have to pretend to uphold that reputation. So, instead, let's go with something hard core corny graduation style: Alyssa, you wore that red and black with like total pride, aced those multiple choice tests with both eyes closed and OMG, go CF Tigers Class of 2009. [Insert class motto here].
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The woman I've watched you become is amazing. And I feel completely blessed to have you as my sister. A place no one else will ever have in my heart.
I love you sister.

two years.

On Monday Matt & I will celebrate two years of wedded bliss. I'm posting this now because we'll be in Florida starting Saturday and vacation to me, in part, means as little computer time as possible. I can't believe it's already been two years since our wedding! In ways it seems like only yesterday and in other ways (good ways) it's been much longer. The main lesson I've learned: the amount you learn about another human being by marrying them is immeasurable. Here's a small recap of that learning process since May 25, 2007:
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Five years to the day of our first meeting, we were married in Mexico in front of 29 of our closest friends and family and then spent a week relaxing in Tulum on our honeymoon. It was an amazing way to start out married life and 2 weeks I'll never forget.
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We then returned home to Iowa where we moved into the upstairs of my Grandma's house for our first little "home." Grandma loved hearing us up in the morning blending our protein shakes like clock work.
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From then on, we spent time commuting between our Iowa "apartment" and the extra room at the "Ricky Court bachelor pad" in Tennessee for Matt's job. This was a very interesting transition time as we learned how to be married while living together and apart. This sort of psuedo married life wasn't exactly ideal so we decided something had to be done...
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Sooo, in November of 2008, we picked up the only life I had ever known and moved to the suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee. This was one of the most terrifying and one of the most rewarding things I have ever done in my life.
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So, in a sense, our married life didn't truly begin until 6 months ago when, for the first time, we actually began living with each other 24/7. And that changes everything.
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So, some things I've learned in the first 2 years (or 6 months) of marriage:
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1. Sleeping schedules must be synchronized for a peaceful household.
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2. Sometimes marital roles are reversed and the husband becomes the nagging anal housekeeper and the wife becomes the laid back hippy who has to be reminded to take the trash out. But she is learning how to cook!
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3. Husbands can be taught to put the toilet seat down with diligent training early on.
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4. Laughter cures almost anything.
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5. My husband is a very willing learner and is much more willing to admit wrong than myself. He is teaching me to be a better communicator.
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6. The forming of a family is a beautiful and crazy thing to participate in as we learn to create a life for ourselves as partners instead of individuals. Two years ago I would consider Matt as being at point A and me being at point Z. As we learn to share our life I suddenly find myself somewhere around G with my sweet, flexible husband working his way to C. Compromise is a good thing :)
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7. Eating and exercise habits must be synchronized for a peaceful household.
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8. Being able to pee, walk around naked and fart in front of someone is funny and freeing.
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9. I could stare at my husband's cheek bones 3 hours a day.
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10. With time and exposure, quirks become more annoying and things you love about someone become more intense.
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11. I love my husband (and want to choke him sometimes) immeasurably more than I did when we were writing undying love poetry to each other 8 years ago and intensely more than the day I married him. And I loved him a lot.

the president does stand-up?

thoughts?


personally, regardless of political affiliation (which i do not claim to have), i thought some of it was actually semi funny until the "rested on the 73rd day" came in. and then some of it i was just not political enough to even understand. regardless, i find his hollywood status increasingly intriguing. he is so likeable that it's almost scary.

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if you haven't seen this yet, it's worth checking out, if nothing else for the absolutely superb demonstration of photojournalism. and, on the other hand, the feeling that this administration is trying to make the administration as likeable as possible? the official white house photostream

frugal wife.

Many people have given me a hard time for being somewhat "cheap." It's true that I've never been a "spender" and have always looked for ways to save my money. Then I married my husband and when the forces of savers combine, you get...the Hogan household. Lately, my frugality has gone to a whole new level, to the extreme delight of my husband. My secret? I started frequenting "frugal mom" blogs. I know. Weird. Mostly because I'm not even a mom.
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So you may think this sounds completely boring but I'm bringing this up because I think it has some validity in life more than just saving a dollar on a box of cereal (Or $48). We have chosen to save our money in areas that aren't as important to us in order to allow us to splurge in areas that are important to us. For example, I'd much rather eat generic brand food and be able to afford a weekend getaway with the money we saved throughout the year not buying name brand everything. Overall, it allows me to live a more deliberate and simplistic lifestyle. Now I'm not saying you should skimp on everything and that some things aren't worth the money. Actually, the opposite, saving money on certain things frees me up to spend money on things that are worth the extra investment. Instead of simply spending money without thinking through what I'm doing.
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And just in case you really don't care about having that sort of lifestyle yourself, here are a few things I've gotten in the last 3 weeks.
*Free breakfast at Mimi's Cafe (I had Eggs Benedict, Matt had real French Toast and we both had one of their famous muffins & juice. Worth at least $25)
*Free lunch at Domino's (2 pasta bread bowls. Worth about $15)
*Free lunch at KFC (2 grilled chicken meals. Worth about $10)
*Every Sunday we get 2 blizzards at DQ for the price of 1 for dessert.
*Free stuff from CVS
*A few things I've gotten free in the mail over just the last few days: toothpaste, lotion, shampoo, tea & candy.
(Other things I have on the plate that I haven't used yet: free stuff from Starbucks, TCBY, Texas Roadhouse, Buffalo Wild Wings, Wal-Mart, Target, the list goes on...)
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In case any of this intrigues you, start out by taking a visit to www.moneysavingmom.com where you will find plenty of deals of your own. There are hundreds of other websites but you've got to start somewhere :) And if any of you have even read this far and actually care, I can give you more information.
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Somehow in the last 6 months I suddenly enjoy cooking, eating healthy, exercising, clipping coupons, putting money in an investment account, recipe hunting, DVRing HD movies instead of renting or going to the theatre, decorating my home, dreaming about sailboats & islands with my husband and reading frugal mom blogs. It's okay, I won't be offended if you call me cheap.

Listen. And Go.

A friend recently loaned me Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile by Rob Bell & Don Golden. It's a really quick read that basically sums up the message of the bible from the beginning of the world all the way through the promise of what is to come. I've recently been feeling a very strong burden to be DOING something about what I'm believing, studying, saying, etc. I was talking with my bible study group on Thursday about how we come to God and ask Him to reveal very in depth, difficult, complicated truths to us. We assume because we are actively pursuing learning and knowing more that we must be ready for it. Yet, somehow I feel like lately I've been asking Jesus to allow me into High School when I haven't even been practicing or truly understanding the lessons He taught me in kindergarten.
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What is that lesson? LOVE. At all costs. After Jesus appears to many after his resurrection He's trying to get the point across. "Love people more than yourself. Feed my sheep. Tend to my sheep. When people are hurting and want to know where I am to help them, I'm sending YOU to show them." Ultimately, I don't think He really cares that much if I am the smartest biblical scholar in the world or if I spend 24 hours of my day in church, reading the bible and praying. I think all of those things are great but really come second to being His hands and feet. Showing His love to the world. And I think we ignore this because it is, alot of times, much more difficult to live out than to study the bible until you've memorized it or understand much higher truths.
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So this had been on my mind the last couple weeks and yesterday I was finishing up "Jesus Wants to Save Christians" and the last few pages pretty much summed it up. I know this is kind of long but I really think it's worth taking a few minutes to read it and really think about what this means to our lives....

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Because when we hear the cry, we're with God. When God gets Moses' attention and lays out for him what liberation is going to look like for his people, he tells Moses to "GO."
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"LISTEN" and then, "GO."
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The going will take a multitude of forms. It will be movement, action, life. It will involve risk. It will mean conversations with people who are nothing like us, and it will probably involve questions and criticism and perhaps even rejection...
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It's about all of us taking the next step out of Egypt, doing the next right thing, being open to whatever it means for us to be a Eucharist, right here, right now, with what God has given us today.
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And whatever it is, it will not be boring. Tomorrow will not be like today. And it will cost something. ...
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Instead of standing at a distance and saying "someone else," it's stepping up and stepping into the invitation to the risk, to the suffering, to the joy...
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Jesus wants to save us from making the good news about another world and not this one.
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Jesus wants to save us from shrinking the gospel down to a transaction about the removal of sin and not about every single particle of creation being reconciled to its maker.
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On the night he was betrayed, Jesus led a Passover meal unlike any other, He took the bread and the cup and connected these symbols to himself. He told them to "do this in remembrance of me." The "do this" is understood to be the taking of the bread and the cup as the body and blood of Christ...But what if Jesus meant something else-something beyond the ritual? What if he was talking about our actually enacting what the ritual is about...What if the "do this" was his whole way of life...The "do this" part is our lives. Opening ourselves up to the mystery of resurrection, open for the liberation of others, allowing our bodies to be broken and our blood to be poured, discovering our Eucharist. Listening. And going.
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Excerpts from "Jesus Wants to Save Christians" pages 166-181

what terror looks like

this is what my husband looks like when he's terrified. it's that nervous smile with the eyes that say "oh my gosh, please help me God, i have no idea what i'm doing." it officially took him about 5 minutes to figure out how to hold Lillie (our friends' new baby) and pat her butt at the same time to calm her down. apparently for him, it's a job for more than 2 hands :)
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but despite his best efforts to consistently show me what a horrible father he would make, he did get her to fall asleep in his arms by whispering "you love the pittsburgh steelers. go penn state. you love the penguins, etc. etc.". so for about 2.5 seconds i was completely ready to have a little one of our own until i had to run to wal-mart and, as always, was immediately cured of the baby fever. children really do turn into little devils the second they walk into that store.

our bathroom mirror

matt asked me a few weeks ago to put up a verse on our bathroom mirror to remind us and anyone who visits our lovely bathroom what our home stands for and what we, as followers of Christ, must stand for every day of our lives.

i chose a verse in colossians 3. while reading my bible this morning in the lovely morning sunshine on our balcony, i decided to read all of colossians 3 since i've been seeing a portion of it daily for the last couple weeks. i have italicized a few parts that really stand out to me as this chapter is packed with the essence of living in Christ. something i must remind myself of daily, hourly, (minutely?).

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Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him--a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

colossians 3:1-3, 9-17 (NASB)

what my husband can do with a mullet

This is what happens when church asks me to design posters for their upcoming teaching series on Cultural Christianity where they discuss people putting on a show of being a Christian but not really committing to the important parts of what it truly means to walk with Jesus. What happens? I use my husband as a model and see how ridiculous he can take it. He has quite enjoyed seeing himself on giant 24x36 posters and tv screens as "cultural christianity man" all over the church. You should definitely click on each of these to make them larger to enjoy the full effect :)

Special thanks goes out to Josh, Whitney, Aaron & Keri for almost getting arrested while wearing nativity scene outfits along with Matt as Santa Clause. Let's just say we all learned our lesson about trespassing and were reminded once again that cops in the south don't mess around.