Fall in Georgia

I didn't think I was ready for fall yet. I love summer...sun dresses, laying out, never being cold, vacation, and of course the beach. It's always a little sad for me to say goodbye, but I have been loving fall this year. Nathan and I have gotten outside for concerts and farmers markets in downtown Norcross, a weekend with good friends in the mountains of North Georgia, runs at Big Creek, and soon we're planning a high school football outing! Fall might be Nathan's favorite time of the year. (tied with dead of winter:). He loves cold weather because he can pull out all of his fleeces and sweaters, dream of camping and hiking. I think it takes him back to his days in Tibet. I love experiencing his joys. I love that he enjoys adventure and does such a great job of praising God for His creation. I love this man and am so thankful I can spend my life with him. On a spiritual note, God is teaching me a lot. It's hard. Look forward to being in His presence so the hurt will be over, but honestly I want babies first.

When can I see you again

Gosh! I'm really missing Nathan. Thank the Lord for my mom. She is coming into town as I'm writing this to be with me until Monday. I'm so thankful for her. I'm really looking forward to hanging out and having girl time with her. Movies, pedicures, Lots of food! I'll get back with more pictures from last weekend. I got to visit MS and see my precious nephews finally. They are SO cute. Rob has to be the smartest, best behaved, most beautiful, and kindest 7 year old that has ever lived. And there is not a shread of partiality in that statement. Rob spent the night with us on Friday and I read him the story of Samson. Definitely forgot how brutal that story is. I kept having to fill in words...like Samson married a prostitute (a lady), they gauged out Samson's eyes (they were very mean to Samson). Luckily I got him a children's Biblestory book that sensors a bit. Reese is just the most precous butter ball. There is just something about a baby smiling at you that makes the world disappear for a minute. It's such a gift.

Uganda

Nathan is in Uganda right now with EMI (Engineering Ministries International) doing site design work for a new school in Masaka. The Christian facility will be called the Timothy Center and will offer the following programs: Senior Girl's High School (A-Levels - S5&6), Teacher Training, Christian school resource centre, Leadership Training, Enterpreneurship development, Sustainable farming, Guest House, and Strategic partnerships. Nathan will be mostly involved in the sustainable farming side as he will design the fish ponds and some other water/wastewater projects. I'm missing him SO much, but I'm also so excited for him. Nathan loves travel and being a part of new cultures. Praise the Lord he is an adventurous man and really thrives in that type of atmosphere. I'm looking forward to posting again about his trip and sharing pictures. I pray God will bring him home safely. I'm longing to hug him. :) The first picture is a precious Ugandan girl and the second is the site where they will be building the school after Nathan's team finishes the design.

Smile--My Wednesday Wish List

If these don't make you smile, I don't know what will. This is my Wednesday Wish List summed up on photos. I can't wait to get my hands on these boys!!!

Wednesday Wish List

I've got to do better on blogging. I can't seem to get my pictures and time to blog together at the same time. We had Nathan's family up for the weekend to celebrate Nathan and Kendall's birthdays. His generous parents took us to a very nice dinner and treated us to putt-putt golf. Very fun. I'll try to post pics later. Ok. Now to the wish list.

1. TO GO TO BOONEVILLE!! I'm desperately suffering from homesickness. I want to be with my family and see my nephews so badly! Plus my Meme is at my house right now and I haven't seen Stephanie since she returned from Vanderbilt. Guess God is teaching me to wait and that longing for things is really good for me just as I am longing to see His Face!



2. A Stand Mixer. I've put a picture of a Kitchen Aid because they are most popular but I'd be happy with any stand mixer.



3. This really great lamp from Anthropology...sadly out of the budget, but that's my this is a "wish list" right?

Happy Wednesday!

THE DATE

Nathan surprised me by taking me to have drinks and appetizers (maybe my favorite thing to do) at Gordon Biersch downtown then to a movie at the Fox. So fun!! We saw The Proposal. Such a great romantic comedy if you haven' t seen it. Plus, the atmosphere at The Fox is so fun for a movie. It's really laid-back and lively. I literally laughed out loud so many times in the movie and was in tears at one point. Not something that would usually happen in a "normal" theatre. It was SO fun. Such a great surprise! Sadly we left the camera at home, but we ran into some friends who took a picture of us at the Fox so hopefully I can get it from them soon.

Oops! Guess it's Thursday Wish List...& Date Night

So a day late here is what I'm wishing for this week...

1. White jeans. I know I'm a little late, but with the new fashion rules you can wear white jeans into the fall.

2. Floor covering for my bonus room that is currently rubber..thank you previous owners. :(

3. To win the raffle for a day off at my office!! It's one way our company is raising money for Light the Night ...a walk to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

My amazing husband planned a surprise date night for us tonight! I LOVE surprises!! I really can't believe how fun the anticipation has been leading up to today. All I know is what to wear and to be ready at 5:00. Only 7 hours to go!

Wednesday Wish List

So I stole the idea of Wednesday wish list from another blogger. I think it's a fun idea and more exciting than my previous post so far. So here it goes... 1. A kitchen like this one. It's oozing with character! I love how bright and airy it is while still remaining warm. Subway tile might be my favorite. 2. This super cute "branch" by urban outfitters to hold all my necklaces and earrings. 3. Somethink to upholster in this fabric. I found it on another blog...so cute and really cheap. You too can have beautiful, cheap fabric if you go here.

Birthday and Lots of Friends!!

First of all, I'm still a little frustrated with the Blog design. I can't figure out how to put a picture in our frame on the header. I also can't figure out how to add words to it. If I ever introduce this blog to the world and you know how, please tell me.

The weekend...Saturday was my amazing husband's birthday. I truly cannot think of a better thing to celebrate than God bringing Nathan into the world!! What a great, great man who constantly amazes me with his love, patience, kindness and compassion. This year we combined Nathan's birthday with a little reunion of friends that we spent time with in East Asia! We had such a GREAT time hanging out with dear friends mixed with some birthday "musts". Nathan's favorite might have been the pancakes for breakfast...his favorite. Since we are all over the place now, it's good to take a weekend to get back together and hear about everyone's life. We ate a lot, floated on the lake, skied, wakeboarded, tubed, realized how old we are after the soreness from all of the above set in. :) God is good to give us such great friends!

Homecoming!!

It seems there have been a lot of these lately, but this one was more special due to the two weeks away. Nathan returned on Friday afternoon from Raliegh where he'd been working for the last couple of weeks. It was so great to hug him!! I surprised him at the airport. There was a moment when it was almost strange to be talking to him face to face because it had been so long. I honestly don't understand how military wives do it. (Brittany, I'm in huge debt to you.) He's now in Columbia for just one night then I get to hang out with him for a full week and a half!!

Italia!!

Nathan, Drew and I in between the Duomo and the Baptistry. Drew let us stay with him in Florence. It was so good to see him.

Ponte Vecchio Bridge in the background. We sat here and enjoyed some of the sunset.

Super narrow streets

Overlooking Florence

So bumbed we have to leave Vernazza, hence the pouty face.

Our last lunch in Vernazza...Pizza by the sea!!

Our "splurge" dinner overlooking the sea. Delicious!

About to start "Lover's Lane" trail in Cinque Terra.

Nathan hanging out on our terrace in Vernazza.

Rob and Reese

Here is my handsome nephew, Rob! He's being such a great older brother. So smart and such a tender heart.

Here he is! I'm finally posting some pictures of Reese Corbett Anderson! He's adorable. However, I haven't been able to hold him near as much as I'd like. :( He also doesn't look a thing like this anymore since he's now a month older. :)

Mom

Nathan is in Raliegh for work for a couple of weeks so mom drove the 5 (6 for her) long hours to come visit for the weekend. There is nothing like spending time with your mom. We ate a ton, shopped a ton and talked even more. We saw a movie, visited downtown Roswell where we were very impressed with the Fickle Pickle, worshipped together and relaxed. I didn't get any pictures because Nathan also has our camera, but mom left me with a few gifts from our shopping trips as souveniers from the weekend. Thanks Mom!!

Blogger Flunky

I get a big fat F minus at blogging. I never remember to update and when I do remember I'm always on my office computer which has no pictures. Lately my work load has been light and I find myself reading blogs of folks I barely know. It's amazing how addictive it can be. Then I feel my blog isn't cute enough or we don't have children to boast about. However, the original idea wasn't to impress (actually no one even knows about this blog outside Nathan and myself). It was to document our life. So hopefully I can add pictures of our wonderful Italy trip soon. After spending time in the blog world, I realized that all I really care to see is pictures and captions (outside of the few outstanding writers out there -Sara Boney, Rachel Norris, someone named Darby?- of whom I eat up their every word wishing I could communicate as eliquently as them:) I'll write soon about Italy and post pictures of my precious nephew.

Vernazza

Thought I would post one of the destinations I'm most excited about on our Italy trip. Vernazza is the next to northernmost town and perhaps most picturesque of the five towns of Cinque Terre in Italy. Colorful, antique homes cling to impossible cliffs. It is a charming, small fishing village. If you look closely, you can see the terrace of our bed and breakfast in the bottom center of the picture..the one you can see below the trees. Ancora!!!! (Breathtaking!)

Almost forgot about this thing

It's been a long time since my last post. Sort of forgot about it with my recent obsession with Rick Steves. His website now dominates all my spare time as I read every morsal of information I can get on Italy before our trip. Only 10 days left according to my countdown on my work calendar. I love crossing off those days!! However, I grew sad last night thinking about the let down after the trip is over. I hope the actual trip will be as fun as the planning. Nathan has been traveling Monday-Friday for the last 4 weeks. Man, I'm missing him. We're on week 5 of 5 right now and I'm so thankful this morning was the last Monday I'll have to say goodbye for a while. While I'm so thankful for his job and his desire to do well in the position God has called him to, it's just hard to be apart. Praise God he brings hard things to make us grow and depend on Him. God has been so gracious to provide time to grow closer to girls in my life in Atlanta. I feel more at home here than I ever have.

Well, two bigs events occured since my last post. Nathan and I got to meet our most precious new nephew for the first time and our other precious nephew, Rob, turned 7! Reece Corbitt Anderson was born on May 26, weighing 7 lb. 14 oz. and 19 inches long. Nathan and I made a whirl wind trip to visit him 10 days after his birth. He is adorable! I was most overwhelmed with how small he is. His tiny hands, feets, fingernails, and toes! Pictures will come soon. Also, on June 18th Rob turned 7! He had a swim party and a bowling party. We were sad we couldn't make it, but got to send a little something to know how thankful we are for his creation and celebration of his life.

Hopefully, I'll keep this more up to date and get to share Italy pictures soon!!

God's Mercy

Well this past Monday marked the fourth round of lay-offs for Nathan's company. Nathan made it!!! God is so gracious to let us stay there. However, more than the obvious reasons of a paycheck, insurance benefits, Nathan's assurance, comfort, etc. ; I'm overwhelmed with how thankful I am of God's leading. Of course He's always leading us, but I feel very confident that His plan for us right now is to be in Norcross. I guess the main work in that sentence is "feel". It's not good to rely soley on feelings, but when The Truth and our feelings match up leading to worship, it's pretty great. On another note. This past weekend we celebrated Nathan's 10th year out of high school with a reunion of school mates in Clayton. It was great fun getting to catch up/meet (for me) with folks, some of whom Nathan hadn't seen in 10 years. The girls were extremely friendly and easy to get to know. I miss the hospitality of small towns. At one point we managed to be the only childless couple in a discussion on lamaze classes. As the discussion grew more and more personal then crossing over the line into a world a man with no child should ever be exposed to, I had this great urge to just cover Nathan's ears. Wow! I thought I knew most things about childbirth from friends, but I had definitely missed out on this one. Think we might skip those classes.

Widows

Nathan has been gone on business this week which has given me far too much time by myself. Last night as I was frightened by the thunder and lightning outside, my mind went to widows. I can't imagine the pain and shock of losing a husband. The sudden shift from constant companionship to none is hard. Of course I realize that my time of being alone has been brief and has a end in sight. By no means am I comparing these few weeks alone to being a widow. However, I had no idea the dependancy I have on Nathan. As I was eating my dinner alone, cleaning the house alone, and going to bed alone, God gave me an intense compassion for women who make this transition in life. Ms. Betty T, my mentor in Auburn, always reminded us that statistically most women will experience this loss in their lifetime and God offers special care for them. Strangely enough, I was debating all day about driving to Booneville to see my new nephew (more to come about him:), but felt it wasn't the right thing to do. I kept thinking last night that if I had just gone home I wouldn't be experiencing this sadness, lonliness and fear. However, I guess that is exactly what God wanted me to feel. As bad as my flesh hates pain, I can see how it is necessary it is to bring me to depend on God. I have a new perspective today...greater thankfulness for Nathan, softer heart for those who suffer-especially widows, and more humbled awe of God's plan. Who knows, maybe God will use this to have me involved in a widows life. Hold me accountable to that option.

Way over our heads!

On Saturday morning, Nathan and I ran/biked in the XTerra Duathalon in Pelham, AL which was part of a bigger race called the Southeast Cup. Man, were we out of our league. We knew there would be pros there as this race is a qualifier for an Xterra Iron Man, but we weren't expecting the seriousness of the other amitures. I knew I was in trouble when I was one of two runners not in spandex at the starting line. :) Nathan did an excellent job biking. He biked the entire 17 miles very competetively without stoppng (except for a brief walk at the blood mountain section for which I am very thankful since it was wet and dangerous). I did a very poor job running, if you want to call it that...truthfully, it was mostly walking/gasping for breath up the ridiculous hills. We're pretty bumbed because our race time was not listed on the results page for some reason. Hopefully we can email someone and get our results. Regardless of results, we had a GREAT time being a team and doing things we both love. This weekend was full of travel! From Birmingham we went to Montgomery, AL to Nathan's cousin, Lisa's, wedding. Then on to Clayton to hang out with family, then back to Atlanta for relaxing night at the Westin. See the pictures of our Chili's dinner in the room (thanks Ms. Barbara and Mr. Harold for the gift card!) and Nathan's "engineering" to keep the milk cold overnight.

I'm a Blogger!!

Can't believe I've eaten my words and the Curries are in the Blog World!! I'm not telling a sole, except Nathan until I figure out if I can keep this up.