Jeremy and Kelley Irwin

Attempts at a Christmas Picture

2011-12-02T10:09:00.001-06:00

We spent Thanksgiving this year at my parents' house just outside of Houston. The weather was nice and fall-y, and my Dad has a new DSLR that he loves to use, so we took the opportunity to attempt a nicely-posed Christmas picture of me and Jeremy.

While we did eventually get a couple of good ones, the bloopers were more fun :)

Dad said "Quick, hide behind that tree!" Sure, poke fun at the one with the belly...

Captain Morgan, anyone?

Cheeseball smile

We ALMOST send this one out with the caption "Beeee Merry". Then realized that was lame and didn't.

More (Belated) House Before-and-Afters

2011-10-27T10:09:00.000-05:00

Well renovations have been finished (for now) for a couple of months, and I'm FINALLY getting around to posting a few more of our before and after pics. Click here for the first set of house photos.

One of the rooms that changed the most was our living room:

Before:

We had tons of friends and family helping out constantly to help us paint and get everything ready for move-in!

After:

Jeremy's baby in this house was definitely the fireplace. We had a vision of a beautiful stone fireplace and concrete hearth, and this is what the house came with:

So for two months Jeremy demolished the old fireplace...

Framed out a symmetrical one (who makes a fireplace weirdly unsymmetrical?!)...

Carved a new mantle out of cedar...

Poured a concrete base for a hearth...

Complete with our names in the concrete :)

And layered moisture barrier, metal lathe, mud, stone, and grout...

Which was the messiest project I've EVER seen!

And finally, voila!

After:

We have some dreams for the kitchen, but so most we've done so far is paint and replace this stove that was older than me and burned EVERYTHING:

With this one:

My yoga room was originally the only room in the house with carpet (and it was nasty!). My FANTASTIC brother-in-law and father-in-law laid gorgeous wood flooring for me:

And Jeremy built me shelves for all my teaching equipment. I love having this little space!

Still to come (Eventually) - master bathroom renovations are on hold for quite a while, but the baby room will be ready in a couple of months. It's currently our office/music room and a disaster :)

Thanks for peeking in!

Humorous Thoughts on Pregnancy

2011-10-03T17:44:00.002-05:00

First of all, because it would be stereotypically un-pregnant of me not to, here's the bump picture:

A couple of weekends ago at my parents' new house in Houston - 14 weeks

On to the funny stuff.

In the past few months I've noticed that pregnancy not only does weird things to your body and mind, but makes people around you act weird as well. Here are some things I've found humorous.

- Pregnancy seems to be the only time people think it's ok to show the world pictures of their internal organs. While this is weird to me, I still have a picture of my uterus on my fridge. Of course the cute part of the picture is the teddy-graham baby.

- It's the first time in my life that family, friends, co-workers and strangers have felt it's ok to say "You're getting so big!!" (If you're one of the dozens who have said this, fret not. I've embraced that this is also the only time it's socially acceptable to GET really big ;)

- I'm keenly aware that someone else's teeth, brain, and elbows are inside my body. It's miraculous and a little freaky. It's even more miraculous and freaky to feel that someone else moving.

- I'm constantly tempted to be more sarcastic than ever. Each time someone looks at my belly and asks "Are you pregnant?" I want to respond with a straight-faced "No, I just ate a really big burrito for lunch" or "No, I'm just one of those rare people who gains weight in the shape of a fetus."

- It's odd that most pregnancy books and websites relay the baby's weekly size in produce of comparable length. Why not something that the baby actually resembles, like "raw shrimp baby", "tiny alien baby", "a little less tiny alien baby", etc.?

- This produce analogy is also intimidating. I made the mistake of looking ahead a few weeks. Turns out by Christmas I'll have a "large eggplant" baby. Umm, excuse me, I don't think that will fit in there.

- Hormones have made my dreams a little bizarre. A few examples:

- I thought I was pregnant, but after my mom gave birth to the baby, I realized it was her that was pregnant all along.

- I gave birth to a full-term baby at 20 weeks, and panicked because we had no baby equipment. So to remedy the problem, my family AND Jeremy's family went shopping for us, then all 25 family members proceeded to live with us for 4 months.

- I had lunch with Sheldon Cooper (from The Big Bang Theory) and Agent Kimble Cho (from The Mentalist). It was the best lunch date ever.

- I flew to France with a very random assortment of friends from various stages of my life, but made the plane turn around when I realized I'd forgotten my jacket and shoes.

Despite the humorous aspects of pregnancy, I've realized more everyday how miraculous it is that God is growing this little life. I'm very aware that this is the most significant thing I've done in my life thus far, and I'm not even in charge of it. What a commentary on how God is really the author of life.

If you got this far, thanks for reading :)

K

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes...

2011-09-09T09:26:00.000-05:00

Baby Irwin.

We figured that was a much cuter way to share our news than "guess what we're growing?"

Our little blessing will arrive March 2012!

I hereby promise that I will not bombard you with endless pregnancy commentary. If you're interested in a couple of updates over the next few months, just check this site :)

Thanks for sharing in our exciting news!

Love,

J + K

The First Few Before-and-Afters

2011-06-30T18:29:00.000-05:00

Well - we bought a house! We closed on April 29th, worked on renovations for 3 weeks while living in our rent house, Jeremy broke his foot the week before we moved, and we've spent the past 6 weeks living in the new house and slowly trying to finish up renovations. We still have some work to do, but here are some pictures of the first few "completely" (a relative term when renovating) finished rooms:

Front of the house on closing day - front yard landscaping happens this weekend :)

Master bedroom - Before

The french doors are beautiful, but had no blinds or curtains. We were confused why the previous owners didn't mind having transparent doors when guests were in town... We certainly minded!

The closet paint was as old as I was. We had just a few flimsy wire shelves and the trim was the color of lima beans - yummy.

Master Bedroom - During

My sister and mom helped me paint the master - I'm sure they'll both love me for posting these.

Every nook and external corner in the house got the trim ripped off, the metal 90 degree corner removed, and retextured as a rounded, bullnose corner.

Note to self for future project houses: Drywall takes weeeeeks (WEEKS!) to settle and clean off every surface in the house!

Mr. Aaron Power helping us start over on the closet storage. Jeremy built shelves from a plan I drew to maximize the space.

Master Bedroom - After

I sewed curtains for the master doors

Jeremy built me this gorgeous platform bed, and I painted the canvases above the bed. The project made for great stress-relieving breaks while I was finishing my master's thesis :)

It took us weeks to find just the right fabric to upholster the headboard

This picture is just so I can brag about my husband's craftsmanship - I'm so impressed he made this bed!

Project closet end product. We fit everything we needed to in this small space!

Entryway - After

Bar - Before

Living room and kitchen projects are still underway, so no pictures of those yet!

Bar - After

The sitting area between the kitchen and the yoga room

Guest Bath - Before

Before, there was a curtain hiding the wire shelving in the linen closet, and an unnecessary cabinet on the wall that made the already-tiny bathroom feel even smaller.

Guest Bath - After

We ripped out the wire shelving, added painted wood shelves and organized the closet to look nice without needing to be covered with curtains. This gave enough storage space to lose the bulky cabinet on the wall.

Guest Bedroom - Before

Guest Bedroom - After

We're starting to feel somewhat settled, but have a few projects planned for this month. I'll post more pictures soon!

- K

Thanksgiving and Snowboarding

2010-12-05T20:07:00.001-06:00

This year we did something different for Thanksgiving. We skipped the holiday traditions with family and road-tripped it to Vail, Colorado with some of our best friends, Aaron and Denise Power. This was an especially great time for the trip, as I'm mid-thesis in my masters program, Jeremy had just finished one job and was about to start another at Lockheed Martin (woo hoo!), and Denise had a week off of work for Thanksgiving.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our trip:

Clayton, New Mexico

The Dinosaur Statues

This is how Denise learned to snowboard

Then she padded her knees and booty in preparation for Day 2...

Vail Village at night

Blended Ninja Pie at our "Friendsgiving" Dinner

Typical

Cold kisses - it was -26 F that morning!

The Return of the Wasp-Monsters

2010-11-10T15:16:00.000-06:00

It has been quite some time since something new has graced the face of this blog. I'd like to say that I've been so busy doing important things that this little page was left un-updated. But that's not really true. I'm just lazy. So here's the speedy version of what's new so as not to bore you:

- I let the garden die (remember the laziness I referred to?)
- We're finally in a season where we have enough time to travel to see family. It's fantastic.
- I've been knee-deep in thesis - and am glad that's something you only have to do once....
- We're skipping Thanksgiving all together and going to Vail, Colorado with The Powers instead
- Jeremy got a new job!! He'll be starting at Lockheed Martin (Missiles and Fire Control) on November 29 - right after we get back from our snowboarding getaway

Last fall, ironically right around this time, we had a little humorous trouble with wasps in the house. So much trouble that it spurred Wasp Blog #1 AND Wasp Blog #2.

They're back.

And this time I have no handy husband nearby to hunt them for me. Jeremy's been finishing a project for work in Cleburne, TX which means he often stays there Monday through Thursday. This has shown me a lot about myself:

I hate sleeping alone.

I'm too lazy to cook if Jeremy's not home to eat it. My new dinner norm is cereal. How nutritious of me.

I am also incapable of bringing in the garbage cans after trash day. All former roommates can vouch for me on this.

I thought I was a pretty capable woman, but one year of having a man around the house has debunked that myth. When the wasps started trickling back into the house again, I figured there must be another nest in the chimney. Turns out I don't know how to close the chimney flue.

Smoking them out would be another logical alternative --- but I can't light a fire to save my life.

So instead of trying to nip the wasp situation in the bud, I'll just continue to kill them when they find their way into the living room. Not because I'm brave, but because I'm lazy.

So the moral of the story is that this story isn't about wasps at all, but about how gracious I am to have a husband who will wasp-hunt for me and eat my food and bring in the garbage cans.

Thanks for making it all the way through my ramblings - next time I'll be organized and concise.

Love,

K

Canada Trip - Part II

2010-08-27T18:05:00.000-05:00

We arrived home last night from our trip to Alberta. Jeremy absolutely loved spending time in the mountains - he said it was the best trip he'd ever been on! Our second week there the smoke from the fires in BC finally started to clear out, so these pictures of the mountains are MUCH better.

Peyto Lake

We saw incredible scenery for 230 km along Icefields Parkway from Lake Louise to Jasper

Athabasca Glacier at Columbia Icefield

Patricia Lake

Pyramid Lake

Medicine Lake. This lake was named "Big Medicine Lake" by natives, because it mysteriously disappeared every winter and reappeared every summer. Big Medicine referred to magic - the natives were afraid of the magic they thought caused this disappearance. The secret is small fissures in the bedrock of the lake - when melted snow isn't filling the lake during the winter, the water leaks out.

Lake Louise

We're already brainstorming our next trip to Canada to visit friends and snowboard!

Love -

Canada Trip - Part I

2010-08-23T21:58:00.000-05:00

We're still in the midst of our anniversary trip to Canada, but here's a little update of what we've been up to and just a few pictures. We've spent some time in my hometown of Cochrane, Alberta and have been staying with our dear friends Ron and Sandi Richard. Shameless plug here - Sandi is a FANTASTIC chef and has a show on Food Network Canada. Check out her website here and purchase some of her healthy cookbooks!

I've had a blast visiting with old friends and introducing Jeremy to the breathtaking part of the world that I grew up a part of. Last week we spent 3 days in Banff National Park. I've posted some pictures of the highlights of that mini-trip. Right now we're in Jasper National Park - look for pictures of that adventure soon!

Lake Minnewonka - just outside the town of Banff

A waterfall we passed on our 3.5 km hike up Sulphur Mountain

At the top of Sulphur Mountain overlooking the town of Banff. We were bummed that the first week of our trip was super hazy because of forest fires in BC (the province just to the west of Alberta). The mountains look grey and hazy in most of our Banff pictures because the smoke was so thick. It's MUCH clearer now, so we'll post better mountain pictures soon!

The view down Banff Avenue

Hiking up to the Teahouse and Lake Agnes just above the Chateau Lake Louise. The Lake below us is Louise.

We spent this hike getting to know a couple from the Czech Republic.

Mirror Lake

At Moraine Lake we climbed on top of the pile of logs and boulders creating the dam for the lake. This was the view from the top!

Early morning (and cold!!) at Bow Falls

Beautiful flowers on the outdoor terrace at the Banff Springs hotel

Johnston Canyon Upper Falls

On our drive back to Cochrane Saturday afternoon - in front of Vermillion lakes with Mount Rundle in the background

We are having a wonderful relaxing vacation and can't wait to tell you all about it! (And for good measure, just in case you didn't assume, we miss all our friends and family back in Texas, but we are not eager to return to the heat!)

Love-

A Graduation & One Year of Matrimony

2010-08-21T18:05:00.001-05:00

We have had a majorly exciting past few days. Here's a quick summary of everything:

Jeremy graduated with his Bachelors in General Business from UNT last Saturday (whoooo hooooo!!! Is it obvious how excited we are??). We spent Friday night and Saturday celebrating with family. It was so great to see everyone and celebrate Jeremy's accomplishment.

Jeremy with the Irwin side of the family (some of them ;) - we're a large bunch!)

Jeremy with his Mama and Bobby

The Howard/Irwin/Hamels (I guess we'll be adding the last surname when Sarah becomes one in June!)

He's just a bit excited. Only a bit.

The day after graduation was our first anniversary. I can't believe how fast this year flew by! We celebrated by watching our wedding video and cracking up at all our amazing friends' dance moves. The video of our reception entrance is below - just because it's hilarious. Disregard the darkness :)

We were also pleasantly surprised that our wedding cake still tasted great a year later....

...and that my wedding dress still fit!

We were able to spend the night at the Adolphus hotel in Dallas, and were surprised with an upgrade to a junior suite!

All in all - a blessed weekend of celebration and much needed relaxation. Now we are on our anniversary trip in Canada. Look for pictures from the trip soon!

Love-

The Hall of Shame: College Student Papers

2010-08-10T12:20:00.000-05:00

This summer session is my fourth semester as a teaching assistant for the same class at the University of North Texas. This course is a 3000-level core class - meaning students take it usually as juniors, and they must pass it to graduate with a degree in Kinesiology. While grading papers for this class I have seen some of the most ridiculously incorrect sentences, spelling mistakes, and oversights. Some make me laugh - some cringe. And now I'm sharing them with you, completely unedited (and anonymously, of course).

HALL OF SHAME - THINGS SUBMITTED IN PAPERS

One of our reoccurring assignments involves the students touring a restaurant or other public space and evaluating how accessible the space is for an individual in a wheelchair. One student commented that a store's shelves were "much too high to be reached by dwarfs". No mention of wheelchairs whatsoever.

A male student evaluated a popular restaurant that is commonly known for its scantily-clad female servers for his accessibility assignment (inappropriate mistake #1). He then commented on the location of the trash can in the restroom... "in case you're too drunk to make it to the toilet" (inappropriate mistake #2), and finished his paper with the statement: "[this restaurant] is a great place visit if one wishes to see the state of America's future mothers" (WAYYYY past inappropriate mistake #4).

In multiple assignments I've seen individuals with disabilities referred to as "handicaps", "wheelchair people", and "disables".

One student used the name of a particular restaurant seven times throughout his/her paper. It wasn't capitalized a single time.

Another changed font style and size (drastically) in the middle of the paper.

Yet another consistently put two periods at the end of every sentence.

Another repeatedly wrote "I failed to mention...." Since we have computers and can edit papers, wouldn't you NOT fail to mention it and just edit in what you forgot?

An entire two-page paper center justified. No paragraphs, no indentations, just jagged edges on both sides.

Quote: "They may have partially missing teach, defective tool enamel or small, widely spaced teeth."

Quote: "One of the main rules is not baby sling or high chair next to the booth sections because of blockage to the rest of the other guest and employee."

Quote: "The patio is circus because of the mass movement done by both guest and employees."

Quote: "As a normal costumer I evaluated the facility with a close eye. The employesses were very professional and nice."

Quote: "I did not have a lot of experience with the cane but I was able to use it very effecient. Something that I did not like it was that cane was short for me I had to bend a little because of my height 6'5."

Quote: "There were several issues that I faced during this assignment that I had not put too much thought about people who are blind face."

Quote: "Since the outside of the Health Center is so wide it is hard for you to get your impaired partner to walk to start line so buy telling them to try and keep strait helps but sometimes they would stray to the left or to the right."

HALL OF SHAME - THINGS SUBMITTED IN LESSON PLANS

Students are required to write lesson plans in groups and teach physical activity in the form of games to kids in the community with disabilities. These are things I've seen in lesson plans.

"Make sure to move your legs opposite of one another when running." (I'd like to see someone run without moving their legs opposite of one another!)

"Gallop while seated."

"When hopping try to visualize that you're a rabbit going home and hop the best you can when going home."

HALL OF SHAME - MISSPELLED WORDS

Through = "thru" (as well as: You = "U", Are = "R", and other "text language")
Accessible = "assesable"
Waste basket = "waist basket"
Dining = "dinning"
Bar stools = "stoles"
Aisles = "isles"
Bathroom stalls = "stales"
Hence = "hints"
Absence = "abscence" (repeatedly on an email)
Spatial awareness = "special awareness"
Misguided = "miss guided"

HALL OF SHAME - RIDICULOUS EMAILS

"I missed the assignment because I was on a cruise. Can I turn it in now?" (over a week late...)

"Can you tell me what I should write my paper on and how I should write it?"

"two page paper we are writting is based off of the service learning questions from the log on the callendar? if not can you tell me what the paper is suppose to be about. - thank you"

"kelly have the extra credit points been added to the final score mine is a 171 plus i see 8 extra credit points but i dont see any points for the discussion board and i need 11 points to pass the class so will i get for the other 3 points from the discussions on line..."

"i resent the paper too you last week and i dont see a grade did you recieve the redo on it.. i have had a lot of trouble learning this system.."

"i broughat my paper to class printed out dr driver told me to go post it online and gave me until 5pm i had a little trouble doing in in the lab but i got it in i dont think that is fair because he said i could go after class and send it thru black board. i was not late."

"Omg I just realized I spelt your name wrong, I'm so sorry really. Please don't take off anymore points off my assignments hahaha and I'll def make it up to you for sure."

Hope you got a kick out of this.

Love,

- K

Adventures in DC

2010-07-17T21:31:00.000-05:00

This week my friend Megan and I flew to Washington, DC for a conference on adapted physical activity. A few months ago we decided to fly out a little early to play the tourist role since neither of us had ever been to DC.

Wednesday morning we woke up at 4 am and drug our sleepy selves to the airport for our flight. Apparently we were checking in at the same counter as a group of 50 high school students going on a class trip. When I reached the ticket counter, the clerk asked for my last name. In my early-morning fog, I didn't realize that she never asked for my first name OR looked at my passport.... (great security American Airlines - what if I was a terrorist??)

I got to security and handed the officer my passport and boarding pass, and she looked at me with annoyance and asked "Who's Madelyn?" I hadn't had much coffee yet, so I said, "I don't know, who is Madelyn??" Apparently the boarding pass I was given was issued to a woman named Madelyn Irwin. I started to head back to get a new boarding pass, but the security officer insisted that the pass I had printed from home the night before would suffice. I never thought about my bag...

Upon arriving at Dulles airport, my bag was not on the carousel. LONG story short - Madelyn went to Reagan International and so did my bag. The airline finally brought my bag to our hotel later that night.

We definitely did a crash-course in DC sight-seeing. A two-hour bus tour of the monuments (on which we were the only two passengers - awesome because the tour guide dropped us off at our hotel), sushi with my friend Roseanne who lives in DC, and a 20-block walk to an incredible frozen yogurt shop. The metrorail (subway) was extremely intimidating at first, but Megan and I felt so accomplished when we finally figured it out without help! Even though we both live near Dallas, we definitely felt like country kids coming to the big city ;)

Thursday morning we toured the Capitol and even sat in on the Senate! We spent the rest of the day traveling to Virginia and beginning our conference - The National Consortium for Physical Education and Recreation for Individuals with Disabilities (what a mouthful).

Here's some of our best pictures:

In front of the Capitol

View of Washington Monument from the Capitol

This sign says "Ban all nuclear weapons or have a nice doomsday."

The woman who posted the sign has camped out in front of the White House every day since 1981!

Pershing Park on Pennsylvania Avenue

The painted rotunda inside the Capitol building

Even though it's been great to visit DC, I can't wait to get home and see my man tomorrow!!

Love,

July 4th Celebration

2010-07-06T14:50:00.000-05:00

Man this summer has been a whirlwind! School and work have been kicking our pants, so it was soooooo wonderful to relax with "the usual" (as Denise and I call the group of friends that gathered to celebrate the 4th of July). We all trekked out to Aaron's parents' house in Allen and had some beyond amazing food, chill time, and pool volleyball tournaments!

Here's some pictures from the day. I bought myself a Canon Rebel for my birthday way back in February, and I've just now been learning how to use my pretty little Digital SLR on settings other than auto (meaning I'm finally learning a little about photography). I'm sure it'll take me forever to really know what I'm doing ;)

My oh-so-studly husband

Can you tell these two are best friends?

Aaron Power, the ninja

They missed.

Such a drill team move. Love it.

Now that's impressive!

Power Parents!

Love these ladies

Happy (late) 4th!!

Love -

New Brother

2010-07-03T11:58:00.000-05:00

I promised a much more exciting post than garden pictures, and this definitely is!!

Last night my sister Sarah got engaged! After keeping the secret for weeks and watching Justin plan the perfect evening for Sarah, we all got to celebrate together last night. Justin proposed privately in a park under an umbrella - complete with rose petals leading down a path to a clearing he had prepared. We then surprised her with a special dinner at our house with my parents and grandparents who had come in town for the night. Such a joyous night of celebration! We are soooo excited to welcome a new brother into our family and share this exciting time with them!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the evening:

And a month later...

2010-06-30T12:01:00.000-05:00

Well it seems like I've ignored blogland for a good month now. I guess the summer has been so busy with school, work, and other uninteresting things that I haven't had a good picture or amusing anecdote to share in a while. We've got some exciting things on the horizon for the next part of the summer, but for now I thought I'd refresh the old blog and leave you with some pictures of the garden. (Boring I know, but that's the best I've got right now ;)

Our little strawberry plants are truckin' along. And when I say little - I mean little. See below for a picture of the BIGGEST strawberries we've seen...

(Not so big strawberries) Guess that means I'm not a perfected strawberry-farmer yet ;)

Tomatoes, on the other hand, are coming out our ears!! Good thing we love all things yummy made from tomatoes - the picture above is about 1/8 of our weekly tomato crop!

Like other things in the garden, our pole beans are struggling with this 100 degree weather with no rain.

This doesn't seem to stop them from completely taking over the other side of our fence, though!

The big bed - all that height in the back is tomatoes ;)

Baby cucumbers are quite cute

I guess this picture is in memorial - the heat killed this squash plant this week. So sad.

My favorite to harvest - potatoes! When digging these babies out I ended up with dirt all the way to my shoulders - messy but fun!

Sorry so boring. Promise next time I post it'll be MUCH more interesting. (Promise ;)

Love-

Car Wash

2010-05-21T18:35:00.001-05:00

Today seemed like a great day to wash the car. It was still, sunny, and no warnings of rain for the weekend. Me and my cute little sundress took my Civic to one of those do-it-yourself car washing/car vacuuming/scent infusing places that only takes quarters. In preparation for this, I made sure to break my ten dollar bill buying a magazine earlier in the day so I could have some ones to exchange for quarters at the car wash. As you know, do-it-yourself car washing takes some planning ahead.

I plugged a few quarters into the machine and started the high pressure soap. One problem - there was a slight leak between the hose and the nozzle and a steady stream of water was drenching my feet. No biggie, I could endure getting my flip flops wet. However, the nozzle leak steadily worsened. It started to spray my legs, then it was misting my dress. By the time I'd soaped half the car, it was blasting more soapy water at my head than at the car and I gave up.

I walked in the oil and lube place next door that had the same name as the car wash, assuming someone there could help me. My soaked dress dripping soapy water all over the floor, and the attendant chuckled at my soaked-ness (I'm declaring that a new word) while explaining that they didn't own the car wash, so they couldn't do anything. Oh well. I moved my soapy car to a new stall, and just as I finished the wash I heard screaming from my previous stall. I peeked around the corner to see an elderly woman in a very nice pants suit being assaulted by the evil nozzle. Whoops. If I had been paying attention I could have warned her not to use that stall...

She took one look at me and laughed. "It got you too, huh?"

Moral of the story: Do NOT use the car wash on Colorado by the mall. Or if you must, wear a bathing suit.

Top 10 Favorite Things About Mom

2010-05-09T11:38:00.000-05:00

Today is Mothers Day. It's a special one this year, because I have 2 new mothers that I didn't have before and my mom also has a new son. I thought I'd take a moment and share a list with you of my top 10 favorite things about my mom:

1. She loves Jesus. Since before I can remember I've woken up to find my mom daily studying the Word. She is a rock-solid woman of God and I learned how to long for Christ from her.

2. She loves my father. I am beyond blessed to have parents that are not only still married, but set an example for me and Jeremy in our marriage. My mother faithfully loves, serves, and respects my father and that has made a HUGE impact on my childhood.

3. She loves her children. Growing up I watched my mother give up things she desired to take care of us and provide for our needs and wants. We often took this for granted and made it even harder for her to find time for herself. I am so grateful for my mom's selfless spirit - I hope that when I am a mother this trait carries on in me.

4. She loves to laugh and be silly. I have countless memories of two-stepping in the kitchen while making dinner, playing cards, and laughing over life with my mom.

5. She gives wise advice. I know I can run to my mom with anything and be met with a wise Biblical response. She has helped me walk through so many sticky situations with grace and respect.

6. She raised us to be thankful for what we have. I wasn't handed a new car when I got my license. I wasn't given a credit card for shopping sprees. My parents made me learn to value money and budget for things I needed and desired. I was so proud of the '92 Dodge Shadow with the peeling paint job that I drove in high school because I saved and saved for it. I'm so thankful for this training, because it carries over to my marriage. Jeremy and I can use our money and resources wisely and effectively because our parents showed us by example.

7. She has a heart for people. My mother is constantly giving of herself to lift others up. This is evident in her choice of job, the causes she chooses to be a part of, her friendships and her hobbies.

8. She can't make it through a whole movie without falling asleep on the couch. I don't know if I've ever seen her stay up through a whole movie started after 7 pm. I can't make too much fun though, because I've inherited this same trait :)

9. She is so stinking clean and organized. Another trait passed on to me. Hopefully I can maintain the organized house she did through the madness of kids and school and moving and working.

10. My kids will get to see all of this in their grandmother. I can't wait to see her love on our kids.

Happy Mothers Day Mom!

Love -

Garden Update

2010-05-01T09:45:00.001-05:00

It's now officially May and the garden is beginning to flourish. All the tender loving care I put into those little seedlings has (for the most part) paid off - and I've learned what plants do great from seeds (squash, beans, peas, carrots, etc.) and what you're better off just buying from seedlings (tomatoes and strawberries).

Our little row of beans and peas are shooting up so fast!

First pea pod of the season...

Bean fingers. One of my favorite things ever. Who knows if that's what they're really called, but that's what I call them. If you tether the little "finger" shooter to the pole with a plant tie, it's wrapped itself around the pole this much in a day or two. Incredible!

The tops of our potatoes - they're mounded up about 6 inches, it's just hard to tell because the greenery has exploded so much!

The beginning of our first tomato - my favorite produce from the garden ;) We've got about 6 or 7 tomato vines this year, so hopefully I'll have plenty to spare!

We're going greener (and cheaper!) this year. This is our first rain barrel. Denise and I went to a "Build Your Own Rain Barrel" workshop in Frisco (Thanks Melody!) and Denise let me take our first labor of love to our house. The Powers will have one for their brand new house soon!

So far it's rained once since we installed the barrel and I've watered the garden for nearly two weeks with the water in the barrel. Hello lower water bill!!

A bit ghetto-rigged, but I'll fix that soon and try my hand at painting it to make it a little less "blue" - so consider this the before picture. After pics to follow.

My pretty little Dragon Wing Begonia - brightens my day when I'm stuck inside grading papers.

Happy spring everyone! Enjoy it while it lasts... Before we bake all summer in a 95 degree oven...

Love-

Tired

2010-04-26T17:51:00.000-05:00

I snapped this picture last night. My husband passed out on the couch. Notice that's a full plate of still-hot homemade cookies in front of his face.... he was awake moments before when they were set there. It was 8:00 pm.

We are tired. Plain and simple. This semester of both of us in school full time and both working (Jeremy sometimes more than full time) has put a serious damper on our time and energy. But alas, the end is near. While the summer will be another hectic whirlwind of school and work, Jeremy will finish his degree in August!! I am so proud of him. There aren't too many husbands who could do well in 15 hours of upper-level business courses and still provide for their wives, but mine can. (Just thought a little bragging was warranted ;)

We so appreciate all of our friends and family hanging in there and supporting us through this time, through our busyness - we love all of you and couldn't have made it through this time without you.

We're still saving and hoping that we can make it to Canada in August to celebrate Jeremy's graduation and our first anniversary - oh man what a great celebration that will be ;)

Now I've just got to get through the rest of grad school and we'll be set....

Love you guys-

Therefore I Have Hope

2010-04-15T17:45:00.003-05:00

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:

Because of the Lord's great love for us we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for him.'

Lamentations 3:21-24

This passage is resonating in my mind this afternoon. The word "portion" used here is the Hebrew word cheleq, which means a reward from God.

The Lord is my portion.

The Lord is my reward.

The Lord is the reward awaiting me as I leave this world in which I am a stranger, an alien, and an eternal soul cloaked in a mortal body. We should long to see him face to face. We should feel just a bit uncomfortable in this skin of ours because it's not our home...

There is no sorrow in death, but rejoicing in eternal life because of his GREAT love for us.

Pray for my friends who are experiencing earthly sorrow as a loved one goes to meet Jesus. Read about their hope here.

The Lord is my reward, so I will wait for him.

- K

Trip to Austin

2010-04-12T20:09:00.003-05:00

Last week I was in Austin for the annual ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) Health and Fitness Summit. My friend Megan came with me, and good golly it was so nice to have some leisure time. We had ample free time every night after sessions ended, and we skipped out a little bit early on Friday to play ;) We stayed with a great old friend of mine, visited some great local places, and had a blast in the beautiful Austin weather! The only thing that could've made this trip more perfect was having Jeremy there too.

Here's some pictures of our lovely adventure:

Sarah, Megan and I at the Bat bridge at sunset -

over a million bats live under the bridge and come rushing out at dusk, so people

always gather to watch!

Sunset walk around Town Lake

Downtown Austin

Ladies and gentlemen - The Cathedral of Junk

The story of the cathedral

This one was probably not such a good idea -

The whole ground is covered in broken glass, so my booty and ankles were hurting!

Wildflowers were EVERYWHERE at Town Lake

My Vibrams went to Austin!

This right here was enough to make me ask Jer if we could move to Austin.

To my surprise, he didn't object. Sarah, maybe one day we'll join you down there ;)

Sigh, just what the Dr ordered. A fun trip with no work, no email, no class and LOTS of outdoor fun, amazing lectures (including one by the president of the American Heart Association), and great friends!

So sad to be back to the daily grind!

No Shoes Day!

2010-04-10T15:03:00.002-05:00

I spent the last few days in Austin, TX (you can be sure a post dedicated to that will be up soon...). TOMS "Day Without Shoes" (from my previous post), which was April 8, fell during our trip, so I thought I'd share a photo with you.

My friend Megan and I spent some time enjoying Town Lake barefoot

TOMS Shoes put this picture on their website!

Check it out here

We'll definitely participate next year too!

Ciao friends -

One Day Without Shoes..... April 8

2010-03-25T14:41:00.003-05:00

If the world were a village of 100 people, 40 would have no shoes....

APRIL 8, 2010

All day....

Part of the day....

10 minutes....

I'll be going barefoot. Will you?

One Day Without Shoes

TOMS

Spring Break Chronicles - Kelley vs. The Pickaxe

2010-03-20T10:18:00.000-05:00

For those of you who know my husband, he is a construction-working, Mr. Fix-It, tougher-than-nails, man's man. Last week we were in his car driving to church and I noticed a pickaxe and a sledgehammer in his back seat. I asked him if having these things in his car made him extra manly. He replied, "You know it, babe." (Upon reading this part of the blog, he admitted that the sledgehammer actually belongs to our friend Nels Jacobson. I asked if we needed to give Nels some credit for manliness, and Jer replied, "Yes - I get my manliness from my friends.")

The weather was so pretty yesterday that we decided to do some garden work. I had one raised-bed veggie garden last year, but we were planning to put in two more for this season. After the trip to Lowes for lumber and to Gene Gohlke's for some compost, we were starting to run out of time to build the garden. I decided the most efficient way to *ahem* get 'er done was to double-team it. Jeremy was already sawing the boards and constructing the boxes, so I reached for the pickaxe to break up the ground.

I have to admit that I'm pretty proud of myself - I hacked up 17 square feet of our yard in record time. I think that was my official initiation into the Irwin family, because everyone knows an Irwin can use a pickaxe like nobody's business.

Here are the pictures of our lovely finished, empty beds. Empty because there's a winter storm warning for today, so I didn't want to risk it. Just use your imagination and think of them like blank canvases ;)

And for good measure, since the above pictures are semi-boring, here's a picture of the amazing blooms showing up on our peach tree: (please please PLEASE winter weather - don't kill my peach tree flowers...)

So after my initiation into Irwin-ism, I did what any tough hoss of a woman would do.....

I went and got a massage.

Love ,

Spring Break Chronicles - The Irwins vs. Equestrian...ism...

2010-03-15T17:13:00.000-05:00

Today kicks off the official start of "no school because it's spring break" week. The weather has been beautiful the past few days. I've planted all our seeds - flowers and veggies - in preparation for spring planting and started many of my potted plants this weekend as well! The only downside of the nice weather is the dog. Cooper is LOVING this weather, but won't stay outside for longer than 10 minutes. So the day goes like this:

Cooper bugs me for 10 minutes until I finally get up and let him out.

10 minutes later he's scratching at the back door.

He's content in the house for 5 minutes.

Cooper bugs me for 10 minutes until I finally get up and let him out...... Repeat ad infinitum.

I've been getting this face a LOT:

Today our friend Darby met us out at Isle Du Bois to take us out on her horses. We've been excited about this for weeks. However, before today I had been on a horse 1 time. It was a trail ride in Alberta when I was 12, and all I remember about the experience was:

- We nicknamed my sister's horse Flatulence shortly into the ride (and for good reason). Guess who was behind her the whole time?

- My mom's friend Janet fell off her horse and had to sit on a donut pillow for the rest of the week.

The ride started off well - after learning some basics, we were off down the trail. I was in the back on Darby's sister's horse, Flecka. I was doing just fine until we started to trot. I couldn't quite get the hang of posting, and the WHAP WHAP WHAP of my booty slamming rhythmically into the saddle tickled Jeremy to death. It didn't help that with each WHAP my helmet slid a little further back on my head, until it was pretty much just protecting the base of my skull (silly bike helmet...) His laughing made me laugh, which only increased my inability to control my bodily movements, so I pretty much bounced along on the back of Flecka the whole time. Thanks honey for the bruise that is sure to appear on my bum tomorrow.

Towards the end of our ride Flecka and I started to do a little better. There was much less WHAP-ing and a little more control until......

Darby said "canter".

I didn't expect it. Flecka took off. I just hung on while visions of Christopher Reeve post spinal cord injury via equestrian accident spun through my head.

But I didn't fall off!!

So I learned that I am not necessarily a "natural" horseman, but we did have a blast and look forward to riding again sometime soon.

Thanks Darby!

Jeremy and Darby's horse, Cameo

Darby's sister Cheryl who was SO sweet to meet us out there

Remember the helmet-bouncing incident from above?

That's why my hair looks like that. Don't judge.

Darby and Cameo

Date Night Adventure - 'C'

2010-03-13T10:52:00.001-06:00

One of our New Years Resolutions was to go through the alphabet in date nights/days. Our 'A' and 'B' dates were pretty low-key with a strict budget (thus there were no posts about 'Avatar' and 'Breakfast in Bed'). However, in honor of the beginning of spring break we saved and pulled out the stops for date night 'C'.....

Cooking class at Sur La Table. And we brought Aaron and Denise :)

Here are some pictures from our fantastic date last night:

Jer peeling and slicing apples for the delicious caramel apple tart for dessert

Aaron learned how to zest :)

Coolest little hand-peeler ever - of course they would let you use all the cool kitchen gadgets so you'd want to buy them...

Aaron was apprehensive about being in charge of the potatoes - but did a wonderful job :)

Rosemary flank steak - good gracious this was amazing!

Apple tart!

Now we're just trying to talk the boys into date night 'D' - salsa dancing!!

Check back for more spring break adventures!

Love you-

Updates

2010-03-06T11:48:00.002-06:00

Thanks to everyone who was praying for my grandpa's recovery - he is now with my parents back home in Midland recovering :) He's eating sans feeding tube, walking with a walker, and showering. Woo hoo! We are VERY thankful that his recovery has gone this well.

In other news (and very MINOR news compared to the praise above), my knees are feeling great and I've been able to SLOWLY bump my barefoot-esque running up to 2 miles. Yay Vibrams - I sure do love you.

Now that the weather is finally starting to resemble spring, I've started daydreaming about our vegetable garden again. After having learned from my mistakes last year (don't plant watermelon or pumpkin, they will take over your tiny yard and you will get approximately 1 watermelon and 1 pumpkin...), I planned out our crops.

Yesterday was so beautiful outside that I set to work uprooting remnants of dead tomato vines and dried up bean stalks and chopping it up for compost. I also dug up some compost from the bottom of our bin (which smelled lovely for sure) and mixed it in with our existing beds. I have a whole new respect for my husband now. He built the bed for me last summer by hacking up the ground with a pick-ax. I stir a little dirt up and I have a VERY sore back this morning. My hubby is a hoss.

I now have my little seeds germinating in preparation for planting outside in a few weeks. I can't wait. Watching plants grow definitely stirs my affections for the Lord.

Love you-

Heart Surgery and a Hospital Picnic

2010-02-28T16:17:00.002-06:00

On Tuesday morning, my grandpa had intensive heart surgery at Baylor Medical in Dallas. Jeremy and I met my parents at the hospital at 7 am and had some time to talk and pray with Pappaw before he went into surgery. My sweet husband held his hand through the IVs, the visit from the chaplain, and talks with the anesthesiologist and the operating room nurse with the odd sense of humor.

Jeremy and I sat in the waiting room with my parents for about 13 hours during surgery, recovery, and the move to ICU. The Lord is merciful and my grandpa made it through the surgery alright, but he's hurting. He's slowly recovering, and my parents have been living out of a hotel and sitting at the hospital all day long every day since Tuesday, and plan to do the same at least through the end of this week.

Last night we decided my parents needed a break from hospital food, and we brought a picnic. Barbecue sandwiches, cole slaw, tomato salad and a pretty darn good (if I can admit that myself) home-made strawberry rhubarb pie - home cooked picnics do wonders for a weary soul.

(Mom don't kill me for putting this up - I just really like the fact

that you're enjoying my pie ;)

After dinner we went back to Pappaw's room. It's hard to see him hooked up to machines with tubes and wires everywhere, in such a fog from medication that he doesn't know where he is. This is the same Pappaw who held my hand and walked me down to the lake to feed the ducks when I was a kid, who guided my hand on the shifter as he taught me how to drive standard in his classic re-built MGB when I was 14, who saved and saved to pay for me and Jeremy's wedding bands and then kissed me before I walked down the aisle. Now I'm holding his hand and kissing his cheek.

Lord, help Pappaw get better soon.

First Married Valentines

2010-02-19T18:29:00.000-06:00

This year was me and Jeremy's fourth Valentine's/Birthday week together. (I guess since my birthday and Valentine's day are 2 days apart I can lump them into one event.) I don't have anything witty to say - just thought I'd post a couple of pictures from this weekend and perhaps stir up some nostalgia with photos from past years.

Enjoy!

At my favorite little sushi restaurant in Mockingbird Station for Valentines Day this year.

It's a shame we didn't have anyone to take a photo of us both in the SAME picture :(

My birthday banana pudding ice cream. Nothing says birthday like a candle in Blue Bell and the dog howling because he absolutely HATES the happy birthday song.

Valentine's Day 2009.

Technically we were "just friends" in this picture, yet were engaged 3 weeks later.

Those of you who know our story will laugh ;)

Birthday 2009 with friends at BJs

Birthday 2008 - house party and the prettiest, best

homemade cake ever created by a roommate (thanks Amy!)

I think Valentine's Day 2008 - this was just too prom-pose awkward not to include.

I love Jer's cheeseball smile!

Valentine's Day 2007 - poor guy was so sick :(

Happy Friday!

Snow Day!

2010-02-11T16:51:00.001-06:00

This morning the alarm went off. I pressed snooze. Twelve times, like usual. And I kept waiting for Eagle Alert to call my phone to tell me the university was closed. Alas, the call did not come. I checked facebook - Denise Power's status said that Denton ISD was closed. So I went to work, then promptly turned around and came home an hour later when they decided to close the school. SNOW DAY!

When Jer got home we built a snowman, then warmed up by the fire. I commented (with complete seriousness) that this was a perfect opportunity to catch up on the house cleaning, since we were both off work. In fact, it wouldn't take long at all if we both pitched in! He laughed and informed me that snow days were not for cleaning, they were for being lazy, and what planet did I come from to make me think otherwise? But since I have a stud of a husband, he pitched in and cleaned the floors because he loves me :)

Tonight we get to enjoy some Harry Potter with the Powers, and Jer and I both get to relax because night classes are cancelled!

The driveway was so slippery, that within a few minutes of

Jeremy parking at the top of the driveway, his car had already slid down into the alley!

Cooper was NOT sure about the snow. This was the most he's ever seen.

My $9 snowboots from a WalMart in Idaho have proved very in handy in Texas. Who knew?

They're very "Napoleon Dynamite" :)

Snowflake on the eyelash

Stud of a snowman

Happy snow day!

Love,

The Irwins

The Barefoot Professor

2010-02-04T18:16:00.007-06:00

Toxins and Our Children

2010-02-03T17:58:00.000-06:00

A Wake-Up Story from Healthy Child Healthy World on Vimeo.

I'm Back Baby!

2010-01-28T13:49:00.002-06:00

I ran today. I told myself I'd just try one mile and stop if it hurt. The whole time I thought about mechanics, and you know what? I'm a major heel-striker. No wonder my knees are mad at me. So I'm relearning how to run healthfully - how to take care of my body. It's surprisingly hard to do in traditional running shoes, so I can't wait for my Vibrams!

I went two miles today and felt absolutely wonderful. I had to try not to smile while running so people wouldn't think I was loony. And then I couldn't hold my excitement so I told about 4 people at the gym how excited I was to be running again..... No doubt those 4 people now think I'm crazy.

Thank you Lord for giving me the ability to run again when it gives me so much joy.

(P.S. This is my new favorite website on barefoot running developed by biologists at Harvard)

Back to my Running Roots

2010-01-20T21:48:00.003-06:00

I love running. I mean really, really love it. There is something so captivating and relaxing about settling into the graceful, soothing strides of a long run while my mind can wander. It's just me and the Lord and my feet on the pavement/path/track. Well, sometimes it's me, the Lord and Beyonce (thank you ipod).

I've been long-distance running for 10+ years, but over the past 6 months I have developed such severe knee pain that it drove me to the doctor after effectively being unable to run farther than 1/2 mile without collapsing on the track. Disheartening. Especially when the doc informed me that my issue was most likely a combination of slight miniscal tearing, damaged cartilage with chunks floating about, and early arthritis. Yummy.

And then he told me I might not be able to run anymore and I wanted to cry.

The end of January will mark the end of my mandatory "no running" rest period, and I'm allowed to gently try again in February. I've spent January petitioning the Lord for just a few miles a week. "I can give up 8+ mile daily runs, Lord, but please please just allow me to handle 10 miles a week, just 10...."

And then I stumbled upon an interesting alternative - possibly even revealing the source of my pain.

Barefoot running. Well, not necessarily barefoot ALL the time, but running in a minimalist shoe that mimics being barefoot. In an effort to save blog space and not bore you with my inevitable elaborations, here is a bullet-pointed list of research I've been compiling on this subject:

Typical running shoes can put more stress on your knee and hip joints that continually walking in high-heeled shoes. This causes an exponential increase in torque on your knees (an increase of 38% from barefoot) and hips. Hello knee issues! In fact this increase in torque on knees is greater than the increase caused by high heels, which is only 20-26% (1).

The energy cost of running is reduced by 4% when running barefoot vs. in a traditional running shoe (2).

The rate of injury (both chronic and acute) to the lower extremities is substantially higher in people who run in running shoes vs. those who run barefoot (2).

The abundant cushioning and arch support in running shoes actually increases impact force (2) by causing us to land on our heels instead of the balls of the feet, where are feet were designed to absorb shock (3).

The human body can instinctively modify itself to different types of terrain and absorb shock appropriately, but thick soles of running shoes impair our ground awareness and limit natural elasticity (3).

Running barefoot adjusts your posture to its natural, healthy alignment by allowing you to strike the ground where the foot is designed to (3).

Running barefoot increases sensory feedback, balance and proprioception in the feet (2)(4).

Since many podiatrists believe its dangerous to run completely barefoot, I've researched a minimalist shoe that mimics the benefits of going barefoot while protecting the soles of the feet (Vibrams).

If all of that isn't convincing enough for me, today a Kenyan guy from my gym boasted about the benefits he's experienced from barefoot running. He said he had been barefoot running for years, up to 10 miles at a time, and that it was the most freeing, natural and painless experience he's had running. Naturally I was sold after that - have you seen those Kenyans run? They're incredible!

So I've asked for a pair of Vibrams for my birthday next month. I'll look goofy running in my five-fingered shoes, but I'm hoping to be back running to awesome jams soon. Expect a follow-up post on my barefoot experiences!

Sources:

(1) Running Shoe Study

(2) Barefoot Running

(3) Is It Better to be Barefoot?

(4) Should You Be Running Barefoot?

Incapable of "Sabbath-ing"?

2010-01-13T16:54:00.003-06:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a type A list-maker and I spend my days cramming in as much as possible, flying from task-to-task, until I fall into bed exhausted at the close of every day. Well here's my confession....

I'm starting to wear out.

It seems to be no coincidence that the Lord has been bringing my path upon much literature and teaching about rest lately. I recently read Timothy Keller's "Counterfeit Gods" , through which God revealed my idolatry of productivity. I didn't even know that was an idol. Guess my heart will just take anything good and twist it into wickedness.

The idea of Sabbath was brought to my mind a lot over the last couple of months, and I'm happy to say that Jeremy and I had a very nice time of rest visiting family for the holidays. I returned to Denton ready to hit the ground running, only to discover that my tiredness quickly returned. Problem is, I'm WAY too busy with WAY too many things on my plate to even take Sunday to rest! I mean, that's laundry/grocery shopping/cleaning day! Right? Wrong. There's that tricky little idol of mine peaking out of my heart again, revealing that this is going to be a tough struggle for me.

The Bible blatantly COMMANDS us to take a Sabbath EVERY WEEK (not just on holidays, as I try to talk myself into) to rest. I mean, it's right there in the ten commandments - on the stone tablets and everything!

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work,

but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God."

Exodus 20:8-10

Matt spoke about Sabbath as part of his message this week, and to be honest it was both energizing and discouraging. Energizing because the Lord has provided us with a day of rest, recharging and rich time with family and friends. Discouraging because I've never seemed to be able to really rest. My mind makes lists of tasks, my body can't relax if there's laundry or dishes to be done. I haven't realized how much of a SIN this is until now, when the Lord is revealing it to my heart through many channels. This was my mom's latest blog, that I just so happened to read today:

Here’s my most recent Google search: “Can a dog be hyperactive?” (In case you’re interested, the answer is “yes.”) Well, I’m convinced the puppy my son Mark adopted from a local shelter has a serious case.

Remi is an eleven pound, mixed breed blend of constant motion. He never walks anywhere. He reminds me of the little ball in a pinball machine. Ding, he’s off this direction and then ding, like a shot he’s off in a completely different direction. Even during the brief moments he is standing in one spot his little head jumps this way and that determining his next catapult.

Mark has had some success in training Remi. He finally got the potty thing down. Hallelujah! And he can “sit.” Be it ever so briefly. They’re working on “come.” That’s proving to be a challenge. But the one command meeting the most resistance is “stay.”

The other day I lent a hand while Mark attempted to impress Remi with the concept. Mark held the tennis ball and told Remi to “sit,” which he did. Mark told Remi to “stay” and then threw the ball. Ha! My job became holding Remi in the sitting position until Mark said “go.” All I have to say about the experience is it’s a really good thing the dog only weighs eleven pounds.

Hyperactive Remi reminds me a bit of my relationship with God. I find it much easier to go and do tasks God gives me than to sit quietly at His feet. Prolonged periods of listening, praying and simply sitting in His presence are hard-learned disciplines. I know that God not only wants me to be still, I am also missing out on blessings I can’t experience any other way. Last year I stenciled this verse on the wall of my home office:

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

This year I just want to do it. What about you? Do you have trouble sitting still before God?

God went straight for my heart. So I need help resting. Ask me if I'm resting. Tell me that it's OK to rest (and I'm praying now that I'll believe you when you tell me that). I'm a marathoner trying to sprint the whole way, and I want to slow down and finish the race well.

So Long 2009.... Hello 2010!

2010-01-04T10:11:00.003-06:00

Another year has come and gone, and this one in particular involved a TON of change for us. Most of this was good change, and I learned a lot through it. I racked my brain for New Years Resolutions on January 1st, but most of the things I came up with were wish-list items - things I had zero control over. Those aren't really resolutions. These were things such as:

Taking a trip to Canada with Jeremy in August for our anniversary (dependent upon the economy and our tax return)

Being able to run long distances again SOON without excruciating knee pain (dependent upon how my body handles the new medicine I'm taking for my knees)

Jeremy landing a great job after he graduates in August (dependent upon the job climate at the time)

Accompanying Jeremy's family to New York for New Years next year (dependent upon the job...)

I noticed a pattern. I attribute everything on my wish list to being dependent upon this, dependent upon that, when all of those factors are ultimately dependent upon GOD! We worry about the economy, the job climate, and our health care as though men had power over them. But our God has control over all of these things, and the most powerful men in the world are but pawns in His hand.

"The king's heart is stream of water in the hand of the Lord;

he turns it wherever he will."

Proverbs 21:1

"The heart of man plans his way,

but the Lord established his steps."

Proverbs 16:9

So, the list I ended up making this New Year was not a wish list for 2010, but a wisdom list from 2009.

Here are some important things I learned:

1. GOD IS SOVEREIGN. All the time. In every situation. Even when I thought I knew best. Scratch that - especially when I thought I knew best. I need not worry nor be anxious, because my plans will ultimately fail and His far better plans will succeed.

2. GOD PROVIDES. We spent the first couple of months of our marriage struggling to make ends meet. God took care of us. Money showed up when unexpected bills presented themselves, and we had to learn to accept financial help. God humbled us, as we could not take pride in even monetarily providing for ourselves. By His grace we are starting to get our feet under us, but rejoice that financial stability is a gift from the Lord and that such stability is fleeting. We place our trust in Him, not our savings account. And we are EXTREMELY thankful for an unknown friend(s) that still sends grocery money (see When God send blessings through US Post....). We hope you are reading - we love you and are thankful for your unbelievable generosity.

3. MARRIAGE IN SANCTIFYING. The Lord has allowed us to have such joy in the first 4 1/2 months of marriage. It is a great blessing to have someone to laugh with, cry with, wake up next to, cook meals with, read to, dream with, pray with, pray for, romance, and love. God designed marriage to be sanctifying, and we already see that spouses are the most equipped to hold up mirrors for one another. Because Jeremy is intimately connected with me, the mirror of my soul he holds up to me shows more junk than I sometimes care to see, but the Lord has used that to lovingly refine us. We have become partners in pursuing holiness.

4. THE WEDDING IS GREAT, BUT MARRIAGE IS FAR BETTER. My lovely engaged lady-friends - it is SOO easy to get caught up in planning the perfect wedding day, to get stressed out about these plans, and to consume yourself with thoughts of these plans 24-7. Really easy. But it's one day, and the MORE joyous journey begins after the wedding day.

5. GRADUATING FROM COLLEGE DOESN'T ALWAYS MEAN FINISHED WITH COLLEGE. Alas, I am again in college earning my Masters degree until May 2011.

6. GOOD FRIENDS ARE GEMS. The Lord has blessed us with some awesome friends, and we treasure them. 2009 would not have been one-tenth as amazing as it was without our friends.

7. GARDENING IS NOT AS EASY AS IT LOOKS. We yielded some crops last fall, but we will try again this spring with more knowledge and more patience!

8. I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY LOVE READING WHEN IT'S NOT FOR SCHOOL. I learn this every break and speed-read through a couple of books per week until the beginning of school. Then, by the end of the semester, I'm convinced I hate reading. So I re-learned my love Christmas break 2009.

9. I HAVE A TRAVEL BUG AND NOT ENOUGH FUNDS TO FEED IT. I re-learn this every year also. Inevitably something will spark this and bring it speeding to the fore-front of my mind. I LOVE traveling and have a mile-long list in my head of places I'd love to visit. But traveling is expensive for the most part. So in 2010 I will pray to be content in my current status of travel (even if that's to Lewisville and back), and pray that one day the Lord will bless us with funds to be able to see the world He's created.

10. WE HAVE THE MOST LOVING AND SUPPORTIVE FAMILY EVER. We dearly love all 17 members of our now-exceedingly-large immediate family.

All of this reflecting leads me to one ultimate New Years Resolution, and I have a feeling it will be the same resolution I will have every year for the rest of my life.

I resolve to know God more in 2010 than I did in 2009.

Happy New Year!

Christmas, brain surgery and a love list

2009-12-07T09:54:00.005-06:00

This is our first Christmas season as a married couple. During our engagement, we had many many couples tell us that their love for each other had grown so much through the years, that they couldn't believe they fancied themselves in love on their wedding day. Their perspective on the depth of love had grown.

We've been married for slightly less than 4 months, and I'm already noticed this happening. Each morning I roll over and see my husband and think, "There's no way I loved him this much yesterday."

A recent trial in the life of our church has made the life I share with my husband even more precious. Our pastor, Matt Chandler, had brain surgery on Friday to remove a small tumor on his frontal lobe. The mass was discovered on Thanksgiving morning, after Matt suffered a seizure. The response of Matt, his family, and our church has been amazingly encouraging and a strong reminder of God's goodness and sovereignty.

Here are some things that have impacted my heart lately:

Lauren Chandler's blog

Matt's blog

A video from Matt to the church

I've been reminded of how fleeting and fragile our lives are, how Almighty God is, and how consuming His love is. I am called to love those around me, including and especially my husband, how God loves us. I've been reminded to PRAY - for the Chandlers, for my church, for my heart and for my husband.

We're slowly learning each others' love languages and finding new little ways to serve one another. For example, I did not know there was an upside-down and right-side-up way to load a roll of toilet paper onto the holder. But the upside-down way really bothers Jeremy, so I make it habit to load the toilet paper correctly. Not because I care, but for him.

Taking any chance available to brag on my wonderful husband, here are some ways Jeremy constantly shows me his love. A love list of sorts:

*** Before we got married, Jeremy rarely drank coffee and never made it for himself. Now, he goes downstairs before I do to start the coffee pot so that I'll have some waiting when I come downstairs.

*** He plugs in the Christmas tree when he comes down before me so the house will be pretty and Christmassy for me.

*** He always pulls the shower button out after his shower, because he knows I hate having cold water land on my head when I turn on the faucet.

*** He makes up silly songs that encompass the words "I love Kelley Rae Irwin because...". It's especially endearing to hear the "Irwin" part, as the songs used to be about Kelley Rae Howard :)

*** He HATES HATES HATES long shopping trips, but last Saturday he came Christmas shopping with me for 7 hours and didn't complain once.

*** I frequently come home to the dishes already clean and put away, laundry already started, or the floors already swept and mopped. Just because he wanted to do it for me.

*** When I decided I wanted to start a vegetable garden, Jeremy went along with spending the money for the soil and making the above-ground bed for me. Then, on the very frequent days when I didn't want to go out and water it because of the heat/mosquitoes/cold/darkness.... He did it for me.

*** He massages my feet/shoulders/back/neck whenever they need it. Many times he offers without me asking.

*** Whenever we take long trips, He always drives so I can read/sleep/play on my phone/watch movies on my laptop and he NEVER complains.

I am so blessed to have such a loving man to grow old with.

Merry first Christmas!

Jeremy assembling our first Christmas tree, given to us by The Wrights.

Our super-awesome tree is 9 feet tall. Our ceilings are 8 feet 11 inches.

On the square at Denton's annual Wassail Fest

WONDERFUL friends and mentors - John and Ann Wright

First fire in the Irwin home :)

The Irwins vs. The Wasp-Monsters, Part 2 AND Kelley vs. The Mosquitos

2009-11-21T21:52:00.001-06:00

Well I promised a part 2 of our wasp-invasion story, but I'm afraid it might be boring :(

After the original post on the wasp-monsters, I BEGGED Jeremy to find out where they were coming from. Look in the air vents, climb in the attic, check the windows! His response was that he was not going to crawl into a small confined space looking to find a wasp nest. Can't argue with that. I concluded that they must be coming from a nest in the chimney. This had only one remedy..... Smoke 'em out.

BUT... it was 75 degrees in November, so we decided that it wasn't really economical to turn on the air conditioner just so we could have a fire.

A few more wasps later, we realized that the chimney flue blocked off nearly the entire chimney from the house when closed - which it wasn't. So we closed the flue and haven't seen a wasp since.

Such a simple solution. And MUCH more effective than my attempt to rid the backyard of mosquitos this summer....

I discovered the joy of gardening early this summer, and we planted a large vegetable garden in our back yard in July. However, I found myself covered in mosquito bites daily, just from spending a few minutes outside watering the garden. I already knew that mosquitos will fly a mile to drink my blood, but to make matters worse, our yard seemed to be the site of a local mosquito village. I tried dousing myself with heavy-duty repellant each time I went outside, but to no avail. I spent most of the summer puffy and itchy, but as our wedding neared in August, I realized I had to find a way to avoid the mosquitos.

I received an email forward one day raving about Listerine mouthwash as a solution to mosquito problems. A little desperate, I foolishly tried it. I purchased a HUGE bottle of Listerine and a spray bottle, and misted the entire back yard with it. And you know what I learned?

Mosquitos are attracted to Listerine.

The day after I sprayed the yard I was bitten about 752 times in a 5 minute time span. Ok I'm exaggerating, but hardly. The mosquito village had evolved into a huge, sprawling metropolis.

Good news is the yard smelled minty-fresh for 2 weeks.

New solution. I bought a spray bug repellant that attached to the end of the hose and, positive that it would do wonders immediately, tried it myself instead of waiting for Jeremy to come over and help me. Turns out there was a reason it was on sale, because as soon as I turned on the hose, the connector exploded, and in a matter of seconds I was soaked in water and bug-poison.

To make things SO much better, I pulled the hose across the driveway just in time for a neighbor walking through the alley to see me dripping with water and white-foamy poison, in addition to the ridiculousness that is my normal gardening attire (workout clothes, post-workout, and nearly-knee high polka dot rain boots).

So the moral to the story? Close the chimney, spray all the poison that you want, but the bugs will most likely always still win.