Our first anniversary

Eric and I celebrated our first anniversary on November 27th.  It has been a wonderful first year (over 13 months now...) It's just been a joy to be with my best friend all the time.  God has just blessed us tremendously in our marriage.  I'm so thankful for the man of God, husband, and leader that Eric is.  For our anniversary, we decided to get away for a quick weekend.  It still blows my mind how close we are to 'the South' down here in SE Missouri.  We are closer to Memphis than my parents' house and closer to Nashville than Eric's parents' house.  It's just crazy!  We looked up Bed & Breakfasts near Memphis and decided to go to Olive Branch, Mississippi (only about 20 minutes outside of Memphis) and stay at the Andover Plantation.  It was so beautiful!

We would recommend Andover Plantation for anyone looking for a place to stay!  The innkeeper, Lin, was so accommodating and sweet!  She had our room all ready for us when we checked in.  We stayed in the Plantation Suite.

This would have also been a great place to go with a group of people- like for a family reunion, where you want to reserve all the rooms upstairs or there is a cottage out behind the main house with it's own kitchen and a little more space.  And they also have a pool, so it would be great for kids in the summer!

Closed for the winter!

Extra building behind the main house

If it hadn't been so rainy, cold, and windy, we would have loved to enjoy our private porch!

Lin brought us a wonderful breakfast to our room.  She made apricot-stuffed french toast with a sweet orange syrup, bacon, and some fruit.  It was so good!

We just spent time enjoying Memphis on Sunday.  Neither of us have really spent any time in Memphis before so we didn't know exactly what to see or do.  We just took it pretty easy though....enjoying lunch downtown at The Majestic Grille and doing some basic sightseeing and shopping.  Of course, we took the opportunity to check out Pottery Barn Outlet, where we snagged this great find who now proudly hangs out on our mantle:

Have I told you before that I love my husband?  I'm so thankful for our first year of marriage and just time to get away with him.  Thanks for being a part of our lives!

Love,
The Barbs

Our new home

I know that I haven't posted anything really about our new home- and we have been in it for 1 1/2 months.  Well, I thought I'd try to do some short posts just to show our friends/family that live far away.  We haven't done anything major to the house- just new carpet and paint.  So today, I'll show you the living room.

Here is the front door/living room and then you can also see through the opening into the dining room. The walls were just all dirty-off white... (Don't mind me- I'm just trying out the key to the front door. We can only lock the doors with keys, both on the inside and outside, which I found out is a safety thing so if someone punches out your windows, they can't just turn a deadbolt. Genius!)

 We started painting within 2 hours of closing on the house.  We were on a time crunch and it was nice to already have the paint picked out, bought, and ready to go!  Our color choice was Ashen, by Olympic One. We absolutely love the color.  We picked it out thinking it was a light tan....and have found that at some points it looks more gray, which we had actually thought about painting it a gray shade, so it's great!

Winter Mood, also by Olympic One, used on all the trim, windows, and doors

Here is Ashen, taken from the Olympic website. 

So....here are the pictures we took after we finished painting (with the old, full of cat hair, carpet)

 

This next picture is from the day our stuff got moved- as everything is just sort of laying around as we try to figure out how we want it to look.  We also have new, clean, never been touched by cats, carpet!!

 ...and here it is now as it is decorated for Christmas.

I've started collecting the Willow Tree Nativity set.

Eric's grandma made stockings for us...and we actually have a mantle to use!

Eric painted an old shutter that was in this old house that his parents and their neighbors bought and it is now by the front door holding Christmas cards.

Our front door with our "wreath"...something I found on Pinterest and we recreated.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of our living room!

failed blogger again :/

Oh wow.  Here we are almost three months later.  I confess that I'm not the best blogger...especially when it comes to being consistent.  A lot has changed in the Barb household the last couple of months- including the Barb household.  Eric and I bought a house!  We had been looking since the middle of the summer- and went out probably 5-6 different times to see many homes in our area.  We actually put a rushed offer out in early August (when we found out there was another offer, so it was our only chance), but realized that we were not into playing the games that this 'for sale by owner' had.  So we kept looking....and then finally stumbled across the house that is now ours!  I like to refer to us as 'home owers' instead of 'owners' because we are far from owning this.  It's crazy when you look at the sheet with what you're actually paying out over all those years.  We even bought something at the very bottom of our price range and are actually saving money compared to what we paid in rent.  So I'll show you a picture of the little guy (on the outside) and then will hopefully get pictures up of the inside soon.  It is an old home (from the 1950's) in a great area of town that has lots of old homes with character.  It's actually on the same street as the first house we put the offer on.  We painted and got new carpet before we moved in and it seriously made a huge difference.  It has some fun features like a fireplace in the living room and built-in cabinets in the dining room.  We have moved down to only one bathroom, but the bathroom has been completely remodeled in the last 3 years and even has heated floors!  The major thing I would want to change is the kitchen.  It has green counters and an old, old green stove.  We plan to do a complete kitchen remodel somewhere down the road.  It is 1 1/2 story, Cape-Cod style.  The upstairs is really neat too- just needs a little love put into it, so that is probably in the future too!  But here it is from the front....

isn't it cute? the yard could use a little lovin' though...

We also finished our marathon last month!  It was such a great experience and we couldn't have picked better weather.  It started out around 50 degrees and was just starting to get too warm in the last couple of miles.  We also reached our goal of raising $1800 for 'His Voice Global' to go for building a 4th orphanage!  Several of our students came and watched us, so that was fun to see them at different points along the route!  I was definitely ready to be done by the end of it, and would have told you that I've completed my marathon and have no desire to do another full again.  It's funny though how you can forget those feelings- and in the back of my mind, I think I might want to do it again sometime in life.  I guess we'll see!

before the race in downtown STL

our cheering section after the race

The last thing I mentioned in my last blog was that I was going to work at the new Chick-Fil-A.  Well, about three days before we opened, I became a manager.  It has been a fun experience so far-- not that all days are easy or enjoyable, but I really like working there.  I have definitely been learning a lot about leadership and business.  It is hard work and we have been really busy.  It has also given me the flexibility to continue to work with the Student Ministry Team!  I work early in the day, so I finish early and still have the opportunity to get other things done.  I feel like I could probably blog about CFA though-- just all I have learned and experienced.  I come home and tell Eric stories everyday.  Like yesterday, for example, the outside door leading into the restaurant fell off (onto the sidewalk) at about 11am right as the lunch rush was starting.  Oh joy!

And I really do want to get better about blogging....so here's hoping that it's sooner than later :)

short & sweet: wreath & chikin

Some days I feel really crafty...and yesterday was one of those days.  I now have use #2 of the lima bean wreath.  Remember when I made it back in the spring here?  Well a couple of days ago, I saw this wreath pinned on Pinterest and my mind began going and I knew that I wanted that wreath on our deck for fall and to root on our favorite college football team MIZ-ZOU!

So I took spring/summer bright wreath

and turned it into something new

and I actually made it pretty cheap!  I returned some things to Hobby Lobby that I had bought for a different project (and have since changed my mind about what I'm doing) and so with that return, I was able to purchase:
2 wooden letters (.99 each)
1 piece of black felt (.25)
1 piece of gold yellow felt (.79) - didn't match my gold paint, but i had already cut it up
1/8 yard gold fabric (.76)
small bottle gold acrylic paint (.79)
ribbon (already owned)
paint brush (already owned)
black spray paint (already owned)
Total: $4.57

Woohoo! I have made so many things from Pinterest...and I really don't even waste that much time on there.


In other news, I have a NEW JOB!  I'm going to continue with some contract work for the Student Ministry Team at the Missouri Baptist Convention and I'm also going to work at the brand new Chick-Fil-A coming to Cape Girardeau!  I don't really know my role yet- except that I'm probably going to have some early mornings with opening and then the owner/operator has talked to me about doing Marketing/Events.  I'm really excited about the job.  I have had a little pride about it because it's fast food and have just been worried about what people would think of me, but I really like the owner/operator and I've been hearing about several people from church or friends of people I know that are going to be working there and everyone has been super positive.  And I really am excited.  I loved my time in college working at Heavenly Ham- just a mix of the people I got to work with, serving others, and I do like food preparation stuff.  Plus I think I'll really enjoy having an active, fast-paced job.  Not to mention just getting to know more people here- and the way that corporation is set up in regards to leadership development, being family-oriented, and helping the community.  And I'm guaranteed to have Sundays off :) Training starts next week....so we'll see how it all goes!

Chicago

We wanted to take a little vacation before classes started back, but we have been gone so much this summer (and spent a lot of time in the car) that the thought of driving somewhere to get away was exhausting to think about.  Just a couple of weeks ago though, we thought about hopping on the Amtrak to Chicago and spending a few days relaxing there.  So we did!  We began planning a trip to Chicago about a week before we left.  I'll save you from ALL the details and long stories- and give you just the highlights (in mostly picture form).

Welcome to Chicago! We grabbed lunch and walked to our hotel (only about .7 miles from Union Station) after our 5 1/2 hour trip on Amtrak from Carbondale to Chicago.

 We went to Navy Pier...

and of course, we rode the ferris wheel...which gave us the opportunity to see the skyline.

We wanted to see the free fireworks at Navy Pier- so conveniently went on Wednesday night.  They were seriously some of the best fireworks we have ever seen- even though it was only about 15 minutes (so good!)

We walked and took public transportation all over the city.  Our hotel was in a great location though- right in the middle of the loop.  We stayed at The Palmer House Hilton....and it was swank (thanks Hotwire!)

 We did the touristy things too- like 'the bean'

 ...which happened to only be like 3 blocks from our hotel!

Of course we couldn't miss running days- so we had a 6 mile run and a 13 mile run while we were there.  We passed Buckingham fountain on both of our runs...but made sure to come back for a picture.

We love cupcakes....which is probably pretty obvious. Remember when we had our own Cupcake Wars?  We wanted to try Sprinkles Cupcakes- the first cupcakery in the US, started by Candace (one of the judges on the show Cupcake Wars).  It was a small store, but the line was out the door!

 

And we know why too... seriously, it was the best cupcake I have ever had.  We tried another cupcake shop in Chicago, and it didn't compare.  I got red velvet (yum) and we bought a pumpkin cupcake mix to try at home!

We did lots of free stuff in Chicago...just touristy/walking around.  But we did spend money to see Blue Man Group and it was pretty good. 

The weather was so great too.  I think the warmest day reached about 83 degrees and it only began to rain as we were getting to Union Station to leave on our last day.  We spent a few hours at the Lincoln Park Zoo, which was fun and free.  I did tell Eric that I'm probably not going to be the mom that can take the kids and spend the entire day at the zoo.  I don't have a love affection towards animals like some do, so I just get bored watching them.  You can only stare at a sleeping lion for so long.  I do like zoos in small doses though :)

We also had our first experience of 'snow ice'.  My friend Kenny owns a little treat place called Cloud 9.  The snow ice was so fluffy and light.  We had mango flavored with mango drizzle and fresh strawberries.  Delicious!

Kenny and me

We couldn't be in Chicago and not have deep-dish pizza...so we "carb-loaded" at Giordano's the night before our 13 mile run.  Hawaiian pizza is my absolute favorite!

We checked out several fun restaurants while we there...like Yolk.  Eric saw it on our run and just happened to suggest we go there the next day.  We got there and had a wait.  Little did we know that we were at a trendy breakfast spot with really good food!

We also ate at Weber Grill restaurant which was good.  I don't know that I could ever be a food critic though- cause I enjoy most places.  I definitely recommend the teriyaki steak skewers.

It was the first time for both of us to ride the Amtrak.  You can't beat the price- that's for sure.  Our Amtrak tickets, transit passes, and parking in Carbondale didn't even add up to the price of parking at our hotel for the 3-4 days.  We enjoyed the train going up much more than coming back.  On the way back, we were behind the kid who watched 2 movies on loud without headphones and in front of the smelly guy.  Plus, I think we were just ready to be home.




We loved our getaway to Chicago!  My family has talked about doing a similar trip and riding the Amtrak up together.  Eric and I made sure to make mental notes about things that would be fun to do together and considered this a "scouting trip".  We are in full-swing towards students returning...so be praying as we begin a new semester of ministry!

Video update!

Here is a little video update from my husband's blog http://exchangedlife.wordpress.com
Check it out!!

-KB

attempt #2

Back in January, I decided that I wanted to run a marathon...but I was a little late in starting to train.  I had to jump in on week 3 of training.  And then by about weeks 6-7, my left knee let me know that it was not very happy about all the running.  I actually claimed in late February that I was "retiring" from long races (although I had never competed in a full).   Not to mention that a trip with my team came up to go to Orlando and that conveniently meant that I could not do a marathon in Nashville that same weekend. 

My husband has previously run 2 marathons....one in 2009 and one in 2010. His last marathon was not the most fun ever...as he had pain in his toes from about mile 14 through the end. He actually told me at the finish line that if he "acts like he wants to do this again next year, to not let him".

Well here we are in the middle of July, and we're training for a marathon! Oops. Was I supposed to not let him?  And what happened to my retirement?  Who am I, Brett Favre?  It's not even something on my bucket list.  Really, it's just my competitiveness/pride.  I watch the Biggest Loser and they have run marathons on several of the seasons.  Oprah, for crying out loud, ran a marathon.  "If they can do it, I can do it."  And Eric?  Well he actually volunteered because he knows that I'll probably never do it on my own and I don't have anyone in CG to do it with- [insert: because he loves me and is a wonderful husband].  We are now about 4 weeks into our training. 

So what is going to keep us motivated during our running?  Keeping up with Oprah will only work for so long!  We have actually decided to run for orphans.  Eric ran the Chicago Marathon with a World Vision team back in 2009, he ran the Bass Pro Marathon last year as a part of 'I Run for Orphans', and I ran the KC 1/2 marathon in 2009 for 'I Run for Orphans'.  We desire to raise money for His Voice Global, an organization that is raising money to build their 4th orphanage in Sudan.  We learned that it takes approximately $30,000 to build one orphanage, that houses around 15 children and 2 adults.  We decided to take on the goal of raising $1800-$2000 which would either cover the cost of one room in the orphanage or for one student's education, clothes, food, housing, and needs at the orphanage.  We've set up a giving page to make it easy for you to partner with us.  Please check it out here and at least read about His Voice and the work they are doing.

Thanks friends and family.  We love you and are so grateful for you!

Kelly

Before the Bass Pro Marathon

PS- Just a little update on our training...I'm having a little right knee pain this time- so I'd love your prayers that it would go away and I'd be diligent to stretch and care for my body.