No words needed...

Why I love summer!!!

community

The week before we moved to Nashville is sort of a blur now. All I know is that my heart was so full, and my tear ducts were empty! :) Our community group (Sharks for life!) threw us a great going away party. They surrounded us in prayer... for the moving logistics, for our marriage, for my future job, for our future church/church family, and for the overall transition. Then, they presented us with 2 baskets full of road trip snacks and over $300 worth of restaurant gift cards so that we wouldn't have to worry about cooking throughout the first few months of being here. How incredibly thoughtful and generous! Then, they gave us a book full of letters that each person had written to us. As soon as I opened the book and realized what it was, I had to shut it immediately. We just couldn't handle all those emotions at once! But we did read it that night before bed and will always cherish their sweet words.

Thennnn, a few days later, two of our best friends, Sarah and Spencer, hosted another going away party for us. It was a precious time with some of our closest friends. All night I kept thinking about how I just wanted to stop time. I wanted to remember their voices and laughs and hugs. I wasn't quite sure what to anticipate before the party, but it turned out to be even better than what I thought. It wasn't a sob-fest which was wonderful. Instead, it was a time just to goof off and to tell funny and embarrassing stories. Then, to top it all off, Sarah had asked these people to write a short note/letter to us. She compiled them, added pictures, and made a pretty amazing book that we will always treasure.

These people have walked with us throughout our dating years, engagement, and now marriage. They have listened to us and prayed for us. They have kept us accountable and asked us the tough questions. They have helped to carry us through all of our fears, doubts, and anxieties with the whole moving process. In many ways, we are who we are because of them.

Like I said, my heart is full because of this community. These people love us. No strings attached. That's the essence of our church, and that is why The Ring is so special to us. I long for that community again. I know it takes time to cultivate these kinds of relationships, and part of me wants to just fast forward to that time. We will never be able to replace these friendships, but instead will add to them! I can't wait to see what God has in store!

Group shot during "story time"

The new Schoons!

Our wonderful shepherds :)

Sarah free-handed that on her wall with chalk...I told you she was amazing!

Summertime...

The past week or so has really felt like summer. I know we're well into summer now, but all the craziness of moving, unpacking, and adjusting hasn't really felt like a break. I'm not the type of person who can just lay around all day, but I'm very grateful for a profession that gives me this time off. Brandon keeps reminding me that I haven't really had a "summer" in several years, so I'm trying to soak it up now before school starts and the craziness starts all over. It takes me back to my elementary school summer days where my brother and I would sit around watching "Press Your Luck" (no whammies!) and re-runs of "MacGyver". Now as an adult, it's a fine line between laziness and relishing in the break that I longed for all school year.

I still can't completely relax though because I still don't have a job. My interview on Tuesday went really well. The principal was nice, and the school seems great. She told me she was interviewing other people and to pray about it and let her know. So I did just that and talked it over with Brandon and others and emailed her back telling her I wanted the job. Now I'm waiting again to hear from her to see what the next step might be.

We really enjoyed my mom coming to visit this past weekend. It always feels good to have familiar people in an unfamiliar place, especially when it's your momma! :) We had fun trying out new restaurants like Jim 'N Nick's BBQ and Mafiaoza's Pizzeria, exploring the Nashville Farmer's Market, and walking around downtown. Being in a new city really is fun! :)

**Sidenote**: Jim 'N Nick's serves these amazing cheese biscuits/muffins, so we decided to try making our own. Mom found this recipe online (which is a great feat all in itself!), and I thought I'd share it. It's super easy and calls for ingredients that most kitchens already have (my favorite kind of recipes!), and they're pretty much exactly like the ones in the restaurant. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. flour

1 c. sugar (I'll use less next time)

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

3/4 c. 2% milk

1 egg, beaten well

4 tablespoons butter, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into a greased muffin pan and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

**End sidenote**

We opted out of the downtown 4th of July celebration and went to Crockett Park in Brentwood. We celebrated the 4th as every American should: a picnic dinner on a baseball field with an awesome fireworks show. We had a great time and might just make it a tradition!

One of the first things I found when doing my Nashville research was this thing called "Movies in the Park". It's pretty much exactly how it sounds, and yesterday was the last one for the summer. So we packed a picnic dinner again and headed out to Centennial Park. While waiting on the movie ("Where the Wild Things Are") to start, we played Phase 10 and had our first gourmet cupcakes...delish! We ended up not staying for the whole movie because people around us were talking, but we had a great time and might Netflix the movie to finish it. I had one of those "wanna stop time" moments as we were watching the movie with the crickets chirping in the background and fireflies randomly light up around us.

This. is. summer. and I'm lovin it!

Until next time,

kate :)

what you say?!

highlights from our columbia trip:

• shooting a gun for the first time! (shooting ranges really are a great date idea...see pics on facebook)
• william's endless questions
• zachary's love for VBS
• amelia's obsession with pink things for her "birthday yesterday"
• watching USC win the college world series
• going to church with the fam
• witnessing maggie and rev's love-hate relationship unfold
• lorien's "learn.to.take.better.pictures" photography sessions (turns out i'm not the only one in the family with the teaching genes!)
• swimming, swimming, and more swimming...we couldn't get enough!
• bedtime prayers
• reading books with all 3 munchkins snuggled around me
• meeting lorien's sweet friends
• toy story 3...amelia's first movie in a movie theater...zach's big eyes and thumb-in-mouth the whole movie...william's "minor" freakout during an intense scene
• girl time with my favorite sister in the whole wide world!! i can't thank God enough for her friendship.

in other news, my mom's in town!!!! it's been fun showing her around town, sightseeing, shopping, and of course eating! (pancake pantry for breakfast and jim 'n nick's ah-mazing BBQ for dinner)

in other other news, i have another job interview!!!! it's this tuesday, july 6 at 8:30 am. i'm really excited about this possibility, so please pray! :)