The House The Wells' Built

Happy Fathers Day

2009-06-21T17:11:00.003-05:00

Happy Fathers Day, Daddy!

May 30, 2009 Suzannah and Joe - Married!!!

2009-06-15T09:40:00.007-05:00

We love our family and we are so happy to have another
son! He, as John and Patrick, is another totally awesome
young man. Suzannah and Joe Driver were married on May 30.
We celebrated with our wonderful family and friends!

We're about to have us a wedding!!

2009-05-17T19:29:00.004-05:00

Not this weekend but the next my little sister will be getting married!!! I can't believe it's almost here (I hope all that latin dancing exercises have paid off!)

Here's to the almost newly weds! Just 13 more days!!!!

FYI

2009-04-11T13:20:00.002-05:00

I love my family. I'm happy we have a blog.

Thanks lovely family :)

Much love,

J & L

2009-04-07T10:42:00.000-05:00

I Miss My Kids

2009-04-05T07:52:00.000-05:00

2009-03-17T14:59:00.001-05:00

I'm getting married in 74 days!!! what what ?!?!

hap-hap-happpy!

2009-03-07T15:32:00.008-06:00

Happy Birthday to our Handsome, Future Son/Brother-in-Law!

We love you, Joe- we're glad you'll be officially joining our family very soon!

Love, Sarah and Everyone Else

to the love birds

2009-02-25T10:53:00.002-06:00

joyeux anniversaire!

to the couple who taught us how to love

happy 31 years and may there be many, many more!

-Sarah

happy birthday, Daddy!

2009-02-12T09:27:00.010-06:00

love, your beautifully different family

and new additions:

much much love,

This Just In!

2009-02-03T16:18:00.001-06:00

I would like to report that it is officially Dad and Sarah's birth month.

Dad would like hugs, kisses, phone calls, video chats, and sentimental cards.

I (Sarah) would like Express clothes, money, video chats, adoration, and funny cards. and jewelry.

On second thought, Dad would probably appreciate a funny card too. I have not talked with him about any of this, but I'm assuming he doesn't mind my advertising his special day. Or saying what he would like.

Sarah out.

?

2009-01-30T23:47:00.003-06:00

So, I (Laura) just read the new title to this blog as "The house is a wreck." Is this a subliminal message?

; )

Also, there is still time to leave comments for my birthday month!!

HELLO!!!!!?!?!!

2009-01-22T21:12:00.001-06:00

In about an hour I (Amy Laura Wells Arnold) will turn 24 for the first time ever.

It will be the last time I will ever turn 24.

I thought this blog should have some tribute to my twenty-fourth birthday.

Please feel free to leave comments throughout the month of January for me.

The End.

Hmmm...

2008-10-09T12:58:00.002-05:00

What if before we spoke our thoughts, we had to type in a couple of words that were written in a different font that had kind of a swirly look... would that help?

oh yeah...

2008-09-21T16:08:00.002-05:00

lovely young one!

2008-09-19T12:10:00.004-05:00

happy birthday to the rock star!

we are alive because of you.

we are loved because of you.

we are happy because of you.

you have fed, nurtured, taught, carried,

led, encouraged, disciplined, enjoyed us.

we love you!

mark, sarah & patrick, laura & john, suz, summy, bennye, bruno and etc.

3:00 AM...nobody home on facebook

2008-09-09T03:17:00.002-05:00

Really people, sleep is waaayyyy overrated. Do you have any idea how much time you can waste in the middle of the night and never get interrupted? It is really a euphoric state of being. No one online, NOTHING on TV, no phone calls and all the time in the world to be uninterrupted. Maybe it is just the sheer joy of completeing a thought or having nothing calling you to a task but then there is three hours from now that will beckon me to coffee, another day and the continued sensationalizing of hurricanes and pentacostals.

Where the roles start changing and the lines get blurred.

2008-09-01T13:27:00.006-05:00

Nothing like your children being all over the place...
Sarah Beth and Patrick in the middle of Gustav eating peanut butter and jelly, drinking the water they bought for their own personal hurricane party.
Laura and John somewhere in the states of Georgia and Alabama
Suzannah somewhere in Prattville...(sorry Alan but she really wanted to see his family and he is a pretty good guy)
Summer somewhere...in the house
Corey somewhere in Romania...and i haven't heard a word!
My Momma...right here with me.

Cut The CARP!

2008-08-28T23:00:00.003-05:00

Who are your parents anyway???
Would you girls ACT YOUR AGE!!!

happppyyyyy birrttthhhddaaayyyy!!

2008-08-21T10:01:00.000-05:00

happy birthday to the cutest 17 year old in the world!

What To Do With A Summer

2008-07-19T01:56:00.008-05:00

Go out taking pictures of random Willy T's restautants, then take a crash course in Photoshop so that you can remove the light pole, fix the awning, clean the parking lot, remove the trucks back end and the garbage can by the front door (yuck) and turn the sky to blue : )

Watch a lot of sunsets!

Eat Fried bisquits and Fried Pickles! ... come on, it's the south!

Share a huge desert with your friends!

Look at your picture eating the huge desert and A. don't eat anything like that again
or B. take more lessons in photoshop!

Stare at all your old girl friends graying hair!
(the whole time thinking, "man, they're getting old.")

Spend an incredible week at the lake with your children!!

Not Kidding! They are incredible!
So is Mr. Wells (he is the one I am holding) : )

Hang out with a childhood friend that you haven't seen
in too many years!

This summer we have done many things...but today, well today... Today we are just...

Going to take a ride ...

Open the door...It's hot out here!!! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

For the Record

2008-07-18T07:49:00.004-05:00

This is a picture from the Lake Vacation, as it was named. What an amazing time we had.

two wonderful years, yes?

2008-06-10T16:23:00.003-05:00

happy anniversary to the cutest blondes in the world!

Where do we go from here Mark?

2008-05-27T12:05:00.001-05:00

This is a typical look inside the brains of the children who got married. Sorry, girls, for all the mess ups and stumbling around. We somehow found our way but our hope for you is that you will take all we have attempted to pour into you and kick it up a notch! You are already so amazing. Your lives serve to confirm the one thing worth remembering. God is good.

2008-05-27T12:01:00.000-05:00

Have you ever seen such a precious little girl?

Coming Back Into View

2008-05-18T15:01:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends, sorry I have been away so long. I'm back now.

Ever have one of those times when it dawns on you how incredibly good God is?

I have. .

Make a Smilebox photobook

Twenty four oceans, twenty-four skies....

2008-02-27T21:24:00.000-06:00

Happiest

24th Birthday,
Sarah!!!!
Here's to all of your many facets; ) May there be many more wonderful days to come!

We love you!! Happy Birthday!

Here's to Mom & Dad!

2008-02-25T21:45:00.000-06:00

Happy 30 Wonderful Years Together, Mommy and Daddy!!

We are all so very blessed by your commitment to each other and to the Lord. Thank you for being such an incredible example of a godly marriage. We have such a rich heritage because of you two!! Many, many congratulations!!!!

To the most amazing woman I know,

2007-09-19T10:02:00.000-05:00

Happy Birtdhay, Mommy!

All tied up..

2007-09-06T16:16:00.000-05:00

"Oh, I get it! You think I'm all tied up inside, and you want me to figure out how to untangle myself!"

Yea, this is basically how I feel about now. I've had so many meetings with different faculty at UK that I could probably tell you each of their middle names, what side of the bed they sleep on, and how many times they sneeze before they get in the shower. Yea. Pretty impressive, I know.

It really boils down to this: I eventually want to graduate with a master's...like, sometime, say...next May 6th. There is one sole problem: I have not had the class I need in order to turn in a 26 pg. proposal outlining my plan of research. Small problem, great big obstacle.

So, what do I do? I don't know. I plan tons of meetings; read a book on research methods in two days; research tons (ok, more like 100 articles) of literature pertaining to my area of study; skim through the abstracts of each article; actually read a dozen times 2 of the articles; write notes for each meeting I have with each faculty; sleep very little; cut back on eating; forget how to stop the car and push the accelerater (twice on two seperate days); fall into my dresser while getting up from the bed too quickly; ask lots of people many, many questions; sing as loudly as I can; cry once, possibly thrice each day; check out 15 books from 3 different libraries; fall asleep at night singing "I surrender all"; and most importantly, spend time each and every day with my Precious Lord.

Yea, as you can tell, I've been busy. I had a break between meetings and thought I'd catch you up on all my doings. This meeting with the director of graduate studies will most likely determine if I graduate in May or not. Hmmm. I don't like that, but I need to face the facts.

The Lord is so, so good. I am continually amazed at how He loves me and how He so freely gives of His strength to me. He is such a generous God. I'm also thankful for the people He has placed around me. He knows exactly what I need, exactly when I need it. What an encouragement to know that my Great Love pays such close attention to me.

I hope each of you are doing well. If you are ever in the area, stop by and say hey..and cook dinner for me ; ) haha. I love you all!!

just a little while longer...

2007-07-15T16:02:00.001-05:00

i just looked at the calendar and it seems that in three weeks, i'll be coming home! i can't wait to rest and love on you guys! i miss you all.

love and peace,

sarah

TheCall- The longer and more informative video

2007-07-11T15:44:00.000-05:00

Hey! If you want to see a shorter version, then check out our blog. But I like this version because they explain the sound device they created : )

I love you all!!!!
L-

Untitled from A. L. Arnold and Vimeo.

2007-07-10T22:08:00.000-05:00

Three different families.....

To our lovely family...

2007-07-04T17:12:00.000-05:00

Happy 4th of July!!!

It just gets better

2007-06-28T18:26:00.001-05:00

This is Mt. Shasta. We can see it from Redding but it takes
about an hour to drive there. It was beautiful.

Meet my new friend Motoko. I went over to talk to her because she looked like some of my family. I decided to show her a picture of my sister Sarah and her family in Japan. When she saw my Japanese sister, Ako, she grabbed her mouth and exclaimed, "I know her!" It turned out (through a conversation with the Gordon's we found out that she indeed did know the Gordon family and that her mother works with my sister in Japan. ) Is God good or what??? She was blessed, I was blessed and everyone who realized that the LORD had sovreignly connected us. I get to hug her everyday.

This is a picture from the conference. The art pieces that you see were drawn during worship. They are incredible and usually very prophetic. There is room for every expression of worship here. I am very blessed to be here.

My turn..

2007-06-22T09:16:00.001-05:00

So, this is whats we has a gots going on over here...

A May 15th Sunset in Lexington
John's other job- feeding water to bird's laying on their sides so they pop up and fly away!

Us on our first anniversary...we were a little tired from all our travels

If you can't tell, the clock behind John says 6:30..am! That was the morning we got home from the ER and he decided to cook me some breakfast before we went to bed..SO sweet : )

Our first ever professional baseball game: The Cincinnati Reds v. the Texas Rangers. These cute little guys in the picture would come on the field between plays and "sweep" the dirt smooth. It was quite comical. Before the game they were watering the dirt to keep it from being too dusty. There were 13 guys holding one hose. Yea, it was funny.

My home fry Danessa and her husband Corey went along with us

The Reds lost by a lot, but it was still a fun experience. Oh, and the Ohio river is backed up to the playing field.

The day after the game we took our beloved friends, Sarah and Jesse, to Six Flags. John and Jesse are demonstrating how to ride the rides.

Our small group from church had a cookout Wed. These little boys are the leader's children..and they are so cute (especially the one with sunglasses!)

Here's our small group. It is mostly people just out of college and then some of us in graduate school.

Like I said, this little fella is a doll!

Our fearless leader, taking a water balloon shot like a man

Our sky at 9:05 pm...

Can you imagine waiting up for this sunset all the time??

Last night it wasn't completely dark out until 10-ish. It was crazy insane..I think that was the longest day of the year!

We love and miss you all.

what i do in the summer

2007-06-22T01:01:00.000-05:00

mom has inspired me to chronicle a bit of my life right now:
here's the scenario- 1 am on a weeknight, me with my german book, pad of paper and pencil, translating, sighing, groaning, weeping, then dreading waking up at 7 the next morning.
this will all be over soon...i tell myself...

(this last one's for you, laura. it has been discovered that we share the same skill.)

Hey Family - some of my favorite pics from San Francisco

2007-06-21T18:40:00.000-05:00

My sentiments exactly!!!

This one is for Laura : )

Some things beautiful

2007-06-20T19:04:00.001-05:00

I really took this picture Suz!

Yes, Brian found me and wanted a picture of us.

Mom and the Summer Girl flying to Atlanta!

miss you guys.

Here on the other side of the US

2007-06-19T23:09:00.000-05:00

My luggage!

This is where I am staying!
and this is 9:00 at night!

2007-06-15T02:59:00.001-05:00

I ate squid legs yesterday!

<3 Summer

Ta-Da!!

2007-06-13T09:33:00.001-05:00

Ok, so I finally did it. I finally brought myself into the now-a-days with a haircut....

I love ya'll!! and miss you sooo sooo much.

to the wells, love the arnolds and wells

2007-04-06T08:03:00.000-05:00

hello from kentucky!

If I....

2007-04-04T10:21:00.000-05:00

I'm going to "post something weird." Sarah said it would work if I wanted comments. So here it goes...

The other day John and I were visiting in Chicago when we saw this man...he was a curious sort of man, kind of standing half-tall..looking everwhichway.

Ok. I'm terrible at this.

We really were in Chicago the other day and had some of the most interesting adventures. The first night we were there we saw this truck on fire a few yards from the apartment we were staying in! It was up in flames..completely. They reached at least fifteen feet high and were all blue and yellow and orange! John called the police and they trasfered him to the fire department, which kindly let him know someone was already on the way. By the end, there were five police cars, a large firetruck, and eight or so witnesses. It was weird. The truck is no more.

On Saturday, we practically walked all around and over downtown Chicago, visiting Millinium Park, Sears Tower, The Magnificant Mile, Navy Pier, and um...other places I can't remember. And we ate such goooood food! They really know how to make pizza up thar, ya know! haha.

We visited Willow Chicago (one of Willow Creek's campus' in downtown Chicago) and got to take communion with our brothers and sisters in the Windy City. What else? I got a bagel at almost every stop we made! mmmmm! Delicious. I finally found the perfect one. It was grand.

Oh, and on Sunday John and I went to the Musuem of Science and Industry! It was magnificantly HUGE! We could hardly do everything we wanted..in fact, we didn't get to see it all. But we got to see how they make toys, take a tour in a coal mine, walk through an airplane, observe several old planes, walk around the submarine U505. It was amazing!! They literally built the walls around the sub once they got it in place. This submarine was captured from the Germans by the Americans in World War 2. You could even see the gun shot wounds the sub had gotten during a fight! It was crazy neat. So, all in all, we did a ton of walking, saw some interestingly, strange, amazing sites and ate tremendous food all with the company of our neighbors and her sister and boyfriend...Though there were some times when John and I just wandered around the city. That was great fun too..We did that Saturday and Sunday night. Such fun discovering new places (and rare eating places).

So, do I solicit some comments now.....

Pretty lil' pups

2007-04-02T09:04:00.000-05:00

Two pretty puppies! Guess which were the "lickee" and "licker"?

and another

2007-03-27T18:57:00.000-05:00

whoever wrote that last post is right- and i would've written something similar at an earlier date, but i've been in school mode.

the above is a watercolour i hope to finish soon. it is a scene from new orleans- a bunch of street musicians situated around a park bench. good stuff.

now i must go study for a music theory test that is going to make me cry.
ah. such is life, right?

kisses&hugs.

sb

We get stuck

2007-03-25T22:10:00.000-05:00

Well, here is a cool picture of us that has nothing to do with this except I thought it should go on the Fam Blog.

We all view this blog from time to time but none of us enter anything.

Come on you guys...what are the Jone's to read if we don't blog??? But alas, we seem to be stuck. Stuck at Feb. 27. A good day, I admit, but we have got to move on.

Moving on is the hard thing isn't it. I mean things were the way they were for so long then one day you look up and something changed and you have to make a choice to accept it and stay where you are or...move on. What to do? Didn't Paul Simon write some kind of song about this?

Happy Birthday To YOU!

2007-02-27T07:18:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Sweet Sarah Beth! I wish we were there with you to celebrate one more year! We love you!!!

29 beautifuls

2007-02-25T20:23:00.000-06:00

happy anniversary to da best!

Merriam-Webster is my friend

2007-02-22T16:27:00.000-06:00

I need to rant. No, not complain. That's different..It has to be. I'm going to rant. "Complain: to express grief, pain or discontent" (merriam-webster). Fine. So I am going to complain...but it will be done in a ranting mannor.

When was the last time something like that happened to me??? Hmm. Probably fall 2003. Wow. That's been a while. How could I have let it happen? I don't know. Test happen.

I'm sorely disappointed. Who would have thought that an exam where the teacher doesn't even try to make the questions clear or the exam fit the length of class time, doesn't tell you the format until the night before, and doesn't even clue you in on what it covers until two days before would have made such a horrible ("extremely bad or unpleasant" M-W) experience for me. I'm disappointed (i.e to fail to meet [my] expecations or [what I'd] hoped for (again, M-W).

Actually, I think I'm in shock ("a sudden or violent mental or emotional disturbance" M-W). I felt like I was adequately prepared (ooo, isn't that the worse) . I might have been able to do a little more (studying that is. I still don't know if I would have had the right amount of time), but isn't there always room for more?!?!! I mean, we could all do more if we wanted to, but who wants to die young?

Ok. Maybe I'm over-exaggerating (excessively enlarging or increasing especially beyond the normal) a little. And maybe I am getting some relief from being so demonstrative and just letting myself be very transparent right now. So what.

Haha. I have to laugh at myself, though, because I'm perplexed ("unable to grasp something clearly or to think logically and decisively about something") over my current situation. I'm perplexed and sitting all alone. Now, that's somewhere you don't want to find yourself ("your normal, healthy, or sane condition or self"...now, who even told Merriam-Webster that you define self that way...I don't know about you guys, but "yourself" for me is HEY! what I am right now ; )

And while I'm off "ranting" (defined the way I want to use it right now), the thought hits me "how often do I use words that I don't even know what they mean??" I think it happens more often than I'd like. Gra. RANT! haha (I would use the word "complain" there..but it doesn't have the same effects even though it matches my feelings ("unreasoned opinion or belief." m-w) more closely).

*sigh* I give up. I think I've had my therapy for the day.
L-

Let's get this straight.

2007-02-17T16:15:00.000-06:00

Number one- that last video was disturbing.
Number two(haha...)- One of the previous posts that had a crazy picture of some crazy cheerleader girl (who very oddly looks just like me) was not posted by me!
It was that woman who lives in this house.
Number 3-Mom enjoys posting things on here that are said to be posted by someone else.
Number 4- I just remembered the name/password that I had to type in to get on here.
Number 5- I needed to make that clear.
Number 6-That's all I have to say.

Love always,
Summer

What It Is

2007-02-16T14:15:00.000-06:00

The medical profession is really intriguing to me...first you have this crazy chest pain, then they scare the snot or something out of you by telling you that you have a positive on a stress test then they require a CT scan of your heart, then you hear NOTHING for a couple of days, then you get a large envelope in the mail with a picture of your heart and a whole lot of information one may not understand...no call from a doctor or nurse, nothing...

should I offer them a smoke?

That is why I have friends...so you can interpret what it means. I think it is truly not my heart so it must be the brain....What do you think?

RIGHT CORONARY ARTERY:The RCA is small (does this mean I have a small heart) but patent, without evidence of significant plaque branching into a large acute marginal branch and then tapering to become quite small (there they go again) in this patient with left coronary dominant system.

LEFT ANTERIOR DESCENDING: Normal, with note made of myocardial bridging over a relatively short segment distal to teh first septal perforator as an incidnetal finding.

RAMUS INTERMEDIUS: A moderate-sized ramus intermedius is present, which gives off a large diagonal branch, which also has a segment of myocardial bridging.

LEFT CIRCUMFLEX: Normal, without significant plaque

NO SIGNIFICANT CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE (hooray)

NON-CORONARY CT ANATOMY DEMONSTRATES AN INCIDENTAL SMALL HIATAL HERNIA http://youtube.com/watch?v=E2yeYabFbzU

...and it really stayed a week!!

2007-02-16T11:39:00.000-06:00

This was the view outside our window that glorious

Friday morning.

Once we made it downstairs, we enjoyed our frosted

little world (this is our courtyard).

John, enthralled with the snowy substance.

Our quiet, peaceful neighbors.

The center of the seminary.

John decided the chapel needed a snow angel.

A cute little church in Wilmore.

John's first snow job!!

Yes, he was outside in his pajamas shoveling snow
while it continued to snow (he was way excited!).

Mmmm, yummy taste test! (I also learned the art

of sucking in a mouth-full of snow and quickly coughing

it back out..it was exciting and looked neat).

Our parking lot/drive way out.

John enjoyed his job so much he

did all our sidewalks!

We finally found some buddies (from the south, of course!) to play with us!

These guys (Brian and Melanie) had not even been

in Wilmore a week. Talk about a bonding experience.

John and I (after we had sprayed Pam on our boxes and busted

a few times) laughing at someone else crash.

A little fella getting down to business.

We moved on to much bigger and better hills!!!

Later on in the day the snow had melted off some, but

the hills were still prime for "sledding."

Waahooo!

While The Doctors Think

2007-02-15T17:22:00.000-06:00

What are they waiting on??? EVERYBODY knows that they all saw what was in my heart yesterday when they performed the CT Scan!!! What is up with this wait??? Are they sitting around deliberating, "should we tell her or not???"

What If I Couldn't Drink The Java?

2007-02-15T16:48:00.000-06:00

Ok, maybe I am thinking to much but I was thinking and I thought, "what would it be like if I couldn't have coffee every morning?" Do you realize how many things would change? What would I go to the kitchen for each morning...nothing. I would get up, walk up to the kitchen then turn around and come back to my room...for nothing. Then I would get dressed and return to the kitchen for ??? NOTHING! I would go to sit by the fire with nothing in hand and sit down in my chair to do nothing but fall back to sleep. I heart coffee. My heart dances when I drink it : )

Is This What is Wrong With Us?

2007-02-15T08:39:00.000-06:00

Mom Could Be Better

2007-02-14T20:24:00.000-06:00

Hi Guys! ouuee! Ya Know, Mom could be feeling better. She doesn't know if it is the stuff that they gave her to slow her heart beat down last night or the stuff she took for reflux but she is feeling better today! Yea! hooray! Oh and Happy Valentines day!

You've Gotta Have Heart

2007-02-13T09:06:00.000-06:00

Testing positive on a stress test at 42 can make you think a lot about heart...singing things like, "Lord, I give You my heart" seem more personal...saying things like, "that broke my heart" becomes eye-opening. The bottom line: the life is in the blood and you have gotta have heart. You cannot live with a broken heart. Time won't heal it. Life is funny like that. Time can do nothing but be spent. But the time of friends and family and caring doctors can sometimes do what is needed to bring healing. I think that is actually called love.

So what is the root of a broken heart. Someone I adore said, 'in the end, men's hearts will fail them because of fear." OK, Al, Lisa, all of you. You tried to tell me to "fear not, laugh more, move on, do what I dream of." I have sat here in this green chair for a week and a half being tossed about by doctors, blue cross, well meaning friends with theories, five prescriptions for various drugs (which I have not filled because they are only GUESSES) and my own brain... thinking...a lot. And I think you are right. I'll take your challenge and raise you 10. Bet I can grow up and face the giants and even be nice about it.

When you have this much time to think and look around you realize many things; this floor is really dusty, the whole room is dusty, we never finished touching up the ceiling paint, we touch the wood around the mantle a lot, and what I really care about are the only things I will ever take with me. My husband and life long friend, these incredible girls and life long friends, and my life long friends.

So here I am...here we all are. let's fall in love with life again!

baton rouge

2007-02-03T19:51:00.000-06:00

when grandmother and summer come to baton rouge, we party.

yodle yodle lay he who

2007-02-02T10:31:00.000-06:00

it has been far too long since we have utilized this blog. i vote we try to keep each other informed from henceforth.
that would probably be easy for me to do, since i have nothing to do. oh well.

i bought summer and grandmother tickets to the gymnastics meet tonight- i'm looking forward to them coming. their arrival will help spur on my apartment cleaning. i washed two loads of laundry yesterday, i feel accomplished.

one of my friends is going on choir tour next week and she wants me to housesit/cat-sit. she told me i didn't have to if i didn't want to- but, here's the thing, she has a STEINWAY BABY GRAND PIANO in her apartment. sure i'll stay there!! i imagine myself spending hours on it, recording with it, talking sweetly to it. fun times.

well, just wanted to say hidy-ho. i love everyone.

sb

Happy Birthday Ms. Laura!

2007-01-22T07:25:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to you! We love you!
If everyone were as lovely as you,sweet girl,
the world would not be difficult to live in.

yea-yuh

2007-01-16T18:12:00.000-06:00

mom and dad are the cutest and they were ALL mine for a few days :)

happy new year to those whom i love <3

Nerd

2006-12-13T08:04:00.000-06:00

I'm a cooking nerd. I didn't realize this until last night. It was like something else in me was working and I didn't even notice what I was doing until John pointed it out. I had taken my pastry cloth out of the freezer to look at it. I unfolded it, checked it over, and put it back in the freezer. John stared at me. "Did you just get that out just to look at it?" he asked. Yep. It was true. I just wanted to take a look at it since I'd put it in the freezer. He laughed and laughed, thinking that I was cute. I kind of thought of it like business I should take care, preluminary work that should be done to ensure the best pastries (whenever I get around to making them). I guess I'm just a cooking nerd though.

Snow Play, er, I mean work

2006-12-12T20:10:00.000-06:00

On the morning of December 7th, John slept soundly...until he heard the words "John, It's snowing." Within three minutes (the quickest I've ever seen him move in the morning), he was lacing up his boots to go outside and play. "This is serious business," he said in this picture.This lovely view greeted us as we stepped outside. And the snow continued falling for a good three hours after this.John was quick to not waste a minute. His first order of business: check out the snow. Snows good. Scond order of business: Create a snowman.

Even if this means having to "borrow" the snow off of other peoples cars and yards. *Note this is not OUR white SUV.

The job was rigorous and tiresome, but John was strong and continued to tenaciously work in the freezing weather.

While I, on the other hand, danced about in the falling snow and played with little snowflakes, letting them each take a turn riding on my nose!

Once again, John has to check the snow...still good.

John procedes to build his snowman, going to great lengths to bring his creation to life. *Note: not OUR yard.

And I, still on the other hand, rather play with the snow (and give rides to several snowflakes at once...daring, I know).

For a brief moment, John stops to give my snowflakes a ride..but then it was back to work.He diligently came home directly from class to continue his job. He would stop at nothing...The creation continues.

Ah! Finally, the baby is here! (Summer, this is the only baby we'll be having in a LONG while!)

Ho HO HO Merry Beshe

2006-12-11T23:08:00.000-06:00

HI Mommy and Daddy!
I've been thinking about you guys...I miss you. I cannot wait to get home, sip on coffee and chat in front of the fire (or outside in front of the sun..since I hear it is warming up down there ;) I wanted you to BOTH know you have been on my mind and I look forward to seeing you. Much, much love! ME : )

chillin'

2006-12-08T09:41:00.000-06:00

it's 29 degrees in baton rouge, folks!

The Dancer Cousin, Niece, Child

2006-12-06T12:35:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share with you guys a few pics of Deder at her last performance. Isn't she lovely. The Glory of God reveals Himself in many ways. This is one. Mom

Does anyone remember?

2006-12-04T12:55:00.000-06:00

I was just beginning to wonder if anyone remembered how to use this blog thing. Hooray! Sarah still knows.

(song running through my head) "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow"!!!!!

I love baby snowflakes. They are so cute when they ride on my nose. I don't mind it being cold outside, because it means that the baby snowflakes can live. I try to rescue them out of the cold, but as soon as the heat comes rushing past me as I open the door to my office, they disappear. They are shy around the professor I work for..I don't blame them. They are not accustomed to her face, as they are becoming with mine.

tea time

2006-12-04T09:25:00.000-06:00

to all who are about to study, give presentations, write papers, freak out:
i salute you.

just wanted everyone to know that i'm still alive, maybe.
by the time some of you read this, i may have gone under in a flood of paper. in that case, don't worry about me, i'm in a better place. summer, you can have the mac.

if you haven't already, you all should listen to some tunes at accuradio.

ya'll are in my prayers,
love & hugs

No no, I fixed it.

2006-11-21T12:31:00.000-06:00

I fixed the room!
-suz

?!

2006-11-19T20:53:00.001-06:00

is anyone excited yet?!?!?

the sb

2006-11-14T17:51:00.000-06:00

I do what I can : ) Mom

2006-11-14T10:05:00.000-06:00

Hey Sarah, I cleaned your room. I hope you don't mind. Mom ...oh, and I got you a new rug : )

things

2006-11-12T15:19:00.000-06:00

things i can do since i live alone:
by sarah

1. play my keyboard at all hours of the day
2. store the ketchup in the refridgerator
3. wear clothes at my discretion
4. waste time taking pictures of myself
5. miss my family terribly :(
6. i need a hug.

Where has all the sanity gone...

2006-11-11T21:04:00.000-06:00

Hi Family!!

We're barely surviving!!! John's turned into a caveman. Hmm. And, I think I'm turning into a crazy woman. I can't wait to see the deep south again...where I fit in..haha.

Love,

Thanksgiving Homecoming

2006-11-11T09:33:00.000-06:00

I'm so excited about all our family (immediate and extended.....that means Wells -and Arnold- girls and all their friends and all their friends friends) coming home for the holidays. I can't wait for the "dinner table" to be full and overflowing with "family". What a rich man I am!

Speaking of "Holidays", my recommendation for the "family movie" this season is CARS. I purchased it the day it came out and we watched it as a [partial] family :( but we can't wait to "all" watch it together :) It's another classic! So, if you haven't seen it yet, wait for the family viewing.

I noticed when signing in to our Blog site that there is now an option to "upgrade". I suggest we don't do it yet because it might throw a kink in our fluid ability to edit our space. But if everyone thinks they're ready then we can try it. My suggestion only.

And lastly I leave you with a view out my shops door some time last week.....spurtty aint it!

d

Oh yeah...

2006-11-06T15:20:00.000-06:00

Hey Laura and John. here is my hair cut...I forgot to put it up a while back. I love you guys!

what i do in my spare time

2006-11-05T19:10:00.000-06:00

the lost jacket

2006-11-04T18:40:00.000-06:00

i found the jacket mom and dad gave me for my birthday! rachel had it on the other night while i was in her room at montevallo and i said "where did you get that?!?" she told me she had found it in the room.
finally i'm reunited!

pictures

2006-11-03T10:44:00.000-06:00

i just had this idea- everyone should post a picture of themselves that they feel best describes them. it would be fun to put those all into a collage. huh huh??

sb

It's been a while

2006-10-30T10:56:00.000-06:00

So, I'm busy at work.. but distracted by thoughts of the fam. I thought I'd share with you what I did last week. I was responsible for researching current issues that are relevant for parents and writing a news release at their level so they can learn something. Here is a sample of one I did:

8. Parenting as a prevention for teen pregnancy

As a parent, you are the greatest influence on your child’s life. When it comes to teens’ values, there is no doubt that you still have the most impact on the way they choose to live their lives. In fact, research has proven that teens need just as much love, supervision, and support as three and four year olds do!

You can offer your child the best love and support by being actively involved in her life. Research shows that it is necessary for parents to talk to their teens about sexuality, but that talking is not effective unless the parents are active in their teen’s life.

--Understand your own values about sexuality and why you value those issues.
--Share openly, honestly, and often with your child from an early age about your feelings and thoughts.
--Listen thoughtfully to your teen’s feelings and concerns, and respect his views.
--Try to answer clearly and concisely the questions that your teen is asking. Avoid lecturing or threatening.
--Know your teen’s friends and their families.
--Support your teen’s interests and invest time in things she enjoys doing.

It is good to find a balance between monitoring and supervising your teen. Research indicates that careful awareness is necessary. However, overly strict monitoring actually causes more resistance to parents’ views, and puts the teen at greater risk of pregnancy. As you model examples of positive relationships with your spouse or partner, you can show your teen what a long-term love relationship is all about. The opportunity will likely come for helping him develop goals and plans for the future.

References:

Dworkin, J. (2003). A survival guide for parents of teenagers: I’m in love. I’m not gonna get pregnant. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Extension Service. Retrieved 10/12/06 from www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/familydevelopment/components/07938.pdf

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Retrieved 10/13/06 from
http://www.teenpregnancy.org/resources/reading/parentpower/5thingsparentsshouldknow.asp

The National Council on Family Relations. Retrieved 10/13/06 from http://www.ncfr.org/families/index.asp?tipid=30

Yep, so that is just a glimpse of some of the work I do. I really miss you guys and want to write more...but it will have to be when I'm not at work. If you want to know more about toilet training your child, teen internet safety, or the importance of touching your child than let me know.haha....I love you guys : )

fatness

2006-10-29T23:31:00.000-06:00

it is true, i have finally obtained a pudgy middle. i don't know if it what was the ice cream every day or... the ice cream every day.
i'm really intrigued by it though. i keep touching my new fat, thinking about laura telling me once to "don't do that." then john telling me,"you go ahead and enjoy it!"
nevertheless, i'm starting up my running routine once again tomorrow.

sincerely,
bulging in baton rouge

: )

2006-10-28T00:59:00.000-05:00

Brighten up dear.

2006-10-27T09:44:00.000-05:00

I see Sarah in a different light : ) Mom

The day I became a Musicologist

2006-10-25T17:58:00.000-05:00

On October 24th, 2006, I put on my grown up clothes and traveled with Dr. Giger and Dr. Herlinger to Tulane to hear Dr. Giger give a lecture on staging in Verdi's opera "Otello". I had dreaded riding with them because I was afraid I didn't know enough music history to have a decent conversation with them, but our car ride turned out quite good. We discussed the surrounding areas (good places to bike and jog), transporation systems, news- they even asked my opinon on some things! That didn't show my importance, it showed their kindness and generosity.

After the lecture, one of the professors invited us to dinner at her house. We drove through New Orleans until we were at what seemed to be the heart and there we found Sounds cafe- the coffee shop that (Professor) Bade had opened underneath her home. Every Tuesday afternoon, two women come in and play music- one with a cello, one with a violin. This day they treated us to French waltzes in which the cellist sang in French. There we sat with the doors open to the streets of New Orleans with coffee in our hands listening to French music, letting the history blow in the open windows to teach our souls.

For dinner, we went up to her apartment- but had to we walk through her bookstore that was next door to get there. She had a balcony that overlooked the streets and reggae music playing softly in the background. I could see her study, shelves of books- up to the high ceilings. We could see the sliver of a moon as the sun set and she commented, "How beautiful!"

The rest of the night we ate crawfish etouffee and discussed the sort of things musicologists discuss...music, techonology, life. Dr. Herlinger told us about an article he had read in the NY times about a man who said having matching items in your house is unecessary, all this being said as we found every chair in the apartment to squeeze around the old wood table. That kind of information is both useful and entertaining. A musicological sort of information.

My colleagues and I were all sitting together when she asked us if we were musicologists. Yes! we all said. "All of you? Musicologists? That's wonderful!" And we beamed. Yes, we're musicologists. We're just starting out in grad school, but we can eat crawfish etouffee and discuss Verdi with the best of them.
And that is just what we did.

Yours Truly,

A song I like

2006-10-25T08:33:00.000-05:00

"End of October
The sleepy brown woods seem to
Nod down their heads to the Winter
Yellows and grays paint the sad skies today
And I wonder when you're coming home

Woke up one morning
The wind through the window
Reminded me winter was just 'round the bend
Somehow I just did not see it was coming
It took me by surprise again..."

My family makes my winters warm.
I can hardly wait to have everyone at home again! We will curl up in front of the fire and enjoy those interesting teas that Sarah Beth brings, laugh with Laura's sillygenius thoughts, wrestle with Suz, be astounded by Summer's depth of humor, and let John tell us all the wonderful things he has been learning about the Word.
You are our children and wow Jesus, WOW! we are bathed in blessing. Drenched!

And our joy goes on and one with our precious and wonderful extended family to share this life with. Our liter Deeter and our own Ssom Nohj. Who else might come? We never know here but this we are sure of, Love abounds and there is always plenty.

Mom

Here's the sunrise I've been babbling about

2006-10-24T19:06:00.000-05:00

a view from our front porch

profile

2006-10-14T09:13:00.000-05:00

a little housekeeping, i went to the "about me" section of the profile and put some stuff in it.
you guys should go and add your tidbit to it. it will be interesting what we finally come up with, after everyone has edited it.

-sarah

Sunrise on The Farm

2006-10-14T08:43:00.000-05:00

just another beautiful morning with my beautiful best friend and a beautiful cup of "35th Anniversary" (and you know what I'm talking about)

dAd

we are an adjusting sort of people.

2006-10-11T21:00:00.000-05:00

Today I had some interesting thoughts.
when I drive home from school I often like to drive in the silence so I can think, (yes that is why I talk so much when I am at home). today I was thinking about history. I was thinking about when Dr. York was talking about having a strike against the gas company because of the prices. that was last semester. well, over time we (the nation it seems) has adjusted to gas prices. and yes, I know, they have gone down which is a reason for less complaining. anyways. the fact is that over time we adjusted to the fact that gas was going to cost more than 2.30 (or so) a gallon. now that got me thinking. it only took a few months for people to settle down about the whole thing. and I thought, I wonder if there are things that I have adjusted to recently. I think that is an important question to ask yourself. I think it's really easy to slowly adapt to new things, even if they aren't so good. like saying crap. when you are around people who say, and then you say it some... and then alot and so on. you adjust to make it part of your daily vocabulary. the more I thought about it, the more I came to realize that I do not ask myself that question enough. "what in my life have I let become a part of me recently? are these things good, or bad?" things like that. we are creatures of habit. so, therefore I believe we should be extra careful with what we surround ourselves with and what we allow ourselves to speak. one huge thing I have found that our family has adapted to is being sarcastic. maybe we should change that. I don't think it does anything for the Kingdom, or for our family as a whole. I am sure there are many other things as well, but I must go prepare for a speech/watch project runway.
Peace to you all!-
Suz

blah

2006-10-11T18:21:00.000-05:00

this is me studying for my world music test tomorrow. india, africa, north america, indonesia- we're studying it all, baby!
just for the record, today was one of the worst days at LSU ever. i got a C on a test- but so did a lot of other people.
it was poorly written and poorly graded. anyway, what can you do?

study!

Happy Columbus Day guys!!!

2006-10-09T19:34:00.000-05:00

(Bring back any memories?)

2006-10-06T17:20:00.000-05:00

laura and john. behold my car.

bulletin

2006-10-05T12:09:00.000-05:00

does anyone remember this grey jacket with the lion on it that mom and dad got for me at the conference in gatlinburg?
i misplaced it sometime in may and i had forgotten that i owned it. i would REALLY really like to find it- if you guys could keep an eye out for it, that would be nice.
summer/suz- maybe you guys know where it is?

I Think sometimes

2006-10-03T14:23:00.000-05:00

I think that I don't really like to look at my children with distorted faces. I think I like them the way they were fashioned orginally.

I think the weekend was fun, Laura, but I kept looking around for you and felt the empty spots with the two of you not here. We even saved a place in the road for you and John.

I think I like the idea of Jesus turning over the money changers tables. Wasn't that a prophetic glimpse of what was to come in each of our lives?

I think I like this quote;

"The living Jesus is a problem in our religious institutions. Yes. Because if you are having a funeral,
a nice funeral, and the dead person starts to move, there goes the funeral! And, dear brothers and sisters, Jesus is moving!" Juan Carlos Ortiz

mom

love love love

2006-09-29T21:55:00.000-05:00

we miss you too!

we took these pictures with my computer tonight. hours of fun!

Hello, Hello

2006-09-29T10:32:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone is doing well. I'm missing you all like crazy!! John has been so good about cheering me up but all the goofiness still doesn't remove the sadness. I cannot wait to be with you all again. I am so looking forward to Thanksgiving.

a day

2006-09-25T22:11:00.000-05:00

vocalist

accompanist

+ + +

2006-09-25T18:57:00.000-05:00

some things i liked about today:

a. my new skirt
b. the weather
c. thinking about kentucky next week
1. the cake i ate that my crazy friend made to celebrate shostakovich's 100th birthday.
2. playing jazz on the out of tune upright piano like i was some kind of old-style jazz musician that might have an ashtray on top of the piano.
3. mac & cheese for dinner (i thought of you summer)
4. talking to my bestest 11 month close sister
5. knowing all day that i'll be home this weekend where people love me.

by, sarah

2006-09-22T23:15:00.000-05:00

deder and i found this video tonight- you should go watch it, we laughed.

http://www.screwthescrew.com/video.php?video_id=286