Fall! Hmmm... my favorite!!!

Fall in Virginia is absolutley perfect. The colors make nothing less than giddy, the tastes are scrumptious in my mouth and the cozy clothes are what my body craves all year. I have lots of fall favorites. Here are a few:

• The sun shining through the trees on our winding back roads
• The taste of sweet and creamy Cream of Wheat
• Or, hot steamy oatmeal made with vanilla and cinnamon
• Warm sweaters
• Comfortable sweatpants , or stretchy pants of some sort
• Chenille socks
• The sound of leaves crunching under my feet while walking the Blackwater Creek Trail
• Seeing the girls all dressed up in their hats and gloves
• Wearing my calf-length black wool coat lined with silk lepoard print material, ohhhhhh...
• Making all kinds of food with nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice
• Drinking fall flavored coffee
• Hot chocolate becomes a staple this season
• The list could go on and on.....

Homecoming

Liberty Homecoming was fabulous! My very best college freinds came to town and we had tons of fun together. Alena has a way of making reality come to life. You just can't help but be totally transparent with her. Angela truly cares about any and everything that is happening in your life. Of, course that makes everyone feel special. Stephanie has this permanant smile on her face that makes you feel like you are in the best mood ever, even if you are not. Times spent with these girls are very special and always memorable. We went to the parade on Sat, and of course had a HUGE tailgate party. The game was fun, although we lost. Then we spent the afternoon touring the "new" campus. The rest of the night we spent chatting, which is what we do best. Sunday we wne to the HUGE Thomas Road Baptist Church. They were amazed, of course as we all are. Then we said our goodbyes. Until next time, I love you ladies!!! Click here for more pics.

Having fun

Annalee and Shelby have so much fun each day. As Shelby gets older, I can see them interacting more and more. Annalee dresses Shelby up and reads books to her. Oh, but she gets upset when Shelby wants to touch everything she is working on. Annalee is such a perfectionist. She lines up her crayons before playing with them, she has to have her books in order before moving on the the next thing, she spends nearly all day arranging things. This makes for a very neat child, but a very SLOW moving one. Shelby just watches it all happen. Shleby is our little monkey. If left alone for any amount of time she will climb on the table, climb upstairs, or stand on chairs that can fall over backward any second. As soon as she catches your attention she claps for herself! I look forward to the days when they can entertain each other for hours while I whip up gourmet dinners in the kitchen. Ha, yeah right!!!I am not that naive.

Grandma's

Grandma's make every day more fun. My mother has been with us for this past week. She cooks great meals and cares for the girls when we are on the run. She is very flexible and always willing to do what she can. I am so grateful for her. She is the absolute, hands-down, best cook, EVER! Shane loves it when she comes because we eat so well. Yesterday she made a bunch of soups and stews for me to freeze and eat for the next couple of moths. Last night we had carrot soup, naturally sweet and creamy, it was delicious!!!!!!! Annalee likes to help her cook and Grandmommy always takes the time to teach her something in the kitchen. Now I must say the the same things can be said about Shane's mom. She loves the girls so very much and we miss seeing her. Nannie gave Annalee a bunch of books a while back and in the front of one of them she wrote, "Always remember, God is with you and you are the joy of Nannie's heart." Everytime Annalee reads any book outloud, she repeats that inscription. It is so sweet. Nannie is a big help when she is around, too. I am so blessed that my children have such great grandmas!

A day in the life of a Podany

Our friend's, the Podany's live in Lincoln, NE. They are a crazy bunch, to say the least. I enjoy observing the dynamics of different families and how they operate. We have shared many experiences with them over the past two years. When I try to think of a word that describes them, I cannot help but think "family." At first, that may sound a little uncreative, even boring. But, it is perfect for them. Not that they are uncreative or boring, oh no! They just define that word better than anyone I know. They enjoy each other. We are not the only one's who think Heath is an amazingly patient, caring, hardworking, gentle loving husband and father; Kim a beautiful, full of life, talented, fun, creativley amazing mother and wife; Blake a too-cool-for-school 5 year old; and Camyrn a tough, darling of a girl. We like them lots. I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy friends like these.

We should start charging

While in Lincoln, Shane was a college pastor. Well, as it turns out, this little college group has exploded into a breeding ground for newlyweds. We ran about 20-40 students on a regular basis. Of those 20-40, we had a core group of about 15. Let me just tell you from the time we started the group until next spring, Annalee will have been a flower girl twice, Shane will have officiated three times and been a best man once and we will have attended a total of 6 weddings, all from this core group! And, there are still who are "just dating". It has been both a pleasure and an honor to see this all unfold. Kate a Troy were married this past weekend. They are super cute together. Kate could not keep still during the ceremony, she was so excited. God often blesses me with these little glimpses of His heart.

Around the country in 5 days

We left last Tuesday for a little trip. Leaving the girls with my very accomodating mom, we headed to Atlanta for the Catalyst Confrence. I always tease by calling it the metrosexual confrence because it seems like a big fashion show for people in the ministry. But, none-the-less, there are great speakers, awesome worship and super networking ops. We were able to stay with our freinds Bryan and Amber Davidson. We hung out with many freinds while at the conference. I even got a good talk/walk in with a few girlfreinds. God is so real to me when I can see Him working in the lives of those around me. We also spent an evening with my cousin and his family. I am so excited to be closer to them! After our little stint in Atlanta we jumped on a plane to Lincoln, NE. Shane was officiating a wedding for our friend's Troy and Kate. We stayed with the Kramer's in their camping trailer. It was super nice. Big soft bed, our own space, heated... it was perfect. Of course we were able to fit in time with lots of other friends, as well. Never enough time to fit them all in. God has been so good to us. I enjoyed my days with my very good freind, Kim. We laughed, talked, hugged, shopped, ate and just lived life together for a few days. That is what I love about freinds. You can pick up right where you left off. We flew into Atlanta Sunday night and then drove through the night to get to Lynchburg Monday morning. I crawled in bed with Annalee and held her until sunrise. It was a great trip.

Mom Time

God has blessed me with two ladies whom I have become friends with her in Lynchburg. It makes everyday better when you can share the ups and downs of motherhood with friends. They are both first-time moms with little babies. We get together on Wednesdays for lunch and coffee. Time always flys and before you know it, it is 5 pm. We often just sit on the couches and chat. Their babies eat and sleep the entire time while I try to keep my little ones from destroying their houses or their children. Everyone should have a fun mom time.

Isabella's

I love to eat out! It is probably my favorite thing to do. Especially with my husband, although I am always up for a fun group of friends. My friends from college used to eat out lots. We would drive all the ways to Roanoke or Charlottesville just for a good time with food. But, it is not the food I love. In fact, I really like my own cooking; it is the atmosphere. I would never waste my money or time with take-out. It defetes the purpose for me. I think I am this way with dessert, as well. I don't really like to eat it by myself. Eating in general is an entire experience for me. Shane always eats half his meal before he gets to the table. I think that is such a waste of calories. I would rather sit down, enjoy the time. He is just a hungry guy! Although we don't get to do it too often, it is still my first choice for fun. And, if I can't afford the meal, I often settle for a great latte at a very atmospheric coffee shop. So, come join me sometime for a night out. I know all the great places. Here is a picture of our latest dining experience. My mom treated us to Isablla's, my sister's personal favorite.