Carport Removal

We had a rotten carport attached to the house. Some guys from the church came over to help us tear it down.

They chained one of the posts to a bobcat after sawing the roof apart from the roof of the house.

In just one hour and forty-seven minutes the entire thing was removed and we had a completely cleaned off driveway. It was a HUGE accomplishment!

Philip Visits!

Philip came for a visit during his move to Chicago. He will be working there a couple weeks a month, so he got a studio apartment. Jonathan helped him move and it was quite an adventure!

The alley next to his building just barely fit the moving truck. The guys had to load up the service elevator, get in, then move everything to the other side while riding up to Philip's floor in order to be able to exit out the opposite door. Despite the close quarters, the guys decided it was the easiest move they've ever made. Philip had planned so well ahead that they were able to place the furniture precisely according to Philip's drawing of the space and finish in record time. We appreciated Philip coming to Anna early so we could spend some time with him and show him where we live...and get the Lincoln/Douglas photos, of course!

8th Anniversary!

We have celebrated anniversary number 8! We went to one of our favorite places: Carolina Beach. We stayed at The Front Street Inn in Wilmington which we had stayed at for our fourth anniversary as well. We got this photo out front to compare it to the one we took in the same spot 4 years ago. It's hard to believe we've been married this long--the time really flies by! Being back in the Carolinas was wonderful. We went through our former stomping grounds in Charlotte and were able to see some really great friends for what seemed like too short of a time. But we were so thankful for the opportunity and glad we made the trip.

The Ultimate Fixer-Upper

We bought a house. It needs a ton of work. We're hoping to get to move into it by Christmas.

We do really like the layout. It is one of the rare 3 bed/2 bath finds in town. We think it was built between 1936 and 1941, but who's to say because it was a foreclosure (as you may have guessed) that, I might add, included a drug bust. We sure know how to pick 'em!

Here are just a few of the things we're doing: replacing the plumbing, replacing the electrical, gutting both bathrooms and kitchen, ripping off the rotted carport and adding a garage, replacing all the windows... the list goes on.

We like the "English Cottage/Storybook " look of the house which was apparently popular in the US during this time period. There are hardwood floors, coved ceilings, and glass doorknobs. We think it will look nice a year from now. :)

We actually sought after this house if you can believe that. We were looking at a different one on the same street that we didn't really like but were possibly going to settle for. One day I was walking down that street and thought to myself, "now, why are we settling for something when there are cute little houses like this storybook one in town?" At the time, it was not on the market but a friend from church told us it was vacant due to foreclosure. So we waited... after several weeks it became available, we viewed it, beat out other offers for it, and now we're the not-so-proud owners! The answer to your next question is, "yes, I do believe we are out of our minds."

Andi and Bruceter!

On our way home we stopped in Indianapolis where Andra and I were born and partially grew up. We saw our former house and visited with good friend, Wes Alden, the neighbor across the street with the pool. His wife, Carolyn, taught us how to swim when we were just little girls. We also visited the church we used to go to before leaving Indy, then Andra and Bruce stayed with us a couple nights in Anna to see where we live. Of course, we had to take them to the Lincoln/Douglas debate site to snap some photos.

Crossing the Lake

Jonathan, Bruce, and Andy swam across the lake and back this year! Andra and I followed in the row boat to make sure the guys were noticed by any pontoons.

Jonathan and Andy came in together, swimming the first 1200 meters in 25 minutes and the last 1200 meters in 20 minutes. Sometimes they got a little off course so Andra and I tried to help direct them from the boat.

They were proud of their feat but happy to be back on shore! Good job, guys!!!

Independence Day

What a fantastic 4th of

July at the lake! It was

great to be back in Indiana

to spend the holiday with

family. The fireworks were

beautiful and the cool

weather was a nice change

from hot and humid Southern

Illinois! We watched the

fireworks going off all the

way around the lake, ate

s'mores, played ladder golf,

and even got in a round of

water volleyball.

birthday boy!

Jonathan is 30! I had every intention of throwing him a surprise party for this milestone when we lived in Charlotte, but being in a new town I had to come up with a different plan. I arranged for his 2 oldest friends to meet up with us and our siblings in Columbia, MO because it was a good middle ground. Since we had a bit of a drive from So. Ill. we needed to stay overnight. So several days before the outing, I began slowly packing some things and carefully placing the suitcase back in its storage position so as to not tip off Jonathan. Unfortunately, I underestimated my ultra observant husband who noticed the suitcase leaning slightly and the disappearance of his khaki shorts. Nevertheless, the birthday was a hit and he was glad to celebrate with good friends. *my apologies to Scott Kerens for not getting a picture before he needed to leave, my gratitude to Andra and Bruce for the superb table decorations, and my sincerest thanks to Jimmy for the pink birthday princess button for Jonathan's lapel. You are all wonderful!

My Husband, the Gimp

Jonathan has dislocated his shoulder. He was playing basketball and got his arm caught up in the guy he was guarding. They jumped up together but the other guy came down first, taking Jonathan's arm with him. It was painful, to say the least. It has been 3 weeks since the event meaning he only has 1 more week of wearing this sling before physical therapy begins.

Just in case anyone else is counting or wondering, the dislocated shoulder incident marks the FIFTH time Jonathan has been to the ER since we were married in 2001. For the record, here is the list of injuries:

5. Dislocated shoulder playing basketball

4. Stitches from cutting his index finger in a circular saw

3. Staph infection surgery from blistering his foot & jumping in the intercoastal waterway in Ft. Lauderdale

2. Breaking his hand from punching a glass storm door

1. Spraining his ankle at an Oxygen event resulting in weeks of crutches while living in a 3rd floor apartment building with no elevator

I personally feel like I've had a part-time job working as a care-giver.

NIECES!

We are so privileged to be an Aunt and Uncle and to have met both our new nieces when they were just weeks into this world!

Jonathan is holding Idolie Denean Whitley, daughter of Philip and Allison. We were so glad she came early so we could cuddle her up when we were in Houston for Presbytery. She has beautiful strawberry blond hair and her mom's olive skin tone. Idolie sported several vintage frocks (under her daddy's master swaddling) and gave us an afternoon of excitement in Sweeney when she showed us how to go through 4 diapers in 5 minutes!

I am holding Layla Marie Whitley, daughter of Peter and Barbie. Being in St. Louis, she lives close enough for us to see her whenever we want. Layla has the cutest little cowlick and long skinny toes, just like her daddy. With her mom's pouty lips, Layla is the "anything but pink girl" wearing red, green, purple, you name it.

They are both just precious and we're all glad to know that with the five Whitley guys, it IS POSSIBLE to have daughters!

The Cowboy Pastor

We recently flew to Houston, TX to go to the spring Presbytery Meeting. Jonathan had to transfer in from the Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic which consisted of being examined on some of his views and giving a little background on his call to ministry. He passed with flying colors of course!

Jonathan's brother, Philip, lives in Houston with his family and they planned a special day trip for us to see Jonathan's birthplace: Sweeney, Texas. We toured the first church he ever attended, saw the hospital where he was born, and drove down the street he first lived on (all the houses have been torn down).

Before Jonathan and I met I went through a phase where I thought I wanted to marry a cowboy. (I know, it's strange)! So I think it is quite poetic that the man God has for me is actually a Texas native. Although I couldn't get him to wrastle any Longhorns while we were there....

30, Flirty, and Thriving

That's right, I hit the big one. 30 snuck up on me before I could say "what happened to my youth?" We decided to head out of town for the occasion, a whole 45 minutes away to Paducah, KY.

On the way, we stopped in Metropolis, IL or "Superman Town" for some quick photo opps. We also headed out to Land Between the Lakes to take in some scenery and to dine at the touristy Patti's Settlement. It was a fun weekend of peaceful walks, animal watching, and quality time with the hubby, who is, incidentally, still 29.

Dad's Visit

The town next to Anna is Jonesboro, IL and it is one of the sites of the Lincoln/Douglas Debates. There are life size statues built there in the park, so the guys had to compare themselves in stature to Honest Abe.

We also took Dad to one of the many vineyards here in Southern Illinois. We tried Blue Sky Vineyard and found the beautiful grounds and tasty wines to our liking! At five tastings for $1, we were able to try quite a selection.

First EPC Youth

Jonathan is settling into working with youth again. He is of course, still playing his guitar and enjoying teaching them some new worship songs. Wednesday nights get a little crazy as he introduces different games...I think they'll play anything with the lights out and strobe/black lights on!

A few of the girls played on the basketball team at one of the local high schools. They made it to Super Sectionals--just one win away from going to State. We went to a couple games to cheer them on and had to laugh at their mascot--an Appleknocker. The town is known for its orchards and "appleknockers" refer to those who knocked apples off the trees while others picked them up.

One afternoon we took the youth to Wal-Mart and had a contest to see who could find the largest quantity of items totalling no more than $2. We purchased the items and put them in the ceiling of the youth room for decoration. CLASSY.

The Crib

We are renting a duplex while we take our time house hunting. We actually viewed this place once when we were in town trying to find a home but I hardly looked at it because I was thinking, "NOT living here!" Well, when there's only one available place to rent....

Moving day was amazing in that there were so many church people here to help us unload (and they brought lunch)! The apartment, however, leaves a bit to be desired. It is too small for our things so most of our boxes are not unpacked and we're storing things at other people's houses. The place is dark and dingy...my mother-in-law came out of the bathroom and informed me I wouldn't want to look in the toilet. When we had the water turned on we found out that the shut-off valve for the washing machine hook-up was broken and we ended up with water spraying all over the carpeted floor--Jonathan spent 2 hours wet/dry vacuuming so the carpet wouldn't mold while I cried. That night we realized the train tracks run along the back of our house and since the railroad crossing is just down the street, the conductors blow the whistle every time they pass. We can hear every chug-a-lug and toot-toot not to mention the vibration of the apartment. There is baseboard heating that makes a knocking noise in our bedroom. I think I've slept through the night ONCE since we moved in.

My dreams have been infiltrated by the new sounds in our lives. One night I dreamed someone was knocking very fast at a steady rhythm on our door only to wake up and realize it was the heating system kicking on again. Another night I dreamed I was in a high speed chase on the interstate. There was a cop car chasing me and another small sports car driving along side me with 2 guys trying to help: Mohinder Suresh and Hiro Nakamora from "Heroes." They were sitting on their car doors pointing guns at my chasers. That's when I noticed my getaway vehicle was a train. It had 2 cars and was flying down the interstate, whistle blowing.

We have to have a sense of humor in this place! We laugh about the fact that our address is 109 R and our neighbor's is 109 L. (for "right" and "left") Things are looking better now than on moving day. My mom came down and helped us paint the living room and kitchen--here we are warming up after having the windows open to paint all day. We are also grateful for Jonathan's grandparents' small kitchen table they ate breakfast at daily. It's the only thing that fits in our eating space!

Population: 5100 (Make that 5102)

We certainly have moved to a small town. Two things happened last week that made us certain of this fact. For one, our move made the front page of the local paper. It made me feel like the time Jonathan and I went to Savannah and stayed in a B&B which ended up being on the "Haunted Tours" trail. Tourists chauffeured in a hearse stopped in front of the house late at night and took photos up at our room on the second floor. Should I stay away from the front windows here? Does everyone know where we live?

Small town happening number two: I went to breakfast with the Senior Pastor's wife, Marilyn, (who is super sweet and reminds me of a mix between Meg Ryan and Shirley Feeney) at a local place called The Four Corners Cafe. Later that day, Jonathan had lunch there with the Senior Pastor, Randy. While at the cash register, Randy introduced Jonathan as the new Assistant Pastor at First EPC to the restaurant owner (and chef), Cindy (who I never met). She said, "Oh yeah, your wife was here this morning. She had the veggie omelet."

New Beginnings...

We have moved to Anna, IL!

We used our time in Indiana to prayerfully consider our next step in ministry (which we had thought would look more like church-planting in Kansas City). Following the wisdom of other pastors and the God-given desire of our hearts, we decided to focus on an existing church at this point in time. After starting the interview process with a couple churches in October and doing final interviews in December, we came to the conclusion that God is calling us to Southern Illinois. This was a hard decision as we were wanting to be a little closer to my family in KC, but we could not be more thrilled with the church here in Anna and the position Jonathan has accepted here. He is the Assistant Pastor which includes heading up the youth (grades 7-12) and young adults/families (up to age 35) plus some pastoral care duties and occasional opportunities to preach. Jonathan is so excited to get to focus his full vocational attention on ministry and not be working multiple jobs! He has a beautiful office with plenty of room for all our seminary books and musical instruments (we can't expect to have a "guitar room" everywhere we live like we had in Charlotte)! The people at First EPC are so warm, welcoming, gracious, and full of laughter. We felt like we fit here the moment we arrived for interviewing.

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. ~ Isaiah 55:8

A Hoosier Send-Off

Our time in Indiana has come to a close. We spent our last few days there enjoying family, history, and the beautiful snow. We had lunch at the Olympia Candy Kitchen in Goshen which has been around for generations. We saw several family members at a gathering at the Williams' house where Uncle Dave greeted guests while wearing his "John Denver" wig. Don, Becky, Jonathan and I went ice skating by moonlight on the pond. The guys chivalrously shoveled a path for us and we enjoyed a fun midnight skate complete with gently falling snow. We are so grateful for our six months in Indiana and will miss the Hoosier life!!!