The Smith House

Cracked Up At Christmas

2009-12-23T10:41:00.003-05:00

Fall

2009-12-10T11:37:00.008-05:00

thirsty at the fair

livestock at the fair was RK's favorite

sweet

at the pumpkin patch

"that's the one"

Gwen's Birthday Weekend

2009-11-25T09:13:00.008-05:00

Oct. 30th was Gwen's birthday and we went to Charleston to celebrate and visit my brother and sister. The plan was for Bethany to watch RK while Gwen and I toured through Charleston for the day. However we were surprised by Bethany, Andrew, and my parents with a night in a nice hotel! It was a wonderful weekend that we really needed. Happy Birthday Gwen!

Quick Pic

2009-10-28T13:19:00.003-04:00

My sister (Aunt Bep) snapped this photo while feeding RK breakfast a few weeks ago. She was a happy baby early in the morning!

Sad Day

2009-10-09T18:03:00.001-04:00

Gwen is gone to a wedding down in Florida for the weekend. I miss her! Come home soon sweetheart!!!!!

So Big!!!!

2009-10-09T17:53:00.001-04:00

RK is learning faster than we think. She cracks us up!

My Brother is Engaged!!!

2009-10-02T14:58:00.003-04:00

My little brother (Andrew) is now engaged! He proposed to his girlfriend, Brittany, on Labor Day weekend. They plan to get hitched on June 5th. CONGRATULATIONS ANDREW AND BRITTANY!!

Wilmington Mission Trip

2009-10-02T14:29:00.006-04:00

Back in July a group of tenth grade students and I went to Wilmington, NC for a mission trip. We did minor construction repair work on low income housing for five days. We did roofing and painting mainly. We also got a chance to hang out at the beach for an afternoon which was a blast.

leaving the church

beach at Fort Fisher, NC

part of my team

cameras always caught me like this

my faithful co-leader

We're Back

2009-09-22T14:47:00.009-04:00

Finally! After a two month blog hiatus Gwen and I plan to update the blog more regularly, mainly with pictures. Here are a few from the summer. We still have a lot of catching up to do so keep checking in with us.

Gwen and I downtown

RK and I with mom, dad, and Andrew

Great Granddaughter/Great Grandfather (Papa)

Great Granddaughters (RK & cousin Lilley)/Great Grandfather (Dadad)

cousins

again

Harbor Island 2009

2009-07-02T09:10:00.000-04:00

BubbleShare: Share photos - Find great Clip Art Images.

Vacation

2009-06-07T16:48:00.002-04:00

We returned from vacation yesterday. I'm looking forward to posting pictures and videos about our week. This'll have to do for now.

No, Mr. President: John Piper's Response to President Obama

2009-05-23T18:16:00.001-04:00

Beatbox Genius

2009-05-23T02:23:00.003-04:00

Check this out. UNBELIEVABLE.

Congratulations Andrew!

2009-05-21T16:06:00.008-04:00

Last Friday Gwen, RK, and I drove down to South Carolina for my brother's graduation. We had to be back for the Senior Brunch Sunday morning so it was one of those 24 hour trips. We quickly drove down to my parents' house where we got to see my aunt and cousin from New Hampshire. We haven't seen them in two years!

We got up early Saturday morning to go to Toccoa Falls College in Toccoa, GA to see Andrew walk. Gwen and I both went to TFC so visiting the campus brought back many memories. It was so good to see Andrew walk across that stage. We're so proud of him. After graduation we had a party for Andrew and Dad and Mom's with many of Andrew's close friends and family attended. It was worth the quick trip.

New Gym

2009-05-21T13:52:00.003-04:00

Back in November our anniversary present to each other was a one year membership to a local gym here in Raleigh. It wasn't the fanciest but it worked for us. A few weeks ago we went to work out and them gym was closed. A few days later-same thing. After a couple of weeks a friend of mine who is a former member of our gym said that Gold's Gym has bought all of the memberships at our gym.

So we are now automatically members of Gold's as well as members of the other locations of our former gym in North Carolina. Not a bad deal since Gold's is honoring the fee we paid at our old gym. What happens after our membership expires? I'm thinking the price will go up juuuuuuust a little bit.

Johnny Jumper

2009-05-14T18:03:00.002-04:00

We caught RK in a great mood and ready to laugh while she was jumping in her Johnny Jumper. There's something about it that makes her giddy. Gwen is shaking her laugh, I'm holding the camera, and my sister (Aunt Bep) is sitting behind her. Riley Kate was really tickled!

Green Beans

2009-04-23T18:23:00.003-04:00

What happens sometimes when dad feeds RK...

Easter 2009

2009-04-17T18:23:00.002-04:00

Preachers Boy

2009-03-30T21:28:00.002-04:00

Our goal for this blog has always been to share about our family as we go through life. Every now and then a spiritual thought or random musing creeps in. Gwen and I definitely want to keep sharing our lives with you but I've created a personal blog to share a lot of my own thoughts and how God is shaping me from day to day. I'd love for you to check it out. It's www.preachersboy.wordpress.com. Okay, Okay. More baby pictures are coming soon. I promise!

What.... EVER!

2009-03-24T10:21:00.001-04:00

Riley Kate will NOT be doing this when she get's older! Yeah right.

Gwen's new haircut!!!

2009-03-18T21:09:00.005-04:00

Today was a big day. When I got home from work Gwen went and got a new haircut! I have always loved Gwen's hair and her new hairdo is no exception. I think it's hot and she looooooves it too. She hasn't stopped grinning yet. See before and after below.

Ed Stetzer

2009-03-17T21:36:00.005-04:00

I attended a forum on church planting at Summit Church in Durham tonight with Ed Stetzer leading the discussion. Stetzer is the guru on church planting and missiology. He spoke about "Pitfalls in Church Planting: What we and others do that undermine the work and how to avoid them." It was an extremely encouraging time for those with a heart for the church. Let's just say I'll be processing what was said for at least several days. Here is his basic outline:

Pitfalls in Church Planting

Lack of spiritual preparation
Stressful family relationships
Inadequate training
Lack of accountability
Unrealistic expectations
Broken partnerships

Birthday Weekend

2009-03-14T13:30:00.010-04:00

It's about time for a new post. Last weekend was a special weekend as my parents came up for a visit on my birthday. We saw them last at Christmas and they were dying to see their grand-baby...and their son and daughter-in-law.

A few weeks ago I was leaning on one of our vanity doors in our downstairs bathroom and it broke in half! This gave Gwen and I an excuse to do some work in this bathroom that really needs to be done. We decided to remove the entire existing vanity and replace it. But of course, work on one project leads to another two or three. Once the vanity was removed, something had to be done with the floor. So Gwen and I decided to tile it. I helped dad lay tile which lasted the entire weekend but looks great. We could not have picked a better weekend to do it. It was 80 degrees-a perfect weekend for projects and family.

about a year ago...

2009-02-17T21:32:00.005-05:00

About a year ago, Gwen and I moved into our house. We were painting and installing new carpet upstairs therefore, all and I mean all of our furniture and boxes had to be stored downstairs, even our bed! Gwen and I were reminiscing the other day and laughing about how we lived for those first few weeks. With all of our stuff scattered everywhere and stacked floor to ceiling, it's a miracle we didn't lose anything...that we know of.

We went crazy when the carpet was finally installed and we could begin moving furniture upstairs. It finally started looking like a home. We never thought we would be so thankful for carpet. Someone told us that years down the road we would look back on those days and laugh. We certainly do!

My Valentine...

2009-02-14T14:43:00.006-05:00

Laughing with Dad

2009-02-12T18:47:00.003-05:00

RK loves to laugh at Gwen and I when we make funny noises. We got her tickled the other night on the couch. We can't help but smile when she gets going.

giggly girl

2009-02-10T19:44:00.004-05:00

We caught this cute moment with RK and Aunt Sarah on Christmas vacation.

Anniversary #2

2009-01-25T16:54:00.003-05:00

Gwen and I just celebrated our second anniversary...NOT! As the video says, Gwen and I were married two years ago on November 18th. I put together a little slide show of pictures of her and I over the past couple of years and it has taken me two months to finally get it on the blog. I love you sweetheart!

surprise cookies

2009-01-22T19:04:00.003-05:00

I just made some oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies to surprise Gwen when she gets home. I hope they taste good, the batter sure did.

Squealer

2009-01-22T18:10:00.002-05:00

This is an old video that we're finally getting up on the blog. A couple of months ago RK began discovering how to use her voice in ways other than crying and started to express her delight by squealing. When she really gets going we can't help but laugh.

quick baby pic

2009-01-22T15:26:00.004-05:00

Just a few minutes ago we caught RK sucking her thumb for the first time-that we know of. Hopefully she won't need braces.

Celine Dion

2009-01-22T10:45:00.014-05:00

Last night Gwen and I went to the Celine Dion concert. All Gwen wanted for Christmas was to go to the concert so I got her tickets back in early December. It was kind of funny that Raleigh was a part of her world tour-New York, London, Paris, and...Raleigh. We sat in the upper deck (as you will see from the pictures) but it really was a good show. We also ran into a few Providence folks. Merry Christmas Gwen!

Snow!

2009-01-20T18:28:00.012-05:00

We woke up to four inches of snow this morning and an unexpected day off! This was the most snow Raleigh has seen in four or five years. This was also the third time Gwen has seen snow in her life. It was a good day!

yes, that's our christmas tree

Over the river and through the woods...

2008-12-23T12:47:00.007-05:00

...to grandmother's house we go! It's still weird to say that because I'm not talking about my grandmother, I'm talking about my mother! Yep, Estelle (Granna) is a proud grandma and she's getting ready to have all her children and grandchild back at her house for Chrimas. We're starting our trek to grandmother's house in a few hours. Merry Christmas!

2007 Christmas Memories

2008-12-22T21:25:00.008-05:00

I was looking through our Christmas album from last year and decided to post a few pictures to bring back some great memories. It was my first Christmas with Gwen's family and it was a great one. Gwen and I leave tomorrow for South Carolina and can't wait to reunite with family and friends. Glory to the newborn King!

Christmas card

Gwen and I in Orlando with her family

Gwen with her sisters Brook and Dorie

at a wedding in Orlando

in the Orlando airport

the old apartment. we actually miss that place...kinda.

Had to post these pictures

2008-12-19T18:22:00.010-05:00

Saturday Morning Breakfast

2008-12-08T11:53:00.004-05:00

Gwen, RK, and I went to Big Ed's in downtown Saturday morning for our monthly breakfast escape. We're trying to explore some of the unique retaurants in Raleigh and if you like country cookin', Big Ed's is a must. It's downtown by Moore Square in the City Market. We walked in around 10:00am and they had a live band outside playing Christmas music. Their menu was packed full of country breakfast classics including hot cakes with the circumference of a basketball and omelets big enough for two. Come hungry and you might consider splitting a meal (what Gwen and I should have done).

More pics of our little girl...

2008-11-27T14:34:00.018-05:00

Riley Kate is getting so much more alert and smiley. I am amazed at God's grace and goodness...and I am soooo thankful He gave her to us.

Little Sleeping Beauty

Happy Halloween!! We dressed Riley Kate up as a clown this year. She was a good sport, especially since she had no idea what was going on.

Riley Kate loves her boppy.

My sweet baby girl!!

2008-11-27T14:16:00.003-05:00

Proposition 8

2008-11-17T15:03:00.001-05:00

Check out this video concerning Proposition 8 in California. It appears that an elderly woman is calmly protesting and sharing her views regarding the proposition and as a result being attacked by hostiles chastizing her for her intolerant view. Are the tolerant being tolerant to views other than their own? It doesn't look like it. I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Gwen's birthday

2008-11-10T16:39:00.004-05:00

Gwen turned 26 on October 30th and I took her and RK out to a pretty good seafood restaurant (per her request) here in Raleigh called The 42nd St. Oyster Bar. I also got Gwen and I a gym membership and it was so good to spend the day with her since it was my day off! I love you sweetheart!

Dawgs Win!

2008-10-27T12:42:00.003-04:00

Gwen and I are enjoying the airtime the dawgs are getting this season. It has become a pretty fun habit to enjoy a game on Saturday afternoon. This past weekend was no different. UGA traveled to Baton Rouge to play LSU and won a huge game 52-38. I must admit, if I was forced to bet on the game, I would have picked LSU. Now, there is no time to celebrate when the Gators are on the schedule this weekend. Go Dawgs!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMAMA!!!!!!

2008-10-21T22:02:00.001-04:00

I love you and miss you! Please come visit me again soon! You can bring Poppy if you want.

1 Month!

2008-10-19T12:55:00.012-04:00

It has now been over a month since Riley Kate was born! She has grown so much and also attracted many visitors in the past few weeks.

one of the first family photos

great Aunt Sandra

grandmomma

poppy

Jack, Garrett, me Gwen, Lara, RK

uncle drew, cousin caroline

The Fair!

2008-10-18T11:27:00.008-04:00

Gwen and I had a hot date Thursday night at the state fair. We also saw Josh Turner in concert. Our favorite part is the food. We had roasted corn, country ham biscuits, hot dogs, and homemade vanilla ice that was churned by these little John Deere motors. I took a picture of some of the deep fried stuff they offer. Thank goodness we were full by the time we got to that stand. We also got to run by this antique tractor exhibit which i thought was pretty cool. We had a blast!

Fun with Dad, Aunt Sandra, and the Macbook

2008-10-11T21:40:00.008-04:00

watching tv with riley kate

2008-10-06T22:30:00.002-04:00

While Gwen went to the store tonight Riley Kate and I had some daddy/daughter time and watched T.V. together.

Real Preachers of Genius - Mr. Really Really Bad Preacher

2008-09-30T16:49:00.001-04:00

Garrett and I stumbled across this gem the other night.

i had to post this picture

2008-09-23T22:01:00.000-04:00

ApParent Privilege

2008-09-22T13:24:00.004-04:00

Parents have the greatest privilege of their lives in front of them every day: raising their children. Pointing their children to Christ, modeling the Gospel, and talking about God’s grace shouldn’t be a burden. It is a privilege. ApParent Privilege provides biblical understanding and up-to-the minute research to encourage parents in the unparalleled opportunity they have to be the primary influencer of their children. This book presents parents with a biblical framework for parenting within both the family and the church. Put this book in the hands of parents to better equip them to pass on a legacy of faith to their children.

http://www.inquest.org/store/scripts/prodView.asp?idProduct=165

Charlie bit my finger - again !

2008-09-22T08:33:00.001-04:00

Check out this hilarious video. Gwen and I have watched it several times.

Day Three

2008-09-18T10:31:00.008-04:00

Gwen and Riley are doing great. Riley is nursing well and momma is resting. We got a little sleep last night while Riley was in the nursery. Our time at Rex has been a blessing as the staff, family, and friends have taken care of us. Thank you so much for your prayers, calls, messages, and visits! We are so grateful. Here are a few pictures...

just born

papi

grandmamma

"i love my aunt bep!"

first time with gigi

She's here!!!

2008-09-16T07:22:00.003-04:00

Riley Katherine Smith was born at 1:44am Tuesday. Riley was 6lbs 8oz and 19.5 inches. She's sleeping right now while Gwen and I get some rest. Gwen is doing really well. I'm so proud of her! My dad, mom, and sister are already here. More family is on the way. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers. Keep praying for Riley and momma! More pictures to come.

4 Centimeters

2008-09-15T18:57:00.001-04:00

Gwen is doing very well. The contractions are getting more and more painful. Pray for her! The doctors are predicting a very early Tuesday delivery.

We're at the hospital!!

2008-09-15T15:08:00.004-04:00

Gwen and I went to her scheduled doctor's appointment this morning at 11:00am and while she was sitting on the table her water broke! So we checked Gwen into Rex at 12:45pm today. I ha to run home and get our bags and a few other things that we didn't think we would need today. They just put her on pitocin about thirty minutes ago to speed up the labor. Obviously, at the time of this picture, she was not overwhelmed with pain. Pray for her! I'l keep you posted.

new pictures

2008-09-14T21:41:00.009-04:00

A couple of months ago Gwen and I had some pregnant pictures of us taken by Shelly Moore. She's a great photographer so if you're local and want to get some pictures taken of you and/or your family for whatever occasion you should contact her.

Shelly's website

Shelly's blog

Shelly's photography blog

(she's got lots of websites)

last weekend

2008-09-13T09:48:00.008-04:00

It's funny how I'm finally putting pictures up from last weekend, this weekend. Nevertheless, last Friday night the remains of hurricane Hannah rolled through eastern North Carolina and dumped five inches of rain in Raleigh! Gwen and I slept through the entire storm and woke up to a very soggy saturday. That's a lot of rain in a short amount of time but we needed it.

Later that day Gwen and I went over to George and Catherine Robinson's house to watch the dawgs. I served with George at a church near Toccoa Falls when I was in college. Now, George is a professor at SEBTS and much closer. It's good to have George, Cat, and the kids close by. I can't believe we're back in the same area.

Gwen's home!!!!

2008-09-04T20:45:00.005-04:00

Today marked an important day in the history of our marriage. Today was Gwen's first day as a stay-at-home mom! Yesterday was her last day at Wake Med and it was really unusual but fun having her home all day on a weekday. Oh, did I mention, she kind of liked it too! Let's just say I'm not used to a home-cooked lunch during the week. I'm glad you're home baby!

Latest Momma pics!

2008-09-01T21:43:00.006-04:00

I took some pictures of my beautiful bride over the weekend. She's doing really well all things considered. I'm so proud of her! She's going to be a wonderful mother. Pray for us as the due date arrives in less than two weeks!

Gameday!!!

2008-08-30T10:59:00.004-04:00

We've waited for a long time and it's finally here-COLLEGE FOOTBALL! For Georgia fans, there is great anticipation for several reasons, namely, they're preseason ranked #1. I must admit that I have never really blogged about the dawgs especially one of this length. But since I can't remember the last time they were ranked this high and because of the hype surrounding them and their contending opponents I thought I would weigh in.

As is the case every year, nothing is going to come easy, ESPECIALLY this year. As a dawg fan this is weird but, I've actually tried to prove in my mind why UGA is not going to do as well as the pollsters think they are. Reason being, Georgia typically does not do well when they are highly ranked. They usually do the best when they are ranked around 15th or so.

Most people believe that Georgia's schedule is going to do them in which is difficult to dispute. However, when you compare the dawgs' opponents (namely UF, UT, Bama, LSU, AU) you will see that they can match up well at any position if not better. I worry this year mostly about Florida and LSU. I think Georgia is better than LSU but it's hard to win in Baton Rouge. As for the Gators, well, it's the Gators. We all know Georgia's record against Florida no matter their record or expectations. Yes, they won last year but Florida is better this year, but so is Georgia-AAAAAAAAH! It's hard to tell.

Auburn also worries me. They're ranked #10 and we play them at their place. We've spanked them the past two years and they're hungry to repay us. Tennessee also scares me. They're strong at defense and they're offensive line allowed four sacks last year, FOUR! Not to mention, their running back is a beast. The dawgs would be mistaken to underestimate the Tide as well. Does any game come easy this year?

And then there's that little phenomenon we all know about that drives us crazy called "it's college football, ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN." You just never know. In years past with Georgia you find yourself thinking, "Which team is going to show up today?, especially last season. Is it going to be the team that played South Carolina or the team that played Florida? Is it going to be the team that played Tennessee or the team that played Auburn or Hawaii? Statistics and heavy analysis can't help you much with that. Well, you can analyze it all you want but you can never be sure. So, what will it be-SEC East Champions, SEC Champions, Peach Bowl Champions, National Champions? Let's find out-one game at a time! Georgia vs. Georgia Southern, 12:30pm. GOOOOOO DAWGS!!!!

Goofy pictures

2008-08-21T22:41:00.009-04:00

Grandparents-to-be visit!

2008-08-20T08:19:00.004-04:00

Last week my dad and mom came for a quick visit mainly to bring up the crib they got for us. They also helped us around the house with painting and removing wallpaper. It brought joy to our souls! Thank you dad and mom, we love you!!

I guess we're havin' a baby...

2008-08-20T08:02:00.003-04:00

Yep, this truth we've known for nine months now is starting to sink in. Gwen's big belly, bibs, diapers, clothes-aaaaaaah! It really sank in when Mom and Dad came up last week with the crib. The baby room really looks like a baby room now. Gwen's parents are bringing the changing table tonight and we'll be ready to go! Any advice?

2008-08-19T22:44:00.007-04:00

Tina and Amber gave Gwen an amazing shower a couple of Sundays ago and we are so grateful. What a blessing! We love you!

Amber, Gwen, Tina

Jack, Lara, Gwen

Christ The Only Way

2008-08-16T00:12:00.001-04:00

We're showing this video tonight at Refuge. R.C. Sproul is narrating. Pretty good.

Mac!

2008-08-07T16:46:00.003-04:00

We have been saving up for a laptop that we really needed. After waiting for a long time we got this amazing deal from Apple. Yes, we got a Mac! Click here and see the one we got. Since we're used to PC, it's going to take a while to get used to it. So far, we think it's pretty cool.

Coldstone!

2008-08-06T12:58:00.007-04:00

We hung out with the Hickmans last Friday night at Coldstone. They are a lot of fun to hang out with and they have been so good to Gwen and I. We love y'all! Sorry Blake, we didn't get a picture of you.

Nate, Amber, Caleb

Asher, Gwen, Caleb-"cheeeeeeeese"

Joel and Caleb

Nate and Caleb again

two mommas-to-be

Mission Serve 2008

2008-07-29T13:04:00.008-04:00

A group of 10th graders, adults, and I returned Saturday from Cherokee, NC. We spent the week over there painting and roofing houses for those who really needed it. What a privilege it was to serve them for several days.

our team

Our fearless construction captain, Lee Waddell.

roofing

tubing

roofing

Sky Valley

2008-07-08T16:33:00.009-04:00

Gwen and I traveled to Sky Valley, GA last weekend for a sweet reunion with Gwen's mother's side of the family. Her grandfather bought a house in the mountains which makes for a great place to gather as family. Gwen and I really enjoyed traveling together and stopping twice at our favorite fast food restaurant, Zaxby's. We had a blast spending the 4th at the reunion.

For some reason, Gwen loves taking pictures of me driving.

The view from the back deck of the house.

Our sweet niece Caroline

Gwen and I at the 4th of July picnic in Sky Valley

Drew, Kent, myself

July 4th is also Dorie's birthday!

The pregnant girls with their husbands

A romantic picture of Gwen and I before the fireworks

more painting

2008-07-08T16:24:00.003-04:00

Last week before we went to Sky Valley, GA, I was able to paint our downstairs bathroom finally. We previously had to tear down old, tacky wall paper, repair the wall, and prepare the wall for paint. It's finally done and we can now use the toilet instead of having to walk upstairs every time! Parks, I know you'll like this post.

Impact 2008

2008-07-01T14:14:00.007-04:00

the theme

the boys

worship

our director, Chris, surfing the tube...for a moment

Garrett and Lara

2008-06-30T09:06:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago we spent some time with our close friends Garrett, Lara, and Jackson. Little Jackson is going to be a Georgia fan if it's the last thing I do!

lastest momma picture

2008-06-30T09:01:00.004-04:00

Join the John Newton Challenge!!!

2008-06-20T11:10:00.003-04:00

Some of you may know that John Newton wrote the hymn "Amazing Grace." Have you heard of "The John Newton Challenge"? I strongly urge each one of you to follow the "John Newton Challenge" link on the left of the blog. This will take you to Steve Wright's blog called Lasting Divergence . Please take the time to read what the "John Newton Challenge" is all about and please participate!

morning ritual

2008-06-20T10:59:00.003-04:00

A new ritual has begun. I have now made a habit of stopping by Chick-fil-a most mornings for coffee, reading, Bible study, etc. and I really enjoy it. Several of the employees now know me and have the coffee ready for me as I walk in the door. It is usually quiet in the mornings which makes for a good time to get alone and study without many distractions. They also play Christian music there. I take four hazelnut creamers and one pack of "sugar in the raw" with my coffee-mmmmmmmm, and it's about forty cents cheaper than a tall regular coffee at Starbucks. Occasionally I'll splurge and get a chicken biscuit.

Vacation Part Two

2008-06-17T09:55:00.015-04:00

After three days in Orlando with Gwen's family we drove up to Beaufort, SC for five days with my family. We stay in a beautiful beach house on Harbor Island near Beaufort. Praise God for an awesome week of vacation with our entire families!

...the beach at sunset outside our house

...Andrew and I by the poo...

...the beach house

...golf day-Dad killed us

...shrimp boat along the beach by the house

...another view of the house

...Gwen, me, Andrew, Bethany

...Bep, Gwen, and Mom judging the hamburger grill-off between Dad, Andrew, and I. Congratulations Andrew!

...Gwen and Dad in an intense game of shuffleboard

...Uncle Frank and Aunt Sandra

...the cousins-me, Andrew, Gwen, Bethany, and Megan

...the fam

Vacation Part One

2008-06-16T11:53:00.012-04:00

In the next couple of days there will be a lot of posting to make up for our embarassing amount of posts in the last month or so. We hope you enjoy it!

The first week of June was a great week of vacation for Gwen and I. Our vacation was what they are supposed to be-bringing rest and joy to the soul. We went down to Orlando to be with Gwen's family and see her brother Todd graduate from high school. It was fun seeing Gwen's old friends and spending quality time catching up with them. Gwen and her sister Brook were treated to the wonderful blessing of a baby shower! Brook is due about six weeks after Gwen. They were showered with many gifts as they both prepare to be first-time moms. We also celebrated Gwen's grandmother's birthday. It was so much fun spending time with them especially since we don't get to see them often. What a blessing they are!

...Gwen checking the map as we drive through Florida.

...at Gwen's parents' house.

...with Gwen's brother, Todd, the graduate!

...Gwen and Brook with their grandmother

...Brook and Gwen doing a pose they once did back when they were little kids.

sisters...Gwen, Dorie, Brook

...Gwen and her youngest brother, Bennett

...Dorie, Gwen, Todd

...Gary, Dorie, Bennett, Todd

...me with Dorie, Todd, Bennett, Gay-Gwen's mom, and TJ

Swingtown

2008-06-13T14:56:00.003-04:00

I wanted to blog about a new CBS show called "Swingtown." You may have heard of it. CBS calls it "intriguing summer fun." Read this clip of an article below by Bill Johnson, president of the American Decency Association.

"There is nothing "fun" about the show - rather it is repugnant and destructive and one of the worst, if not the worst, show we've seen on network television. "Swingtown", set in 1976, portrays "open marriage" and group sex as not only commonplace, but also as a boost for marital intimacy. And it ignores the facts regarding the addictive, damaging impact of pornography and gives the message that porn use, even by young boys, is no big deal.

The show opens with Tom, a married commercial pilot, bringing home a young stewardess to engage in group sex with his wife, Trina. The three are shown in bed together, as he has sex with the stewardess.

Another scene is of two boys approximately 13 years old. One of the boys finds a large box of his father's porn magazines in the basement and they are shown ogling copies of Penthouse. When the father catches them with a magazine, he simply tells his son and the son's friend, "Don't let your mother catch you with this. She'll have a coronary on the spot." He then proceeds to hand the magazine back to his young son with a pat on the head.

Later in the episode Tom and Trina host a wild 4th of July party. At the party there's open drug use and an orgy in the basement "playroom" showing a man with several women having sex. Tom and Trina want to persuade Susan and Bruce, their new straight-laced neighbors, to join in. Bruce is told by a partygoer he can get him a membership to the Playboy Club and can get him a girl. At one point, as perverse sexual themes are alluded to during this Independence Day party, partygoers are singing the National Anthem in the background. And then, note the following dialogue between Trina and Susan.

After interrupting a partygoer snorting cocaine, Trina tells Susan: "She's harmless. Miserable, but harmless. I keep saying they should just open their marriage like everyone else, but her husband is a little uptight."

This is just a taste of the first few episodes. This is a major assault on families and marriage. We CANNOT sit back and do nothing! This show promotes open marriage, group sex, open drug use, and pornography among adults and children. We cannot allow the media to keep putting this stuff on TV and destroying our families and children. We must act now. Contact your local CBS station and demand that they remove "Swingtown" from their programming. Going to Swingtown's website or CBS's national website will have no effect. Contacting your local CBS station is the best route. You can find the people to contact on the local station's website usually.

Also, consider removing television from your home. Steve Wright, my boss and friend, has cancelled their cable subscription and no longer lives with TV. CBS is not a cable channel but nothing will be done concerning the content of today's television shows until the companies are hit financially. Gwen and I have rabbit ears but we are unplugging our TV. How long will we sit back and let this happen? Please act now.

Baxter

2008-06-10T17:04:00.003-04:00

Steve Wright says that I am the spitting image of one of the reformers, Richard Baxter. Especially since he was also "rocking the soul patch."

TAKE OUR POLL!!!

2008-04-30T21:36:00.001-04:00

Make sure you take our poll. This should be fun. Check it out on the left.

funny videos

2008-04-29T20:50:00.001-04:00

Nothing gets Gwen laughing like watching people fall and I have to agree this stuff is pretty hilarious. Watch the dad going down the slide with his kid. We've had a blast watching these videos.

tonight's menu

2008-04-29T19:48:00.002-04:00

Gwen cracks me up sometimes with her eating habits now that she's pregnant. She likes to go for random stuff no matter the time of day. As I am writing this we are watching American Idol and finishing up supper. Tonight she had her fill on a grilled cheese with broccoli and carrots, a bowl of Life cereal, and then Cheetos-back to back to back. After a meal I'll have something sweet but I can't immediately go back and have something salty/non-dessert like. That's like having a hotdog with ketchup and mustard for breakfast. It doesn't matter with her. She likes it all all the time!

20 Week Ultrasound

2008-04-27T13:11:00.006-04:00

In the midst of Joy Prom prep Gwen and I went to her 20 week ultrasound Thursday afternoon. This was such a blessing as we could see our baby taking form. The baby was very active, moving his/her legs and arms frequently. No, we are not going to learn the gender but it was such a temptation Thursday. The baby weighs 11 oz., and is 13.6 centimeters. The first two pictures are profile pictures of the baby and the last one is the alien photo or "face" picture. It's my favorite one. Praise God for a healthy baby!

Belize Mission 2008 (part 2)

2008-04-17T21:29:00.014-04:00

The team at Ramon's Village in San Pedro before our flight home.

(in front of "Bungalow 38")

Me, Marcos, Jacqueline, and Lionel

Pastor Orlando and I

Inside one of the school rooms in La Gracia

Jacqueline in front of her house

Macaws at the Belize Zoo

The front of the church in La Gracia after we painted it

Me stealing a kid's bike

The front of the church in San Martin

"Real Men of Genius" putting together a puppet stage

Kids playing jump the creek at San Martin

speaking of babies...

2008-04-16T17:58:00.003-04:00

I took this picture of Gwen last night so you could see her little baby bump. Several people have asked for pictures of her so here you go! Gwen also thought she felt the baby move a couple of times yesterday-crazy. Exciting times!

Jackson Conner!!!

2008-04-16T17:41:00.005-04:00

Yesterday Gwen and I got to meet little Jackson Conner for the first time. Jackson is Garrett and Lara's first child and it was such a blessing to spend some time with them yesterday. He's a cute little guy and will be a fine Dawg fan one of these days. Congratulations Garrett and Lara! I'm sure Jackson is looking forward to spending more time with Uncle Joel and Aunt Gwen.

Lasting Divergence

2008-04-15T16:09:00.001-04:00

I strongly encourage you to check out Steve Wright's blog http://www.lastingdivergence.com. It is an incredible resource for pastors and parents. I enjoy reading it every day.

I'll be adding "part 2" of the Belize trip soon.

Belize Mission 2008 (part 1)

2008-04-10T15:41:00.014-04:00

The Belize Team landed in Raleigh around midnight last Saturday night. It's so good to be home but we miss the people in Belize still. God did some great things in Belize and he did a great work in each of our lives. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. I'll take the next few blogs to tell you about the trip and show you some pictures.

We had to stand outside the Belize airport after we landed while waiting on the vans. There was some cool shrubbery art around the entrances.

Every year we eat lunch at a good restaurant called Cheers on the way to Belmopan from the airport

T-shirts hung at Cheers donated from customers (a Belize Team from Providence has one up there from a few years ago)

This is our dorms at the Baptist Training Center in Belmopan where we stayed Saturday-Thursday.

After we dropped our luggage off at the BTC we went to Balaam Ha and swam in the river and ate at this restaurant.

We would jump off this ledge into the river. It was very refreshing after a long hot day.

Belize Mission 2008

2008-03-28T22:04:00.006-04:00

Starting tomorrow morning Providence Student Ministries is taking a group of 12th graders to Belize for a week-long mission trip. I, along with the rest of the team have to be at the airport at 4:30am! Pray for us as we do Bible studies and recreation with Belizean children, teach English to mothers in a village, give supplies to a local school, love on orphans and refugees, and share the Gospel with the locals in the communities in which we serve. Pray for us as we travel and work and pray for the families back home as well. Pray especially for Gwen as she's not big on me being away from her for a week. See you next weekend.

monday nights

2008-03-19T13:08:00.010-04:00

On Monday nights Gwen and I enjoy hanging out with an awesome family in our church we really love. Every Monday the Haas' (Tim, Christie, Jordan, Wes) have Gwen and I along with a handful of other people from Providence over for supper. Christie is a wonderful cook and we are blessed to be served by the entire family. In the past, the evening revolved around the TV show "24" but since there is no "24" this season we just goof off and watch whatever is on, throw the football, play Xbox, and just relax. We are blessed each week by them.

Woodall, Wes, and Tim pointing at Shem. What did you do Shem?

"I should have been a quarterback." Mike-guitar, drummer extraordinaire, backbone of the Providence worship team.

Mike and I working on our NCAA bracket as Wes and Jordan look on.

Kate laughing at something.

Tim assembling the mixer (he also ate a piece of dog food that night).

My sweetheart. Isn't she adorable?

new baby pictures!

2008-03-18T21:20:00.004-04:00

A couple of weeks ago Gwen went to the doctor and had her 3rd ultrasound. Below are the pictures. Gwen is 3 1/2 months along and feeling well (once she gets through the mornings). In the pictures you can see the little feet and hands. Pray for Gwen as she works hard every day through the nausea and as the baby grows inside her. Pray for the baby too!

Carpet!!!!!!!

2008-03-13T14:56:00.006-04:00

So often we overlook some simple things in life that make it nice. For the past month Gwen and I have been living downstairs in our living room (see pictures from previous posts) because we were waiting on carpet to be installed in the upstairs. How quickly we forgot what a blessing carpet is. Well, as of last Friday, the new carpet is here! We don't know what to do now that we can sleep upstairs and finally move all of the furniture up there. The house is starting to come together now. We actually had our great friends Garrett and Lara over last Saturday for lunch. We can't wait to have more people over.

Big Announcement!

2008-02-19T19:25:00.002-05:00

God has blessed Gwen and I with an amazing blessing that we really haven't comprehended. We're pregnant! Gwen is now 10 weeks along and it still hasn't sunk in yet. We're going to be parents in September! The due date is September 14th. Below is one of our first baby pictures. As you can see the doctor was funny and made it very clear what we were looking for. For those of you who are already wondering, no, we don't know the gender yet, and no, we are not going to find out. It's going to be a surprise. Pray for us as we continue this incredible journey.

we've been busy!

2008-02-12T19:56:00.001-05:00

As you can see, we've been very busy. We've just moved into our new house over the weekend. We're so happy but things are a bit cramped right now since we have all of our stuff on the first floor only. We're waiting on the carpet for the upstairs so we can't put any furniture up there. We do have a deck closet and an attic which helps. You'd laugh, we have our mattresses plopped in the middle of the living room and the TV set up on my dresser. We just walk around and laugh. I told Gwen the other day that we'll look back on this as one of our great memories.

There's no place like home.

2008-01-27T21:02:00.000-05:00

Gwen and I are now homeowners! We closed on our townhouse earlier this month and we immediately started working on it. Currently we are painting and as soon as we finish we'll be ready for new carpet. When the carpet is in we can move in. This has been an exciting adventure for Gwen and I. Having to take care of and be responsible for a house is totally new to us. We are working hard almost every day to get it ready. Mom and Dad came up for the weekend to help us paint and if they did not help us we would not meet our deadline. They were such a huge blessing as they served us. Thanks Mom and Dad! Gwen and I are having a blast working on this project and we both are learning a lot about home repair and maintenance. It has also given me an excuse to buy more tools! Below are some exterior pictures and we'll have some pictures of the inside soon.

Sugar Bowl!

2008-01-03T12:24:00.000-05:00

Need I say more? Final score: 41-10. What a great season! Go Dawgs!!

Christmas in Orlando!

2007-12-28T18:16:00.000-05:00

This year Gwen and I flew down to Orlando for a great Christmas with her family. It was my first Christmas down there and it was a huge blessing. Gwen has a large family and it was a blast spending time with them. We miss them all so much! There is no way we can cover it all in one blog but here are a few of the highlights:

Gwen's Mom and Dad

Gwen's brothers, Todd and TJ holding their ipod nanos (we shaved TJ's head a few nights earlier)

Gwen's brother TJ and his dreads

Gwen and I at the park looking at Christmas lights

The whole crew!

Todd, Dorie, and I
Gwen and her older sister, Brook

Gwen with her stocking on Christmas morning

Benett and I

Gwen's sister Brook, her grandfather, Dadad, her brother-in-law, Kent, her sister Dorie

Gwen and I with her brother Gary

07 Providence Staff Christmas Party

2007-12-16T15:16:00.000-05:00

The Providence staff had its annual Christmas party last Thursday night at the North Raleigh Hilton. It was a blast! The food was great and it was so fun hanging out, talking, and laughing with our Providence staff family. Below is most of the youth staff.

Below is our former assistant Sarah, former intern Lori, Shelly, and Gwen.

This is Gwen and Lori. Lori was a great intern for the past couple of years. We're going to miss her!

This is Steve giving Lori her going away present. We can't believe she's gone. Congratulations on graduation Lori and we're praying for you as you move on.

Below is Blake, our middle school pastor, and I.

This is Mike, our Refinery Director.

This is Jeremy. Jeremy is a faithful intern on the youth staff.

This is our senior pastor, David, and Lori and Gwen.

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2007-12-15T21:43:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it is almost Christmas again...time flies by. Here are some pics of us by our Christmas tree. Our dear friends Garrett and Lara came over and Lara took these pictures for us. We had a great time hanging out with them:) We love you guys.

Joel put on all the ornaments this year, he did an awesome job, I am so blessed to have such a sweet husband.

The lights were a bit of a hassle this year, but after much patience and communication we had a fully lit tree.

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas. May God richly bless you and your family. We will be spending Christmas in Orlando with my family, so we will post more pics of Christmas after our trip. We love you all and appreciate you so much.

Youth Staff Christmas Party

2007-12-08T20:19:00.000-05:00

We had our annual youth staff Christmas party last Wednesday at Steve and Tina's. We had plenty of food, lots of laughs, babies, white elephant gift exchange, and lots of fun as usual. Gwen and I scored a $5 Dominoe's gift certificate, some sipping chocolate, and peppermint oreos. Gwen and I are blessed to serve with such a great team. No, Gwen and I are not in any of these pictures.