Andrew Weekend

We spent Monday-Thursday acting like it was Friday night so by the time the weekend actually rolled around we were plum tired. 

I had been wanting to take some time to have an Andrew weekend where he got to pick everything we did and I would cook him anything he wanted or take him anywhere he wanted to go. I just thought it would be fun to celebrate what a great husband and soon to be dad he is. And let's face it... every weekend is Charlotte weekend and the boy deserves a break once in a while.

Late Friday afternoon we decided this would be a good weekend to do it since he didn't have to work Saturday so we headed to the grocery store to get all the things to fulfill his requests. He chose Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese (say that 5 times fast) for Friday and steak, twice baked potatoes, Caesar salad and homemade brownies for Saturday. Man food.

We came home and I got to cooking and he got to sanding a piece of furniture that we had been putting off painting for a good six weeks. He got a coat of primer on it and we sat down to eat and I honestly can't remember what happened after that. I guess we went to bed.

Andrew got up ridiculously early Saturday and I slept until 9. We had coffee and he finished a big research paper. We continued working on the piece of furniture and confirmed the fact that I can't paint anything in less than 9000 very thin coats of paint. And it's still not finished.

He decided he wanted leftover Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese for lunch and to go to City Park. So we did. When we got there, there were about 2 billion other people there because someone decided to get married and someone else decided to have a barbecue competition. 

We spent 15 minutes finding a parking spot and 10 walking around before we decided it was windy and cold and not close enough for me to get to a bathroom easily. So we went back home.

We hung out and painted and got going on cooking dinner. Andrew decided he wanted to rent Skyfall so after we enjoyed our steaks (which by the way were cooked by Andrew and by far the best he has ever grilled) we sat down to watch the movie and have brownies.  

And since we are approximately 83 years old in our hearts, around 8:30 we decided it was getting late and we'd better go to bed and finish the movie the next day. 

Sunday was pretty normal. We went to church, ate more leftover BCM&C (he loves the stuff) and I grocery shopped while Andrew helped a friend move. I also got to stop by the hospital and visit with my friend Stasia who just had a baby girl! 

We cleaned up the apartment in mad dash like always and hosted Lifegroup. Then we finished Skyfall and went to bed early. Again.

And that is the story of how Andrew chose to spend his special weekend!

And how I gained three pounds.  

Birthday Partay!

I'm writing this post in pink because that is how my heart feels today. My unbelievable hubby threw me the greatest birthday party with about 16 of our closest Valdosta/South Georgia friends. It was so fun to have them all in one place. I'm so filled with love for them today and grateful for the chance to spend time with ALL of them at once!

I was so excited to use my real camera to capture all of the love but of course once people started arriving I couldn't find it ANYWHERE. This morning I was brushing my teeth and found it on the bathroom counter. Oops. Luckily my sweet friend Caryn sent me this little moment. It's not techinically mine but it will do for an InstaFriday pic!

Gosh I love Andrew. Man. There is no one in this world that loves me like he does. I don't know where his well of love comes from but it sure runs deep. It's not even my birthday and it has already been the best one ever :) Happy Friday!

Darkness to Light, Our New Orleans Story

I have been trying for a while to put into words our thorny history with New Orleans. After many failed attempts I realized my husband could do it more justice than I ever could. I am happy to finally share his account with you all. Thank you Andrew, I love you so much.

I was pretty excited when Char asked me a couple of weeks ago to write a blog about our “complicated” history with NOBTS and New Orleans.  There is no way to communicate everything that has happened in one blog post so I am not going to try.  However, I am going to give you the short story version and I hope you will see how it is something only our God could do.

In May of 2008 I graduated from UGA and in August I got on one knee and asked Char to marry me and she said yes.  It was perfect!  We were getting married in March of 2009 and then Char would be moving to New Orleans with me.  

A week after the proposal I moved to NOBTS and Char headed back to school in Athens.  I began to have a really hard time.  I was questioning a lot of different things including my calling to ministry, my move to New Orleans, and our engagement.  I really began to struggle spiritually and emotionally.  This took its toll on our relationship and things began to unravel.  In late September, on a Sunday night, I couldn’t sleep so I got in my car and drove to see Char.  When I got out of my car in Bainbridge we cried and held each other.  I am not sure if I have ever been happier to see her.  During those moments I thought everything would be okay yet the next morning when I left Bainbridge her ring was in my hand.  A week later I traveled back to New Orleans to pack up my stuff and inform my professors that I was withdrawing from school. 

Everything had fallen apart and we were both absolutely crushed.

Over the next several months, in addition to discovering how patient, loving, merciful, and amazing my wife is, I moved back to Athens.  While our Facebook status never changed from “engaged,” we weren’t anymore, but continued to date and attempted to avoid any questions about the missing ring.  During this time the Lord healed a lot of wounds and prepared us for marriage in a way we could have never imagined. In August of 2009 I got down on BOTH knees with a new ring and proposed, again.  And she said yes, again!!  We got married near Athens at Nicholson Baptist Church on December 12, 2009.

Fast forward to this year, through a couple of years in youth ministry, Char’s grad school, moving to Valdosta, and me starting back seminary at an NOBTS extension center.  We were open to going anywhere the Lord would send us, except New Orleans.  We honestly believed he would never send us back there.  Why would he send us to a place that represented so much pain, fear, brokenness, and darkness for us?  We were beyond satisfied with the assumed fact that he wouldn’t.

About two months ago that all changed in one 20 minute conversation.  As Char and I talked it was as if we were trying to convince each other a move to New Orleans was a good idea.  As we talked we were surprising ourselves as much as we were surprising one another.  Let me stress to you that this conversation was not premeditated by either of us.  Before this conversation, it did not matter how logical this decision might have been because we were determined that we were NOT going to New Orleans.  The only explanation we had for this change of heart was the Spirit of God was leading us to go.

As you already know, this fall we will be moving back to New Orleans.  The place that represented the darkest time and deepest pain of both of our lives is now our destination because our God is a redeemer and healer of the broken.  Only our God can change the dark to light and He deserves the glory for it.