Blessings

Saturday afternoon I went and hung out with my friends, Sally and Cassie. They were both bridesmaids in my wedding and very good friends of mine. I have known Cassie since we were sorority sisters at Union and I have known Sally since she moved to Louisville in 2006. We went to a local coffee shop and just spent a couple hours catching up and being TOTALLY goofy!!!

Sally is due with her and Cody's first child in December. How exciting!!!! Cassie thought she would go ahead and introduce herself..."Hellloooooo baby McNutt!



I am very fortunate to have these girls in my life!!!

Well...

Yesterday, I got a phone call at 8:00am. It's another good friend of mine, Lindsey. She and her husband, Kevin, were in our wedding and they, too, are very precious to us! Anyway, Lindsey called to tell me that she was at the hospital and in labor!!!!! Of course, I just wanted to call in late to work but instead Nathan and I made plans to go up to the hospital last night.


She is SO cute...even Nathan couldn't resist a little cuddle time! =)



We are excited for our friends that are having babies! We look forward to having a family of our own one day, but for now, we are content with our little Eli! =)





Meg

Election 2008

I don't know if you have been keeping up with the campaigning going on, but it is definitely an interesting year in the presidential race! McCain/Palin vs. Obama/Biden...who has the ability to lead this country - effectively?

If you haven't been able to watch the speeches at the conventions, you can read the transcripts online - http://www.gopconvention.com (Republican) or http://www.demconvention.com/ (Democrat).

I work with people that are VERY vocal about their political views. The vast majority of them will be checking the Obama/Biden box in November. I have had several conversations with them and because I am a supporter of McCain/Palin it can get pretty interesting! =) I am Pro-Life, no questions asked. When I learned that Obama was Pro-Choice, even making partial birth abortions permissible, I knew then that I was 100% behind McCain who is Pro-Life.
Plus, Sarah Palin (McCain's VP) was very impressive in her speech on Wednesday night. She definitely has my vote! =)

There are several issues that really set one man apart from the other, but the real issue is which one of them can lead America in a POSITIVE direction! Each election is important but this 2008 election is taking place at a crucial time in our country and each vote does count!

http://www.johnmccain.com/convention.htm


Meg

Louisville Zoo

Well, we were supposed to go see Olivia play soccer today. She was playing in Pikeville which is about three hours away from here. Gas prices are still high and with the hurricane we decided prices are only going to get higher so...we decided it would be wisest to stay in Louisville. I am even more thankful that we got to hang out with her last night.

Nathan and I decided we would spend the afternoon at the Louisville Zoo. Neither one of us had ever been to this zoo before and the Tennessee game wasn't until 8:00pm so we had all day to hang out and enjoy the holiday.

Here are a few pictures from our day.







We stopped in the gift shop on the way out...





What a fun day!

Meg

Reunited

Olivia plays soccer for Freed Hardeman University. This holiday weekend they are on a road trip to play some games in Kentucky. They were in Campbellsville yesterday; they are playing in Pikeville tomorrow and finishing this series of games in Bardstown, KY on Tuesday.

The team stayed in Lexington, KY last night, went to church this morning then drove to Louisville to hang out for the day. Their coach was very kind in allowing them a "free day." So, Olivia called me and I went and got her and she came and hung out for the day. Nathan and I are going to see her play in Pikeville tomorrow but it was good just to get to hang out for a few hours.

The soccer team was in downtown Louisville which is where I had to go to get her. That is totally cool EXCEPT the Iron Man Triathlon was taking place and the UK vs. UofL game was being played - both in downtown Louisville. So, what would normally be a 20 minute trip took over an hour. Yeah, it was a little frustrating at first but we made it home with the help of Nathan and Google Maps! =)



I went to Olivia's high school graduation in May but that is the only time I have seen her since she was a bridesmaid in my wedding in April. She had not seen the wedding pictures yet so she had a good time looking at those.




In the last blog I mentioned that my cat, Eli, is very social. Well, he is unless he is aggravated to the point of being annoyed. When Olivia walked in the door, Eli greeted her, sniffed her feet and considered her a welcome guest...UNTIL she started pestering him. Then, he hid the rest of the time she was there. This is Eli hiding in the bathroom at the end of the hall. This is where he sits when he wants to see what's going on but he doesn't want to come out and play.



One of mine and Olivia's favorite games is Phase Ten (a card game). She and I both are a little competitive so it's never the most peaceful game ever - no worries, it's all in fun. We talked Nathan into playing. He is such a good sport!! =)




You can tell by this picture who DOMINATED the game! Yeah, me! =)



Olivia, we had fun this afternoon and we look forward to your soccer game tomorrow!

Love you!

Meg

Tag...you're it!

I have been tagged by Amanda

The rules are:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules.
3. Tell six unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag six bloggers by linking.
5. Leave a comment for each blogger.

Meg's six unspectacular quirks...

1. I am a comfort QUEEN!!! My summer attire consists of gaucho pants and a t-shirt while my winter wardrobe is mostly hoodies and sweat pants! Yeah, it's not my husband's favorite quality but I have gotten better! =)

2. I LOVE to travel! It doesn't matter if I get on a plane and travel overseas or travel by car for an overnight or weekend getaway. I have been out west twice and LOVE the mountains. I have been overseas a few times and fallen in love with the different cultures and landmarks. God's creation is SO MUCH MORE than our backyard and I love to witness that beauty as often as I can.

3. I have numerous laughs. I never know which laugh is going to come out but it usually makes other people laugh just to hear me laugh. Yeah, I guess that's not a BAD thing but it can be embarrassing at times.

4. I enjoy journaling. I have about thirty journals that I have written in and kept up with over the years. I am in the process of archiving sermons that I have taken note of which leads me to Quirk #5...

5. Everything has a place and everything has order. If you get something out of order it stresses me out! Just ask Nathan! =) Even in my note taking and journal writing, I like for it to be neat, understandable and NO SCRIBBLES!!! =)

6. I have a great relationship with my cat, Eli! =) Most cats are timid and don't really like anyone but their owner. Eli is very social and loves sitting in the middle of the living room when we have company. When I get home from work the first thing I do is call for Eli in this high pitched squeal, "ELI KITTY KITTY." Most cats would hide in fear but Eli comes running. Oh, and another thing - he chases Nathan around the house. It's HILARIOUS to watch. I can honestly say that I dont think I will ever have another cat like him.


I tag Amanda, Brooke, Charity, Lindsey , Stephanie, Summer

Meg

Partners in Ministry

"Far too many partnerships are not harmonious precisely because many wives have no sense of purpose or worth and feel they are being dragged along on the tails of their husbands 'call'."

This quote is taken from Renewal on the Run: Encouragement for Wives who are Partners in Ministry by Jill Briscoe. Stephanie (my mentor and great friend) gave me this book this past week. I have spent my lunch breaks reading it and feeling totally encouraged. Briscoe does a great job of reminding women that their relationship with Jesus is just that - THEIR relationship. It doesn't matter if their husband is pastor, deacon, recreational director or chaplain. That husband's service does not define his wife's relationship with Christ.

Nathan is a godly man and I look forward to the years of service that we have ahead of us BUT I hope and pray I don't become mediocre in my service to HIM!

Briscoe challenges readers with this series of questions: "What would you be doing if you weren't married to him? Or, what would you be doing in this church if you were married to a layman? If you think of yourself as belonging to this body of believers as a committed disciple, what do you think you should be doing?" So, regardless of where Nathan and I are in life I want to serve with as much excitement and expectation as I do now - that is my prayer!

Meg

Provision

My car has been in the shop since Monday.

After hitching rides from people all week, I am SUPER excited that my car is ready. I am even more excited about God's blessing through this ordeal.

I got a call Wednesday afternoon from the auto shop - "We have tried everything we can. We don't know what's wrong with your car. We are going to refer you to a radiator shop down the street so they can test it there...we don't have the equipment to do that." My first thought??? "RADIATOR?!" Yeah, I had no idea what that REALLY meant; I just knew that radiators are important and if something is wrong with it, then it can't be good!

I get a call Thursday afternoon from the radiator shop - "We have had your car running and it's not getting hot. We are going to drive it around and see if it will get hot then." My first thought??? "Does God heal cars?" =)

It turns out that the car started running hot once they got it out on the street. They put it on their tester and...it was the radiator. They said it was completely stopped up. Water wouldn't run through it. When they called to tell me it was ready to be picked up I was told that it would be $357! Oh, no worries, I found a $25 coupon online! =) Ok, so $332.

So, where is the blessing in all this?? On Thursday afternoon I was presented with a $400 check. It's not important where I got it but it was in addition to my normal monthly income. So, you guessed it - this paid for the car...and even gave me money to put gas in it! =) Isn't God good???


Meg