We have gone to the dogs...

As if one puppy in our house wasn't enough, we decided that Cooper needed a friend to keep him company during the day when we were gone. We adopted Sophie into our lives on October 25, 2010. She is also a mini doxie, chocolate and tan coloring. She was born on July 6th in Bowling Green, KY. Here are some pictures of her from before we got her.

It is definitely an adventure around our house now. Sophie is still potty-training and her learning curve is much slower than Cooper's. She is a very stubborn little girl, but she is so pretty that it's really hard to get mad at her. Cooper loves her so much, and just like any little boy, he shows his affection by constantly pestering her. He growls, barks, bites her legs (lovingly of course), and steals her toys to get her attention. She, like a typical little girl, ignores him until she can take it no longer and then snaps. They are really fun to watch and its become one of our favorite forms of entertainment.

Halloween this year was especially fun because our whole family dressed up, including the dogs. We were Alabama Tailgaters this year. Cooper was the football player, and Sophie was the mascot, Bama.

Happy Halloween from Cooper

I decided that since the weather is turning cold, and they are so little, that I would crochet them some sweaters for the winter months. I did each of these sweaters in one night and I think I did pretty good for never having done this before. They look so adorable in their little sweaters.

A couple of weekends ago we ventured out to an event at the dark park called Barkaroo. It was a benefit to raise money for the Murfreesboro Dog Park. We had such a great time getting to show off our little guys and meet some new friends. Cooper and Sophie got to play with some new friends too and they both seemed to really enjoy it (Cooper more than Sophie). Sophie is a very shy little girl in public, but pretty outgoing and rowdy in the house. Cooper is the exact opposite most times. He loves to be around people and dogs, and when he is home he usually likes to curl up with one of us and sleep. They compliment each other well.

These two little puppies have become the joy of our lives and have added so much to our home in the few short months we have had them. I cant wait for my NC family to finally get to meet them over Thanksgiving break.

Lead Me

Sanctus Real - “Lead Me”

I look around and see my wonderful life
Almost perfect from the outside
In picture frames I see my beautiful wife
Always smiling
But on the inside, I can hear her saying...

“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, what about us?

Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”

So Father, give me the strength
To be everything I'm called to be
Oh, Father, show me the way
To lead them
Won't You lead me?

To lead them with strong hands
To stand up when they can't
Don't want to leave them hungry for love,
Chasing things that I could give up

I'll show them I'm willing to fight
And give them the best of my life
So we can call this our home
Lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

Father, lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

Professor Perry...I like the sound of that

This past week marked the beginning of new journey for me, as well as a new journey for the 15 freshmen in my LEAP (Life Calling and Purpose) class.

I decided that I was ready for a new challenge in my life, and 15 new freshmen are just what the doctor ordered. We all got together as a whole Freshman class and did community service projects on Monday morning. Our group was assigned to paint a couple of porches at a house that is owned by Trevecca Community Church. They use this house to help men who are recovering drug and alcohol abusers to transition back into society after getting clean. I was surprised to see how quickly the team bonded and how hard they all worked that day. It was great getting to know each of them and to be able to bless these men as well. I'm sure they were filled with joy when they returned home from work to see their porches painted and looking good again. We hope our efforts were a blessing to them.

It is so exciting for me to get to influence and bless the lives of these young men and women. I cant help but put myself back in their shoes. It was only 9 short years ago that I was unpacking my parents van and beginning an amazing journey of self discovery and new friendships. It's so fun to see that innocence and excitement in their eyes too. I am also reminded that I am not as young as I would like to think (LOL). I am really interested and excited to see where God leads us all this semester, what friendships He will form in us, and where we will all end up on the other side of this 4 months. I hope that we can all look back on this as a very influential time in our lives.

Since I have been immersed in the Freshman life for the past week, it has really made me miss being in college. I have been reminiscing about all the fun times I had here at TNU. I especially have been missing my best friend from college. Its really strange not having Sara here, but I know she is soooo happy with her new hubby in Kansas. Love you and miss you Sara-bear.

The Dog Days of Summer

 Cooper

The Perry's have started a new chapter in our journey together...pet owners. I have been wanting, begging, pleading for a doxie since before I met Daniel. He told me it was best to wait, and I agreed. I still put pictures up of different doxies I wanted...some in my office, one on my fridge that I found in an advertisment. I even went as far as naming my soon to be puppy. Well, my persistance paid off and my wonderful hubby surprised me by saying one Wednesday night that I should start researching a puppy. He thought the time was right. So, two days later we were picking Cooper up from a family farm in Cookeville. He was one of four in his litter, the only little boy. We were immediately smitten with his cute little face and he took to us right away.

 He is the little guy on the right.

So, over the past two weeks we have learned what it takes to be "parents" in training. Cooper definitely has a personality all of his own and everyday we are learning something new about him. Here are a few of the many quirks about our little man:

1. He can't stand to be out of our sight for more than 10 seconds and he goes absolutely crazy. He starts barking, squealing, and crying like we are beating him. He especially doesn't like it when either of us take a shower. 
2. He is learning to go to the bathroom outside and is doing really well with learning. When he does go out he eats the mulch/bark that is in our front lawn area. He also attacks the plants. 
3. He LOVES other dogs and wants to play with them no matter how much bigger they are than him or how many times they growl or snap at him. He is unphased. 
4. He is a very social dog and loves attention from other people. He has quickly become the center of attention in our neighborhood. 
5. He has learned where our neighbor Rhonda's house is because she puppy-sat for us a couple of times. Now anytime he wants to play he runs to Rhonda's house and sits at her front door and cries. 
6. He is a total snuggle pup. I love that about him. He is a touch puppy too. He needs to be touching you at all times, even if its just one paw on you. 
7. He likes to sleep on his back just like a human.
8. He likes to nibble on your hands, and sometimes gets a little rough and bites. 
9. He gets really upset when we leave him, and "tells us off" when we get home. He also squeaks when he gets really excited.
10. He likes to eat ants. 
11. His new favorite thing to do is hide under our bed and run out and attack our feet as we walk by. 

Here are a few pics of our new baby. He has brought a lot of joy to our lives in just the two shorts weeks we have had him.

Hospital Hoopla

Today is Thursday. It is the 4th day of the longest week on record. It has been a very stressful week for the Perry's, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel (and its not a train!) Daniel was admitted to the hospital on Sunday afternoon with Diverticulitus. Its basically an inflamed and infected colon. Its typically seen in older people, but not unheard of in young adults either. He started complaining of a pain in his abdomen on Friday evening and it got progressively worse as the weekend progressed. By Sunday he was doubled over in pain and we went to the emergency room. After a couple of hours of getting a CT scan and being on pain meds and IV fluid, he was diagnosed and admitted to room 406. He was put on IV antibiotics and pain meds and by Wednesday morning (his 28th birthday) he was released to go home with the best nurse he could imagine (ME)! He is recovering very nicely and the doctor says he should be good as new by the weekend.

Now that the update is complete, I want to share the real reason I am writing this blog. I am using it as therapy. LOL. I tend to flush things out better if I write them down, so here it goes. This week has been a very trying one for me, and I know it has been for Daniel as well, but he is less apt to talk about it. Anyone of you reading this that is married or in a very committed relationship can attest to the fact that when that person is hurting it is the most awful feeling in the world, especially if you can't do anything to fix the hurt. To make matters worse, ever since we got married Satan has tried to attack me with fears that I will lose Daniel at an early age. Now I don't accept this lie of the devil, but in times such as this, when he is lying on a bed, hooked up to IV and not knowing what is wrong, those lies start to creep into my brain. There were many times this week when I was so close to breaking down and letting the fear take over. I'm not proud of that, but its the reality of the situation. That mixed with the stress of staying in the hospital, eating junk food, not exercising, thinking about hospital bills (ughhhh) and trying to stay positive was exhausting.

Things are getting better each day and today I finished the book In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. I read a few passages that really spoke to me.

"Lock eyes with the lion. Why would God be putting it in front of you? What good thing might God have waiting for you on the other side of this challenge? Maybe there's a lesson He wants you to learn or a blessing He wants to give you. Don't just focus on the fear factor. Try to see the bigger picture. What will you miss out on if you let your fears dictate your choices? Is being "safe" really worth it? Maybe God wants to show you something about yourself or Himself, but you'll never know what it is unless you chase your lion. And once you have the lion cornered in the pit, you'll discover that his roar is worse than his bite when you've got God on your side. " ~ Mark Batterson

We want to thank all our friends and family who have sent greetings, prayers, and encouragement to us these past few days. Its so amazing to be reminded what great people God has placed in our lives, and to see how loved we really are. Thanks again!

Boys will be Boys...

This past weekend Daniel and I ventured down to Hazel Green, Alabama to spend some quality time with the Lovell family. Daniel's grandparents have a wonderful little haven away from the world there and we really enjoy spending time with the family. Everytime we go visit it seems like the house is full of people. This weekend Daniel's mom brought the four nephews down with her. We spent the weekend swimming and playing in the yard with the boys. They live in Cookeville, TN so we don't get to see them very often.

Daniel loves being their uncle and is insistent that they have a good, positive role model in him. He also loves acting like a kid with them too. I would like to take a minute and introduce to you "the boys".

Caleb Logsdon, age 8

Caleb is your typical big brother, but he's not your typical child. Caleb is high spirited and is smart beyond his years. He loves technical things and figuring out how things work. He loves to question...everything....and everybody. He learns different languages in school, and plays football.  He can be bossy at times, but overall he has a protective nature over his little brothers. 

Gavin Logsdon, age 5

Gavin is a very unique little boy. He is a book worm already and loves Magic Eye books and Where's Waldo type books. He follows Caleb everywhere, sometimes against his better judgment. He has already shown that he can pick up on activities and sports very quickly. He is very inquisitive and asks a lot of questions. He already has big dreams...aka: a limo ride for his 5th birthday!

Elijah Logsdon, age 3

Elijah is a little ball of fire...a bulldozer of sorts. He is full of life and mischief. He loves taking things apart and putting them back together. From a very young age he would break the toy...then figure out how to fix it. He is very loving, but very hyper at times too. He idolizes his big brothers, and loves to have his picture made. 

Luke Logsdon, age 14 months

Luke is a bundle of joy with a head full of beautiful curls. He is super loving and playful and picks up on things quickly. He just started walking recently and is into everything. We spent a lot of time together this weekend and he is a joy. He loves to eat whatever you are eating and once he warms up to you, you have a new best friend. Plus, he is the only one of the boys that knows me only as "Aunt Starr", not "that girl that uncle Daniel married". LOL. 

These are "the boys". I also have my own set of "boys" (Trey, Todd, and Jason)  and my "mini me" (Rebecca). I will introduce you to them soon.

Lyrics of Life

I was listening to Pandora today at work and one of my favorite songs came on the radio. It was one of the songs from our wedding that my wonderful friend Sara sang during our communion ceremony. This made me start reminiscing about that day and all the special songs that we spent so many months picking out. You think I'm joking when I say we spent months picking out our songs, but I'm being completely serious. I love music, and I love knowing all the lyrics and singing them over and over. I also love how music makes me feel, how it has memories associated with it, and how it can completely change a mood in just a few minutes.

I wanted every detail of our wedding to be special to us, and this included the songs. We meticulously picked out songs that held special meaning to us, had a memory associated with it, or reminded us of special people in our lives.

Looking back on that day, I remember it going by so fast and I remember not really paying much attention to the songs. I'm sure other people didn't either, but I know how much time and effort we put into making those songs mean something. I burned our wedding and reception songs to a CD and I keep it in my car. I listen to it often to remind me of how truly blessed I am. I have put together a play list of some of the key songs from our wedding and our reception. My wish is that you will listen to each song with a new understanding and think of Daniel and I when you hear them.

Our Songs:

1. When you say nothing at all- Allison Krause (Communion Song, sang by Sara McAdoo)

2. Indescribable- Chris Tomlin (our recessional song)

3. Better Life- Keith Urban (introduction of the wedding party)

4. Myspace Girl- The Afters (introduction of US!, b/c we met on Myspace)

5. God Bless the Broken Road- Rascal Flatts (first dance song)

6. My little girl- Tim McGraw (father/daughter dance)

7. Song for Mama- Boyz 2 Men (mother/son dance)

8. Love you Madly- Cake (cake cutting song)

9. Just a Girl- No Doubt (bouquet toss song)

10. Firecracker- Josh Turner (garter toss song)

Create a playlist at MixPod.com