A "Baking in my Pajamas" kind of day

This past weekend we went to Hazel Green, AL for the day to visit with Daniel's grandparents. We had not had a chance to go visit in quite a few months and they wanted to see us, and to give us our Christmas gifts. We took both the dogs with us because we were only going to stay for the day. The Lovell's have a huge yard that we thought the puppies would enjoy. It was pretty cold down there so we made the dogs wear their winter coats, which are stinkin cute as can be. Cooper had a blast running around the yard exploring. He ran around non-stop for about 30 minutes chasing birds, squirrels, and whatever leaves were blowing. He went all the way around the property and found the man-made pond. Luckily Daniel and I were standing right there with him because he decided to jump in the freezing cold pond with his coat on!! It was so scary and Daniel was quick to run over and grab him out. Once we made sure he was ok, we both burst out laughing. How often does your 10 pound doxie decide to do a polar plunge when its barely 40 degrees outside? We made sure to get him nice and warm and cuddled him for a while. He was traumatized.

The weekend with the grandparents and Aunt Becky was very nice despite that drama. We received some really nice gifts. Two of the gifts were cooking gizmos "As seen on TV", and I LOVE them! I love anything that goes into the kitchen, especially if it helps me make cooking easier. The first one was the Pasta Boat. Its a bowl that you can cook your pasta in the microwave. I love pasta so I was excited about this one. We tried it out last night when I made a homemade lasagna. It worked great and made my life a little easier....which is always nice.

The second one was the Perfect Brownie Pan. This is the one that allows you to make 18 perfectly square brownies simply and have a convenient way to display them. I tried this one out on Sunday night when I made a new recipe...Sour Cream Apple Crisp bars. They were very yummy!! And the pan worked just like it said it would. I was pleased.

Overall, it was a very successful baking & cooking weekend. Sunday night we started preparing for the snow that was to come in overnight. Daniel and I decided we were in the mood for soup, so we made a big pot of homemade veggie soup. It may be the best veggie soup I have ever had!! It was very simple too.

Monday we woke up to about 3 inches of snow on the ground with more coming down. I didnt go to work because we couldnt get out of our neighborhood. It was very fun to see how Cooper and Sophie responded to the snow. Cooper loved it. He is so adventurous! Sophie didnt really like it because she doesnt like her feet to get wet or cold. She eventually went out and played in it when she saw the other dogs having fun.

The snow allowed me to have one more cooking adventure...one I havent had since childhood. I made Snow Cream! Daniel had never experienced snow cream and I was so happy to be able to share it with him. We made two big batches and we froze most of it so we can enjoy it for a long time. Daniel also went out and made a snow man. He was so happy :).

Overall, this weekend has been a great one. The simple things in life that we so often overlook...cooking, adventure, family, and fun. I cant wait to experience it even more in the year to come.

He is Good

So yesterday I came home and the house was spotless! The laundry was done, there were no dishes in the sink, and I was greeted by two hyper puppies and one loving husband. At that moment, I couldn't have been more content. I've been going through some rough patches lately and this form of love is just what I needed. I heard this song this morning for probably the hundredth time. I am dedicating this to Daniel. Love you.

Mama's Song

by Carrie Underwood

Mama, you taught me to do the right things
So now you have to let your baby fly
You've given me everything that I will need
To make it through this crazy thing called life

And I know you watched me grow up
And only want what's best for me
And I think I found the answer to your prayers

And he is good, so good
He treats your little girl like a real man should
He is good, so good

He makes promises he keeps
No he's never gonna leave
So don't you worry about me
Don't you worry about me

Mama there's no way you'll ever lose me
Giving me away is not goodbye
As you watch me walk down to my future
I hope tears of joy are in your eyes

'Cause he is good, so good
And he treats your little girl like a real man should
He is good, so good

He makes promises he keeps
No he's never gonna leave
So don't you worry about me
Don't you worry about me

The Year of the Lord's Favor

As we welcome a new year, we have a motto or mission that we will attempt to live by in 2011. It is a popular passage from the Bible that many of our mentors live by as well.

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, 

because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. 

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedom for the captives

and release from darkness for the prisoners,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor

and provide for those who grieve in Zion-

to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor."

~Isaiah 61:1-3

A time of Waiting

Whoever coined the phrase "patience is a virtue" is not my friend. Deep in my heart I know it's true, but it's still not an easy concept to swallow. God is definitely teaching me patience in my life right now. He has me in a "time of waiting" and it seems to get more and more frustrating everyday. I am in a constant state of battle with myself over what I know the truth to be, and what I feel at the moment. Conversations with myself go like this..."I know God has a great plan for me and whatever is around the corner is better than what I have now, I just have to wait for it to be revealed." but "I am so tired of waiting and I want an answer now!!"

I don't want it to sound like I am complaining because I am really trying not to complain, I am just having a hard time with the waiting. I know it boils down to trusting in God and knowing that He has a plan for my life. That just seems to make me feel worse because not only do I feel like my whole life is out of my control, but I also have to admit that I don't trust God like I say I do.

Recently, in the past 3 or 4 months, it seems that every major area of my life except my relationship with my husband has been questioned, and in almost all of those areas I have been told to just WAIT. Our business has been at a stand still for almost a year, its doing steady but not really growing. In the last couple of months it has started to pick up the pace, but it still feels like we are waiting for everything to start happening. With my job, we were told about 4 months ago that within the next year our whole department is going to be transitioning to a new structure and we will have to reapply for our jobs. This in and of itself is very stressful and again it is a waiting game to see what everything will look like for us next fall.

In August I applied for a job in another department on campus and have been waiting for a response back for the past month. I made it all the way to the last round of interviews and was one of three that they were considering. I have been wracking my brain with the "what ifs" and trying to imagine my life and how things would change for us if I were to get the job. Well I got word today that I didn't get the job, and I have mixed feelings about it. First I am disappointed. I really needed something good to happen for Daniel and I. I am so tired of being disappointed all the time by situations, finances, and people. I really wanted a win. The other side of me keeps saying that God is in control and I just have to trust that something better is around the corner.

Lastly, and probably the most trying of all the waiting situations in my life is waiting to find out when we can start our family. This one is bothering me the most. It seems like we are stuck in an endless loop...we have to wait for our finances to improve so we can afford to have a baby, but we don't have any new job opportunities available at the moment to help our finances improve, so no baby. Daniel and I have been constantly looking for a job for Daniel when he finishes his schooling, which should be this year, and I have been applying for jobs this year too.

So as it stands for the Perrys....we are waiting on God. Waiting for him to open doors of opportunity in all areas of our lives. We are waiting for new business contacts, new jobs, new family members. Please continue to lift us up in prayer and ask God to help give us strength and perseverance to get through the waiting times. I look forward to what 2011 has for us, and all the great changes that are to come.

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.