eagle lake

on saturday we enjoyed a really beautiful fall day at eagle lake, which is right beside the campus.  we hiked a trail that went all the way around the perimeter of the lake.  the weather was perfect.

 (john porter is holding his gourd that he got at marker earlier that day.  he held onto it the whole day.)

quiet times

i have struggled with my quiet times forever. i seriously can't remember the last time i felt good about my times with God.  inconsistency, distractions, apathy.

i have a lot more structure now. i have very few distractions here.  and i don't have much else to invest myself in.  i am so thankful to be having good times in Gods word. 

that's my spot.  i have my plan, my coffee, and quiet.  i think i will look back on this time here as being an unusually sweet time with the Lord.

(caregroup ladies!! are you still reading a praying life?  i finished it and i loved it.  its been so helpful.  those are my note cards sticking out my book there!  : )  )

rainy days

  i love  rainy days.  i love the smell and sound of rain.

weekend with my parents

my parents came to visit this weekend.  they brought us lots of goodies from lancaster.  it was really great to see some familiar faces.  john and i even go to go out on a date without porter.  we enjoyed showing them john's campus and hanging out around town.  thanks mom and pop!

you know your in kentucky when...

...EVERYONE wears camo.   it doesn't what your style is, or whether your young or old...from the grocery store, to church... baby clothes, formal blouses, t-shirts, pants, coats...camo is worn by all here.

...you randomly find a grocery cart in your yard

..."turtleman" is referenced during the message at church

...the guy at market calls the potatoes "M taters"

tuesday lunch

every tuesday john has a break over lunchtime.  i usually walk and meet him on campus.   we are about the only people in sight with a stroller and a baby.  john porter usually gets lots of attention from the ladies passing by.

i saw an amish person today!

pizza night

friday nights are our pizza nights.  it is so good.  thanks to my lovely friend liz, i am learning how to make cheese.  today i made my first successful batch of ricotta.  it went perfectly on our pizza.  wish i had better photos...i am still learning the basics of photo taking...

here is the recipe for a really simple and delicious crust (from fine cooking magazine...thanks mom!)
*1 3/4 C lukewarm water
*1 Tbsp olive oil
*2 tsp salt
*1 1/2 tsp dry yeast
*1 1/2 tsp sugar (or honey)
*4 1/2  C flour (we usually use spelt or whole wheat)
   mix all ingredients in large bowl.  cover loosely with plastic wrap.  let rise for 2 hours at room temperature, then move to refrigerator.  use within the day, or transfer to sealed container for a week, or freeze.

dinner time

dinner time tends to be the hardest part of the day for porter.  i tend to get very frustrated...i think the feeling is mutual.  love him.   : )

thankful

you know when  you are on vacation or away somewhere, and your out in public in your pajamas, but you  think "it doesn't matter, no one knows me.."  i feel like that all the time.  i'm kind of a slob lately. i don't really bother putting make up on, except when we go to church, or i'm in a "put together" mood. 

i actually really enjoy it.  i am embracing this season of being able to get myself ready and out the door in 2 minutes without thinking twice. 

my cell phone hardly ever rings.  my calendar looks so white and empty compared to what i'm used to.  moving here has really simplified my life.  so many things have been cut out of my "normal life".  and i'm left with all these pockets of time.  its awesome. 

i'm sure the novelty of this will wear off eventually, but i am loving for now.

so thankful we are on this adventure together.

laundry

i surprisingly don't miss having a washing machine.  i actually enjoy going to the laundry mat.  however, i do miss having a dryer.  i could just pay the $2.00 per load to dry it...but we are in college-mode here.  $2.00 per load adds up!

quote from john after his classes..."you know your in kentucky when someone asks you if its moonshine in your glass jar when its actually water"

more kentucky observations to come...

lexington

on a whim, we decided to go to lexington yesterday.  its about an hour away.  its really clean and has lots of cool places to eat and shop.  we were only there for short visit but im looking forward to going back. 

 i wanted these curtains so badly.  i found them on one of my trips to ikea while we were renovating our kitchen.  it was one of those few things i find where i really have to have them.  i have been waiting for the right place to put them...im so happy there was a spot here in this house.  its one of my little "happy moments" here. 

we had a fairly uneventful week.  but it was a step forward in establishing our lives here. 

happy that september is here.