And Life Goes On

Should You Ever Start?

2011-05-08T15:54:00.004-06:00

A few years ago, I wrote a post about shopping and why I don't like it. Mostly it's because it causes something in me that I don't like, covetousness. It makes me unhappy with what I have and long for me. I've been thinking about this same idea in several areas of life and it has led me to the question, is it better to never start.

For almost a whole year, I have not slept more than 4-5 hours in a row. Unsurprisingly, this timing goes back to when my darling Alistair entered the world. I've been doing okay, but this week, after 3 very bad night in a row I looked in the mirror and saw that I had a grayish complexion with very, very dark circles under my eyes. I'm not much of a make-up wearer, not being able to wear it until I was 16 probably contributed to this, and usually just use a little eye make-up each day. On that third day, sad about what I saw in the mirror, I pulled out the make-up bag that I use for special occasions with powder, blush and other various items. I put some on in hopes of looking human for the day. It worked, I was pleased with what I saw in the mirror. So the next day, I decided, "Hey, I looked good, let's try it again." And on Friday, I found myself applying a face full of make-up for the third day in a row.

Is there anything wrong with wearing make-up? No. Is there anything wrong with wanting to feel better about yourself? No. But I wonder if there are times when we begin to do things that change the way that we life our lives, the way that we think about them. Simple things really: starting to drink real coffee, so that I have become a coffee snob turning up my nose at coffee that isn't freshly ground and locally roasted. We started eating locally grown fresh food, and I find very few restaurants that satisfy my tastes and aren't overly processed. After 6 years of being a one car family, we bought a 2nd car, and now can't imagine life with just one. These are all fairly small, but slowly, life begins to change. And perhaps looks a way that we never thought it would.

There are changes that are definitely good, but there are also those that complicate life, call for more of my resources, and make me less content with my life as it is. It leads me to the question, should we ever start?

The Goods of Lent

2011-05-02T13:29:00.004-06:00

It seems as though every year I give up the same things for Lent. Every Sunday during the season of Lent, I feast on them (gorge might be a better word), not to be deprived of something I love, and every Easter Sunday marks a return to the old, as though Lent didn't just happen.

This year seemed to be no different. I gave up sweets (a regular in the Daugherty household) and buying coffee at coffee shops (this was becoming a habit, and keeping me from some commitments to simple living that our family tries to keep). Simple things, but both something that really seem to have a hold on my life and serve as distractions to living the way that I feel I am called to live. It seemed as though many of the groups that I am a part of were talking about Lent differently this year. In my Sunday School class, we talked about fasting for Lent not just as something that we "sacrificed" to more deeply know the suffering of Christ on the cross, but instead as something that we did to create new paths of deeper discipleship in our lives.

I began to think about Lent this way, but also began to wonder if I would truly be different when the 40 (or 46) days were over. I still found myself most nights in the kitchen after we had put the kids down wondering how I could get something kind of sweet to satisfy my cravings and how long this fast would be over so that I could get back to life as usual. Easter came, and still not much had changed. But, in this week, I am finding that during this season of Lent, new pathways, however simple, were being created. I had a few days were I indulged in sweets, seemingly as though Lent had never happened, but then I realized that I found myself not wanting sweets, not needing or craving them as I had before. I also found that they weren't as satisfying, and after I ate something, I wished that I hadn't. And so, I find myself making some small decisions that shape my relationship with food (which has never been an especially good one). I don't know how long it will last, but for now, I want to make changes and am making steps to make them. Don't worry, I'm not giving them up completely.

Do I think that not eating sweets is some kind of great spiritual feat? Not really. But, in this one thing, I see how God is continuing to shape me. As I am obedient, God's grace will transform my life, even in the small things, and hopefully that leads to the big things as well. As I clear out the voices clamoring for attention, I can begin to hear the small voice of God speaking into my life. I pray that this is only the beginning.

And you know what, I don't miss it all that much anyway.

My Kids are Amazing

2011-04-25T09:53:00.007-06:00

So, I'm pretty sure that I have the cutest kids on the planet. I might be a little biased, but take a look.

Alistiar just after tasting sour cream for the first time!

This is Ella's first tooth that she lost. She's lost one more since

The end of the Easter pictures. They were both pretty tired of it.

Taking some Easter shots after we got home from church. She is quite the ham, as you can see.

Going Gray

2011-02-16T19:52:00.003-06:00

Memories of my grandma are filled with a woman with beautiful silver white hair. I actually don't remember seeing many pictures of my grandma without this hair. My mom tells me that it's because gray hair runs in our family, both she and my grandma were completely gray by the age of 29. As I have gotten older, I have been excited to see that I made it to and past 29 without much gray hair.

However, this summer I gave birth to my second child, and haven't slept much since then (no, he's still not sleeping through the night). And in the last 8 months, the gray hairs on my head have increased exponentially. Ella has mentioned it, my mom has mentioned it, and my hair dresser on several occasions has said, "You know, it's probably time to start thinking about what you're going to do with your gray that's coming in." (and they are not the only ones) She's given me several suggestions on what I might do. Those who know me well know two things about me: 1. I am not so much into things that take a lot of maintenance, 2. I don't like to spend money. These two things have made me more than a little hesitant about dying my hair to cover the gray.

I've spent a lot of time over the last several months thinking about what I will do with my gray hair (Ella thinks that this year, my hair is going to turn all gray and I'll look "weird"). I must admit that I cringe when I think about the thought of being in my mid-thirties and almost entirely gray. But, I have finally come to the decision that I'm going to let my hair change naturally and not dye it (which my incredible husband is in total support of).

Why you might ask? For two reasons:

1. I have a 5 year old girl at my house. She is already very concerned with what she wears, how she accessorizes and can't wait until the day she can wear make up and high heels. I hope that my choice can teach her that who we are is about more than what we look like on the outside. That we do not need to make ourselves into something that we are not, it's okay to be the way that God made us, no matter what that looks like.

2. Much of my work is with young women at Trevecca. The world makes it their business to give them all kinds messages about what they should look like, what makes them significant, and what they should do with their bodies. I can be one voice in their lives that says that whatever they may look like, it's okay.

I am probably being idealistic, it's probably not that important. But, I feel led to take this step and be a different voice in the midst of all those calling from our culture. I wonder what my all-gray head will look like. Only time will tell.

Memories and Images

2010-11-28T16:58:00.003-06:00

I was up late with the baby last night. I was trying to convince him that he really didn't want to eat 2-3 times a night. In the interim (read - while he was crying in his crib and I watched the timer slowly click down until I could go in and comfort him) I sat in the living room, which was pretty cold.

After all was said and done (Alistair won, I was too sick and tired to go more than about an hour) I headed back up to my room to get some sleep. I laid in my bed and I was absolutely freezing, no matter what position I was in, how closely I cuddled up to Brad, I couldn't warm up. I finally went to the closet and got out a few blankets to pile on to keep me warm. As I laid in bed trying to go to sleep, a few memories came to my mind:

The first was of laying in bed in my Grandpa Gerbsch's house. It was awfully cold there in the winter at night, but grandpa had lots of (scratchy) blankets that he would pile on. So, my nose and face were a little cold as I drifted off to sleep, but there was a heavy pile of blankets on top to keep me warm.

The second was yet another from my grandparents, this time Grandma and Grandpa Lipa. I was often sick as a child and had a really nasty sounding cough (my mom says that I bark like a seal). When I would spend the night with my grandparents, my grandpa would give me a shot of Nyquil (the green kind), slather Vicks on my chest, and send me to his very warm and cozy bed with blankets piled on top. I would settle down and quickly fall asleep, waking in the morning feeling much better.

These aren't big memories, but these grandparents have been gone for over a decade, my Grandpa Lipa almost 20 years. I will often get a fleeting thought of them, but I am thankful for moments (even freezing ones in the middle of the night) that bring back to me vivid pictures of the grandparents that I love so much, reminders of the people that they were, and the way that they loved and cared for me.

I miss you Grandma and Grandpa Lipa and Grandpa Gerbsch!

Life Really Does Go on!

2010-11-14T01:33:00.006-06:00

It's hard to believe that it's been since January that I've posted. Certainly much has changed in life with the arrival of Alistair Joseph in June. Since I'm waiting for him to fall back asleep in hopes of weaning him off of one of his two nighttime feedings, what a better time to post!

Ella turns five on Monday. It's hard to believe that we have had her in our lives for that long. She is such a blessing. Daily, she is a reminder to us of the goodness of God, the beauty and laughter of children, and the ways in which our children can delight us with even the small things that they do. I appreciate her sense of humor, her amazing intelligence, and her kindness and generosity towards others.

Alistair is just over 5 months old, and is one of the happiest babies I have ever seen. When he makes eye contact with you, his face lights up in an amazing smile that will melt your heart. He is a stubborn boy (I say he gets it from his daddy), and likes to get his own way. And, he's certainly making life interesting. Over the past few weeks, he's started eating real food and loves avocados and sweet potatoes. He's turned over a few times, but working on doing it more. I can't to hear his first word and get a sense of his little voice. What joy he brings to our lives.

And, they love each other! The joy that I see in their eyes as Ella goes in to greet Alistair in the morning, or reaches down to show him a new toy, or holds him in her arms is awe inspiring. We couldn't be more blessed than to have these two wonderful children as a part of our lives. We look forward to watching them grow and become the people that God is calling them to be in our world.

Dexter is a boy!

2010-01-20T08:35:00.004-06:00

I had my 20 week ultrasound yesterday, and we got the wonderful news that Dexter is a boy. Big sister, Ella, who really, really, really wanted a sister is in a state of shell shock, but says, "I'll love the baby anyway, and give him lots of kisses." It's fun to know, and we look forward to meeting him in early June. And, in case you were wondering, no, Dexter will not be his name :)

Presidential Scholar?

2010-01-02T11:31:00.003-06:00

On our drive to the Midwest for Christmas, we somehow got onto the topic of presidents, and who was president when. On a stop at a local K-Mart (we were early for a dinner date in Upland, IN, not much choice around) we found a place mat with all of the presidents and when Ella asked us to buy it, we decided that a parent couldn't go wrong. What we were not prepared for what would happen after we actually started using the place mat. Each meal is now filled with questions about the presidents: who was good (Abe Lincoln was the best, we tell her), who was bad (I'm not even going to post our opinions about that!), how long were they president (She finds it fascinating that Grover Cleveland has two pictures because he served in non-consecutive terms), who is alive and who is dead? She now has favorites which include: Andrew Jackson (who let all kinds of people into the White house and they got mud on the chairs), William Henry Harrison (who had the shortest presidency, dying after he refused to wear a coat or hat during a freezing inauguration, giving the longest inauguration speech in history) and William Howard Taft (who was so large he got stuck in a bathtub). We didn't think that she would enjoy it so much! Unfortunately, Brad and I are running out of presidential trivia to share with her. Do you have any good trivia on presidents that we can share?

An Advent Prayer

2009-12-15T09:13:00.001-06:00

Pray with longing for a better world and the arrival of the Kingdom of God.

In our secret yearnings
we wait for your coming,
and in our grinding despair
we doubt that you will.

And in this privileged place
we are surrounded by witnesses who yearn more than do we
and by those who despair more deeply than do we.

Look upon your church and its pastors
in this season of hope
which runs so quickly to fatigue
and in this season of yearning
which becomes so easily quarrelsome.

Give us the grace and the impatience
to wait for your coming to the bottom of our toes,
to the edges of our fingertips.

We do not want our several worlds to end.

Come in your power
and come in your weakness
in any case
and make all things new.

Amen.

Walter Brueggeman
Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth: Prayers of Walter Brueggemann

An Addition to the Family

2009-12-11T09:45:00.003-06:00

We just wanted to let everyone know that we are expecting a new addition to the Daugherty family! I am 14 weeks pregnant, and Baby Daugherty (whom we affectionately call Dexter, and no, we don't know if the baby is a boy!)will arrive sometime in early June. We are all excited about the new addition to our family, particularly Ella who told us a few weeks before we let her know, "Mommy, I think I'm ready to be a big sister now!".

We'll keep you updated as the time draws closer!

Ella on Advent

2009-11-23T12:59:00.003-06:00

Sometimes I like to write things down just for me, and perhaps that's what this post is :) Last night, Ella and I were in the car on the way back from church, and we were talking about Advent. Sometimes it's hard to convince a 4 year-old that we really do need to observe Advent before we get to Christmas and Baby Jesus. So, as we were talking about what Advent is, I was trying to prompt her to tell me that we're waiting for Jesus to come again. Instead, I said, "What are we waiting for in Advent, Ella?" Without missing a beat she answered, "We're waiting for the resurrection of the dead." I thought for a moment and said, "Yes, Ella, yes we are." It's amazing what comes from the mouths of little children!

Our Little "Mama"

2009-09-03T20:00:00.004-06:00

For anyone who knows her, it is no secret that Ella loves babies. She loves playing with her dolls, is always within arm's reach of any baby in the same room as her, and talks a lot about having a baby brother or sister (well, really she just wants a sister, we tell her that you get what God gives you.).

On Sunday night, Ella's class at church talked about Abraham and Sarah and the special plan that God had for them. The class ate birthday cake and ice cream to celebrate Abraham and Sarah's 100th birthday. I came in right as cake was being served, and stayed for a few moments. The preschool director asked the children while they were eating to think about what God's special plan for their lives might be. Ella thought for a moment, then looked at my with big eyes and huge smile on her face. "Mommy," she said, "I think that God's special plan for me is to have a baby when I get big."

I've heard many women say that all they've wanted since childhood is to be a mom and raise their families, perhaps we're raising one in our house.

Learning Together

2009-08-26T20:23:00.003-06:00

I like to listen to the radio in the car. As I have grown older, I have stopped listening to music as much (kind of funny for the Director of the Center for Worship Arts, huh?). I like to listen to talk radio. For a few years, I have been addicted to sports talk radio. When we were in Boston I loved to listen to Dale & Holly and the Big Show with the Big "O" on WEEI. Since we moved, I started listening to ESPN radio in Nashville, and fell in love with Mike & Mike, and could tolerate some of the others. About a month ago, 106.7 the fan unexplicably left, and I was suddenly listening to hip hop/top 40. Definitely not for me. So, I turned to trusty NPR, and listen as I drive to and from work (it's amazing how much more I know about what's happening in the world!).

In the evenings and in the middle of the day, they don't have talk programming but instead play classical music. I've never been much of a classical fan, but I have found it relaxing when I get into the car and listen to the sounds of soothing music. On our way home from church tonight, Ella hasked what kind of music that was and why there wasn't any words. I told her that sometimes Mommy liked to listen to this kind of music, and imagine what it is about. She began imagining with me: "This part is really scary, Mommy." "Now it's not scary, it's like a big, giant parade." "I can't hear the violins anymore, where did they go." And on it went for the 10 minute ride. I found that I, too, began to imagine what the music was describing, and it was wonderful. What a fun time to share together on an ordinary Wednesday night.

I LOVE my job!

2009-08-25T20:39:00.006-06:00

So have I mentioned that I LOVE my job? Well, I loved it already, but adding the Worship Arts component has some good perks. Today, I got to sit in on a video shoot with Michael W. Smith while he talked about the Nashville Predators, and then did a spot about the Center for Worship Arts. After the shoot, he introduced himself to me, and we spent a few minutes talking about the center, and about how he would like to be involved with something that "has been needed for such a long time." Just in case you can't imagine it, here's what it looked like:

Tomorrow, I'm going to call Michael Card to talk with him about the event that he'll be doing with us in May. It's exciting!!

The Prayers of a Child

2009-07-05T13:44:00.002-06:00

I haven't blogged in forever. Not because of a lack of things to blog about, only for the time to do it :) Over the last few days, we have begun to witness something in our household that I thought was definitely blog-worthy.

Last night, we were eating dinner quickly getting ready to go to the big 4th of July block party at our church when it began to rain. It wasn't a light rain, but it was pouring sheets of rain. Ella, obviously, was very interested in going to see the fireworks and was distraught because of the rain. Suddenly, she bowed her head and began to mumble. After a few moments she said, "I was just talking with God, and God told me that it wasn't going to rain anymore tonight." No matter what we said about the rain she was assured that God would stop the rain to allow her to watch fireworks. We had never seen her do this before, so we were quite surprised.

Then this morning, while getting ready for breakfast, the subject of a sibling came up (it often does as Ella really, really wants a sibling). Again, she bowed her head and mumbled for a few moments. She then looked up and announced, "I asked God for a sister, God will give me one."

So, it seems, we have entered into a new phase of Ella's communication with God. It is amazing to watch her internalize what we, and the church, have been seeking to teach her for 3 1/2 years. She is sincere and earnest in her faith, and I can only pray that this will be a pattern that will continue as she grows older.

A Pastor in the Making?

2009-03-04T00:30:00.004-06:00

I'm never really quite sure what to do when I arrive to pick Ella up from school and her teacher immediately gets up to come over to see me. My heart leaps up into my throat as I wait to hear whether she is sharing good news about Ella's day or bad.

Today, I arrived at Vanderbilt to get Ella, and Ms. Allison jumps up from her place with the kids on the floor and comes over to see me. "You'll never believe what Ella did today," she exclaims. It seems that before their afternoon group time, the children had a little free time. Ms. Allison turned around to see Ella and a friend, Jerry talking with one another. Jerry was lying on the floor completely straight and Ella was saying to him, "That's how you get baptized Jerry, you're a Christian now." It seems that Ella was baptizing her classmates! I asked her later if Jerry wanted to be baptized, and she said, "No, I just baptized him."

For a while now, Ella has had a slight obsession with baptism. She often baptizes herself and her dolls during bathtime and sometimes even asks me to baptize her (I'm not sure what to do with that request since I am ordained, and she has already been baptized). This coupled with a strong tendency that she has for making up songs about God, church and Jesus, her love for reciting the Apostles Creed, and her recent practice of preaching from any one of daddy's many "Jesus Books" found in his office makes me wonder if we are seeing Ella's vocation in action.

And, did I mention that she told us today that our neighbors weren't Christians because they weren't keeping the same Lenten fast that we are? What are we going to do with this girl??

Merry Christmas from the Daugherty Family

2008-12-22T22:43:00.008-06:00

Hello! We hope that these Advent days are treating you well. Just last week, I commented to a friend that I had chosen not to send out a Christmas card and letter this year because nothing new was happening in our household (not to mention that the life of a PhD student and a college administrator can get pretty busy). And then, a big surprise came our way, so I thought that I would post a last minute holiday greeting.

So, I'll begin with our most exciting news: today, I accepted a job as the Director of the Center for Worship Arts at Trevecca. The center is brand new at Trevecca, and I will be in charge of creating both a major and minor as well as to provide continuing education and conference opportunities for worship pastors. The job will give me the opportunity to help to train and encourage the next generation of worship leaders. The job is a little overwhelming, but also very exciting. I will still keep my current job as the Director of Church Services, which will be about 60% of my job, and the other 40% will be dedicated to the Center for Worship Arts. I am loving my job at Trevecca, and look forward to the new challenges that lie ahead in the new year. I also started running this summer. I ran my first 5K in September, and dad and I ran another 5K on Thanksgiving Day. I'm still not sure that I want to be a runner, but I'm considering running the Country Music Half-Marathon in April.

Brad is keeping quite busy with his work at Vanderbilt. He has two semesters left of classes, and is very much looking forward to being done with his formal class work. He is enjoying his program, and knows that he is doing exactly what he was meant to do. This spring, he will be presenting a paper at the Wesleyan Theological Society meeting, and we're all looking forward to a trip to Anderson, IN in March. Brad will spend this coming summer doing some traveling with me (including a trip to Poland with a group of Trevecca students) and studying Greek to prepare for classes in the fall.

Ella continues to be the absolute joy of our life. She turned 3 in November, and certainly keeps us on our toes. She finally found a daycare home at the Vanderbilt Child and Family Center which is just a few blocks from Brad's school. She loves school and can't wait to go each day. She and several of her girlfriends call themselves the "Lava Girls." She is learning all of her letters and loves to sing and read books. Her favorite thing to do is play pretend in the kitchen and with dress up clothes. When she grows up she wants to "be a mommy or a daddy so that I can make breakfast and dinner and have a baby in my belly." She also has become quite the sports fan, loving the Red Sox and Colts, although she tells us that basketball is her favorite sport. She is very much looking forward to visiting our family in Illinois and Indiana this Christmas.

This year, we have been reminded again and again of the goodness of God. When we have least expected it, God has provided for our every need, and some even before we knew we had them. We are astonished at the paths that we continue to be led on, and look forward to what lies ahead in the year to come. We pray that the grace of God would be evident in your lives in the coming year.

The Things We Teach Our Children

2008-12-10T08:53:00.003-06:00

I'm pretty sure that part of the point of parenting is to teach your children things about life, and how to navigate through it. But sometimes, even the good things that we teach us come back to get us.

For the past 5 months, Ella and I (sometimes Brad) have gone to East Nashville Cooperative Ministry on Sunday evenings to help with a meal for the homeless and working poor. Each week we help to set tables, serve food, and spend time eating and talking with our new friends. Ella loves Soulfeast, and know that on Sundays we go to church and Soulfeast. On Sunday night, a local youth group was helping out, and one of our very best friends invited us over for dinner. We made the decision to forgo Soulfeast this week, and come back next week. When Ella learned of this, she was not going for it. She said that she wanted to go to Soulfeast, they needed us. So, Brad went over to our friend's house alone while Ella and I went to Soulfeast to set things up and get the meal started. After we had done that she was "so excited" to go for dinner. I guess that she is our little humanitarian.

Then, this morning, I had given Ella her waffles and dried cranberries for breakfast, and came to the table with my own breakfast of toast with butter and a banana. Ella looked at my breakfast and said, "You have two pieces of toast?" I told her that I did and then she said, "God likes it when we share, Mommy," while greedily eyeing my piece of toast. I asked her if she would like a bite of my toast and she said, "Yes Mommy, God likes it when we share." And with a sly smile, she ate my toast!

She's obviously learning some of the things that we're trying to teach her, which is wonderful. Perhaps I should be thankful for the times when she reminds me of ways to act in our world.

For the Holidays

2008-11-26T21:57:00.004-06:00

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is already here! I can't believe that December is just around the corner. Ella turned 3 this month, and we had a wonderful party. Unfortunately, our camera broke and no one one at our party brought one. So, it will just have to be a party that lives on in our memories. I thought to celebrate the holidays, I would share a few Ella stories.

#1 - For her birthday, Ella received a gift card to Target. And, as much as I wanted to spend it on something practical, we decided to take her to Target and let her pick out whatever she wanted. For a few weeks now, she's been telling me that she needs her own laptop (I guess that Brad and I spend too much time on ours!), and so I brought them to her attention in the toy department. Immediately, she decided that she wanted one, so we took it up to the register and she bought it with her own "money". Ella loves her laptop, and for several days we would be doing things around the house and Ella would randomly yell, "I'll be right back, I've got to check my e-mail." She would run into the living room and spend a few minute on the computer. Today, however, I was looking for a way to distract her in the car and asked if she needed to check her e-mail on her laptop, she said to me, "My laptop doesn't have any e-mail, just games." Very astute!

#2 - One of Brad's favorite things to do when we're taking a few moments to rest on the couch as a family is to yell "Dogpile" and we all pile on. Ella has also developed a liking for the game. This week, as we were sitting on the couch, she decided that we needed a few rounds of Dogpile. After we had done that a few times, she yells, "Duckpile!" Brad asked her what that was, and she proceeded to show us: for the game of duckpile, you pile on top of each other, but with everyone on their backs, facing the ceiling. Ella loves this game even more than dogpile, and proceeded to yell "Duckpile!" over and over again until we told her we couldn't take any more of the piling. We'll see if it, too, becomes a family favorite.

Hope that you have a wonderful holiday!

Ella Endorses Obama!

2008-10-30T14:47:00.002-06:00

Last night as we were driving home from church, I told Ella that I had gone to vote that day. We talked a little about voting and I asked her who she thought should be our next president. She excitedly answered, "Barack Obama." We're not sure where she learned about Barack Obama or John McCain, but apparently we talk about them more than we think. I think that Barack Obama is a pretty fun name to say. Nonetheless, the child has given her opinion. I guess that we'll see how the rest of the country feels in just a few days......

Life never gets back to "normal"

2008-10-27T20:05:00.003-06:00

I, of course, have been pretty excited about my new diet/weight loss over the last year and a half. Not to mention becoming a "runner" (I'm still not sure if I can call myself that yet). But, I have forgotten a lesson that I learned in the beginning of my weight loss: Life never gets back to "normal", meaning that I never get to go back to eating whatever I want. Even with running I can't eat dessert everyday, and not measure out portions, and eat "just a little more." The pounds slowly but surely creep back on.

So, does this mean that I am on a perpetual diet? Does this mean that I can never eat what I want again? I guess that the answer is both yes and no. I am on a sort of diet, I have never been, and obviously never will be, the kind of person who can eat whatever they want and keep up the weightloss/maintenance. What I need to do is remember the lessons that I learned, in eating you make choices, a lot of them. If I want ice cream in the evening, then I can't have a cookie in the afternoon. If I want a little more dinner, I should eat a little less lunch, or vice versa. If I am eating badly, it's even more important that I make time in my day to go running (which is pretty hard with a little one). These are good lessons to learn, but hard to live out.

I guess this post is more of a reminder to myself, it's time to get serious, and be healthy! Being happy with who I am and proud of how I look is more important than that cookie that looks so tasty. If you have experienced the same thing and have any advice about staying on track, I would appreciate it!

What's the Matter with me?

2008-10-03T11:26:00.005-06:00

Those of you who know me well know that when I say that I like sleeping, it's an understatement. I actually list napping as one of my hobbies. If a Sunday goes by and I don't get my Nazarene nap, I'm not a very happy camper. Lately, though, it seems that no matter how much sleep I get, I am never rested. I can sleep 8 hours a night and wake up feeling like crap, just the same as if I get 6 hours of sleep. I drag myself out of bed every morning bleary eyed and wanting more sleep. Every night when I get home, I count down the hours until I can go to sleep at a time reasonable to most adults (and after my 2 year old).

I just don't understand it. I eat a very healthy diet, I exercise about 2 hours a week, I can run 3 miles. Why can't I stay awake? One might think that it's some thyroid thing, but I've had that checked. One might say that it's because I am the mom of a toddler, but my toddler sleeps for almost 12 hours, and only 1 or 2 times a week wakes me up in the middle of the night.

I hate being tired, I want more energy. I have so much to do that I can't afford to go to bed at 9:00 every night. I just don't know how to make it better. Any suggestions?

P.S. I can't do caffeine, it gives me headaches and makes me want to sleep more!!!

What a Big Girl!

2008-09-24T15:49:00.009-06:00

I have been meaning to write this post for a while, but I haven't' been able to because our computer has been on the fritz. This has been a big summer for our little one, who is slowly but surely making the transition from being a baby to being a "big girl."

In May, Ella started going to daycare at Vanderbilt, just a few blocks from Brad's school. It has been such a blessing. One drawback for her was that they don't allow 2 year olds to have pacis at Vanderbilt. So, on her first day, we prepared her, "No pacis at Vanderbilt." We decided to go cold turkey, and that evening we put all of her pacis into a box, and took them out to the mailbox where the mail carrier would come to "take the pacis to the babies." That night, we questioned our decision while for 2 hours (from midnight-2) Ella cried, "I want my paci." But, after that night, we were done! What a relief. But even now, if you ask Ella what makes her happy she will say without hesitation, "my blankie and my paci."

Ella also made the leap of potty training this summer. She still has the occasional accident, and is working on giving up Pull-ups at nap time and nighttime, but we're making progress. She loves to wear big girl underwear, and often reminds us, "Diapers are for babies."

The last big leap that we made this summer is moving Ella from her crib to a big girl bed. She wasn't climbing out at night, but when she was in her bed for time outs, she would throw her legs over the side. We knew it was time. So, we got a great bed on Craigslist and put it in her room. She loves being able to climb in and out herself, and thankfully still stays in bed until we come and get her when she wakes up. She loves to bring 2 stuffed animals to bed with her (only 1 for nap time she tells us), and loves to "switch" them each night. Here are some pictures of Ella in her big girl bed.

Ella is such a joy, and we are really enjoying being parents to her. She is learning all of her letters and numbers, is very interested in reading and amazes us each day with new things that she is learning. She has also started trying to interject herself into all of our conversations. "You talking about cousin Andy, or another Andy." And is very insightful. Last week, Brad was talking animatedly to get a point across and she said, "You mad at mommy, daddy?" It made us laugh. Her favorite thing to do is hang out at the park. We are thankful for the blessing that she is, and look forward to the years ahead.

I Made It!

2008-09-23T07:49:00.008-06:00

On Saturday, September 20, hundreds of people from toddlers to grandparents gathered together to run a race. I arrived a
few hours before the race and watched as children, parents, grandparents and college students streamed into the center of Belmont’s campus to register for the race. All around me, people of all shapes and sizes were chugging water, eating bananas, stretching and running warm-up laps to prepare for the big event, the 5K.

All of my training culminated Saturday night at the 5K. I lined up on Belmont Avenue for the big race (about 20 Trevecca students ran it, too). After some delay, and a few sprinkles, the starting gun sounded and we were off. It was hot, it was dark, and it was hilly. Most of the runners were ahead of me, but I kept running (sometimes, though, I had to walk to keep going). But as I came to the top of the final hill and could see the finish line ahead, I got a new burst of energy. And though I was hot, though my ankles were sore, and although I could barely breathe, the end was in sight. The time on the finish line clock was more than the 14:51 that the winner finished in, but it was faster than I had ever run (okay, it was 34:04). And what began as a dream in June became a reality. It wasn’t ever easy, and it was rarely fun, but it was worth it. I’m already looking toward a Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving Day.

Ella and mommy after finishing the race.

I did it! Yes, I'm really red!

Race Day is on It's Way

2008-09-17T07:27:00.004-06:00

Well, just a few more days until the race on Saturday. I have a short (2 mile) run tomorrow, and then I'll be resting (from running that is) until the race Saturday evening (how horrible to have to wait until 6:30 p.m.!). I'm not quite sure yet what the best thing to eat is on Saturday leading up to the race.

I feel like I'm ready, although I'm not sure that I'll be able to run the whole time. A friend of mine ran a whole marathon going 4 minutes running, 1 minute walking. I might do something similiar if the hills of Nashville get to me. Either way, though, I feel a sense of accomplishment. When I began in June, I could barely run for 30 seconds in a row. Now, I can run up to 2 miles without stopping, and sometimes even more. I thought that by now I would like running more, but I don't. I still haven't experienced the "runner's high" that people say gets them through. I'll probably never be a marathon (or half-marathon for that matter) runner. But, I'm in a better place than I was 3 months ago. And, running is a pretty efficient form of exercise that you can do anywhere.

I'm already planning my next race. My dad, brothers and I will be doing a Turkey Trot in Savannah on Thanksgiving Day. Two years ago, I couldn't even walk a 5K at that race (I probably could have, I just didn't want to!). I guess that I must just like poultry events :) I appreciate your prayers for Saturday, and I will post pictures when I can.

Ready or not, here I come!

I thought that I was the favorite

2008-09-10T10:41:00.003-06:00

Most days, I drop Ella off at school and Brad picks her up. However, on Wednesdays this semester, our schedules dictate that we switch. I decided that today I would leave work a little early and spend some extra time with Ella (a precious commodity in our household). As she and Brad were leaving this morning I told her that I would pick her up after nap. She looked crushed and said, "But mommy, I have to have snack, and group time and play outside then you can pick me up." I told her that I could pick her up at 3:00 and she said, how about 5:00 (funny, since she knows nothing about time). We continued to discuss it for a few minutes, but she never backed down. She wanted me to pick her up from school, but not until she finishes her favorite activities :) I guess that spending time with mom isn't top on her favorites list anymore.

The Potty Truck

2008-09-04T12:56:00.003-06:00

It's been a while since I've posted. Our Mac is out of commission, and all the of cute pictures that I have of Ella to share are hanging out there. As soon as it's fixed, I'll post on Ella's big girl bed, and my new dresses :)

But, this morning, Ella and I walked out of the front door to see a His and Hers Plumbing truck in front of our neighbors house. Their logo is above. She looked at me and said, "Mommy, why do they have a potty truck?" It was all that I could do to keep from laughing. We spent a lot of time on the way to school discussing potty trucks!

The Promise of Baptism

2008-08-08T16:37:00.004-06:00

In June, we spent a long weekend with my parents in Savannah. As a part of the weekend's festivities, my 11-year-old sister, Anna, was baptized. We had talked with Ella about it as we prepared for the occasion, and also talked with Ella about her own baptism. Since then, Ella has talked about baptism a lot. She has wanted to thank God for her and Aunt Anna's baptism, talked about what happens at Baptism (we have told her that we become Christian when we are baptized), and watched her own baptism video on Brad's computer.

Last night, I was giving Ella a bath, and she had some little cubes that hold water. She filled one up, poured the water over her head and said, "I get baptized, I'm a Christian now." She proceeded to "baptize" herself several more times during the course of her bath. It's amazing how kids think about the things that we tell them! Who knows, perhaps Ella is destined to be a pastor!

P.S. For those who care, I can run 1 1/2 miles in a row now!

Shopping

2008-07-29T17:55:00.006-06:00

For most of my life, I haven't really liked shopping. It's been mostly because until now, I haven't had the best luck with getting clothes to fit, but now, I think that it's ultimately for a different reason.

Last night, Brad and I took Ella to Opry Mills Mall here in Nashville to get fitted for some shoes that she will soon need. But, while there, Brad and I both decided to look around for somethings that we had been thinking about (pants, a dress, some shoes). As we walked around the mall, I began to get a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, and it was getting worse and worse the more stores I went into and the more clothes I tried on, and the more things I found myself wanting to buy.

Now, I don't really like to spend money (I have some issues that someday I'll figure out how to deal with), but then I figured out that shopping for me is a little like eating dessert. I can live without eating dessert, but the moment I begin, I want more. I can eat a serving of chocolate ice cream, and then once I finish, I think, "Now, if only I had a few more bites." More often than not I yield to temptation and go to the kitchen to get some more ice cream (part of the reason that running is so important for me!). I think that shopping is like that. When I don't go to the mall (or Target), I am pretty content with what I have, and find it easier to live simply. But, the moment I walk into the mall and see all of the clothes hanging in the stores, and the sale signs, I begin to get the itch...."Oh, I love that dress, now if only I had a sweater to go with it in case I get cold, and none of my shoes really match, so I might need to get some new ones." And so it goes.

Just like it's much easier to resist the chocolate ice cream (or Nutella, or cake, or brownies, or cupcakes) temptation if I never bring them into my house, or open the freezer door. It's easier for me to resist consumerism if I don't ever make it to the store. Now the trick is to find a way to live in harmony with my temptations..........

Keepin' On

2008-07-18T20:26:00.010-06:00

Nothing too new or exciting is happening, but I thought that I would write about a few things:

Update on Running: It's been almost a month now since I started my running quest. It's going well, I think. This week, I walked/ran about 3 miles, with 1.2 of those miles being 2 minutes running, 1 minute walking. I'm starting to feel less and less tired when I'm running, although I'm still pretty sore. I don't love running yet, but I'm liking it more, and it makes me feel good about myself. I am having a hard time getting up at 5:00 a.m. to do my running! I still have a lot more work to do, but I'm optimistic.

Update on Mothering: Thanks for all of your advice and suggestions about dealing with a toddler. I've found that I get the most frustrated when I have agenda, such as a certain time that I want to leave the house, or a certain schedule for the evening. So, each time I find myself getting angry and wanting to yell, I think about whether or not Ella doing want I want her to is for her or for me. I'm yelling a lot less! I think that she appreciates it :) I would say that it's still a growing edge, though.

Random Thoughts on our Current Economic Situation: Some of you may know that I worry about money, sometimes more than I should. Every time I turn on NPR, or the news, or go to cnn.com, I find that the news is just bad, bad, bad (although the price of oil has dropped this week $18/barrel!). And the more I hear people talk about it, the more anxious I feel. I sometimes even find myself not being able to concentrate on work because the state of the nation's economy is weighing heavy on me. So, as irresponsible as it may seem, I'm trying not to pay much attention to what I hear on the news, I find that it makes me have a better outlook on life. Is that bad?

Tonight we had our first Daugherty Family Movie Night. Brad and Ella went to our local Red Box and picked up "The Bee Movie". Once they arrived home, we changed into our pajamas, popped some popcorn, poured a small amount of soda, and sat on the couch with our blankets. She was pretty tired at the end, but she seemed to love it. We look forward to more fun times and traditions together.

The Life of a Toddler Mom or just a grumpy lady?

2008-07-12T19:27:00.004-06:00

So, I often find myself frustrated with Ella, and even raising my voice more than I would like. I especially noticed it after being together all day today. Ella is 2 1/2 now and is starting to flex her independence muscle. She wants to do everything, and she wants to do it her way. This works most of the time, but when we need to get somewhere, or when something needs to be done (or if it needs to be done in a particular way), I find that it's very hard to get her to do it, or to listen. We haven't made a habit of spanking, or using any kind of physical punishment, but are thinking that maybe we need to use a little to get her to respond. I often find myself yelling her name in exasperation.

So, is that what life is like as the mother of a toddler, or am I just a grumpy lady? Those of you who have raised (or are raising) toddlers, what do you think??

My Biggest Goal Yet - Can I do It?

2008-06-23T10:09:00.002-06:00

So, most of you know that in the last year I have hit a lot of health/fitness milestones in my life. I feel like it's finally time to conquer my last fitness fear...running. For my whole life, I have been horrible at running and have hated it. I have a hard time breathing, my body moves too much, all kinds of excuses. Well, I am in the best shape that I have been in for as long as I can remember, so I think that the time has finally come.

My goal isn't to run a marathon, or even a half-marathon, but I would like to run a 5K. On September 20th, Nashville will be hosting the Chick-fil-A 5K. So, my goal is to be ready to enter as a participant in the 5K. I began this morning with a 2 mile walk along with a 1 mile walk/run. It felt good, and I have a REALLY long way to go, but I look forward to meeting this goal!

So, sometimes life makes you a little jaded

2008-06-18T09:45:00.003-06:00

In the past few weeks and months, I have noticed that I have been approached by more people asking for food, money, clothes, etc. Even people coming to our door. We usually try to give people at least something, a meal, a few dollars, etc.

Last night, we took a quick trip to the grocery store, and while there, we took a pit stop at the restroom. As Ella and I were washing our hands, a woman came up and asked if she could have a few dollars. She told me that she had three children and would just like to get some bread, chips, etc. for them. She said that she has been asking God for a blessing and thought that I just might be it. I told her that I didn't have any cash, but that we were getting ready to check out, and if she wanted to get a few things, I would be more than happy to pay for them. She said that would be great and that she would meet us in a few minutes at the front.

We waited 10 minutes, and she never came. Obviously she didn't want the food, she wanted the money. For some reason, I felt really let down, betrayed almost. I was more than willing to help her out, but she lied to me. It led me to ask, how many people that we give help to lie to us? Should we still give anyway? What is my responsibility as a Christian?

Starring Ella

2008-06-16T20:32:00.005-06:00

Our good friend, Jenny Selvidge, came over to visit tonight, and Ella let Aunt Jenny take some video of her. Prepare yourself for one of the cutest things ever!

Just in case you need a translation:

I had a little turtle, his name was Tiny Tim,
I put him in the bathtub to see if he could swim.
He drank up all the water (gulp, gulp, gulp)
He ate up all the soap (chomp, chomp, chomp)
And then he went to sleep.
With a bubble in his throat.
Big, big bubble pop, teeny tiny bubble pop!

When I Grow Up

2008-06-14T09:39:00.004-06:00

A few months ago, I got a book from the library for Ella that talks about what we want to be when we grow up. Since that time, we've occasionally asked Ella what she wants to be when she grows up. We were delighted when she said that she wants to be a teacher like Ms. Allison (which means that Ms. Allison must be doing a good job as far as Ella was concerned).

In the last week, Ella's answer has changed. She was sitting at the dining room table this week, and I casually asked what she wanted to be when she grows up. She quickly answered that she wanted to be a mommy. She then qualifies it by saying, "I want to make dinner, I want to make breakfast, and have a baby in my belly." She's obviously thought about it. I wonder about it sometimes, but then I remember what an important job it is to be a mother, and I'm excited that Ella is looking forward to it.

Pictures from Poland

2008-06-12T13:58:00.002-06:00

I could be a good person and upload lots of pictures to my Blog, or I can just be lazy and send you to my Facebook Album. I don't think that you need to sign up for Facebook to look at pictures. So, try these links:

Album 1

Album 2

I didn't take all of the pictures that I would have liked, but I think that this will give you a good sense of what we did in Poland. It was amazing, and we're planning to go back next year. Brad even gets to go with me!

Because I was Tagged

2008-06-01T15:06:00.003-06:00

Movie Meme
One of my favorite California friends, Andrew, tagged me:

1. One Movie that Made you Laugh: Juno

2. One Movie that Made you cry: Cadence

3. One Movie that you loved when you were a child: The Labyrinth

4. One Movie that you've seen more than once: Sweet Home Alabama

5. One Movie you loved but were embarassed to admit it: Bring it On

6. One Movie that your hated: The Devil Wears Prada

7. One Movie that Scared You: What Lies Beneath

8. One Movie that bored you: The Golden Compass

9. One Movie that bored you: Castaway

10. One Movie that made you miserable: Evan Almighty

11. One Movie that you weren't brave enough to see: Inconvenient Truth

12. One Movie character that you've fallen in love with: Josh Lucas as Jake, Sweet Home
Alabama

13. The Last Movie you saw: The Golden Compass

14. The Next Movie you hope to see: I don't even know what's out!

15. Your Favorite Movie: Juno (I don't really watch movies all that often!).

I tag: Andrew S., Becca, & Jaime (because they are the people that I know read my blog!!)

My New Favorite Quote

2008-05-27T20:37:00.001-06:00

"Jesus is not a weapon" - Hurley's Mom, LOST

I made it home safely!

2008-05-22T08:29:00.002-06:00

I have been home for just over 5 days, and think that I have finally gotten over my jet lag (although I did fall asleep on the couch last night at 9:00 p.m.). I thought that it was probably time to update you on the trip to Poland and thank you for your prayers. The trip to Poland was amazing. It was slightly stressful being in charge of 18 other people and their safety and team finances and traveling to a place where only about half of the people speak English, but it was worth all of the stress.

While we were in Poland, we had the opportunity to do a good bit of ministry & sightseeing. We spent most of our time in Gdansk, which is one of the largest cities in Poland right on the Baltic Sea. While there, we spent the majority of our time building relationships with about 25 students at what would be the equivalent of a Jr. High in a nearby village. Our students jumped in with both feet having conversations, playing sports (even though most of them weren't very good) and pouring themselves into the students. We spent three full days with the Polish students (which included a basketball game between our students and the Polish 14-year-old National Champions), and hosted them to the Nazarene Ministry center for a coffeehouse. It was an incredible experience for the Trevecca students to get to know the Polish students. There were definitely some relationships built that will last a lifetime. Our other main avenue of ministry was building relationships with Polish youth who are already a part of the Church of the Nazarene. It was a great way for them to get to know a little more about Protestants in general and the Church of the Nazarene in specific. One of the things that I really admire about the work that Nazarenes are doing in Poland is their willingness and excitement to work with the Catholic church and provide avenues of involvement that the Catholic church may not. They aren't trying to evangelize people that are already Christian, but to work alongside of them to help enrich the spiritual lives of people who are interested.

We also had a good bit of sightseeing. We saw Malbrook Castle, which was for a time the headquarters of the Crusades and the Teutonic Nights. The castle was almost completely destroyed in World War II, and has been meticulously restored. We also saw the shipyards where the Solidarity Movement began (this was the beginning of the Fall of Communism in Poland), and some incredible old buildings. We took a trip (an 8 hour train ride!) to Krakow, which is in the southern portion of Poland. Krakow was the only major Polish city not destroyed in World War II, and so it has some incredible churches that are 8-900 years old! While in Krakow we got to visit Wawel Castle, which is the castle of the Polish Kings. I spent my time there in the chapel and crypts where many of the Polish royalty are buried. It was incredibly beautiful and interesting. We also went to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau, Nazi death camps from WWII. It was an incredible experience. Until that day, I do not think that I could even begin to fathom the atrocities that went on in Nazi concentration camps. To think that 1 million, or more, people were murdered there, because of a man who didn't think that they were worthy enough to be treated as human beings. It was a tough day for our students, but I think that it was good for them to experience the camps. A quote posted in one of the bunkers really summed it all up, "Those who do not learn history are destined to repeat it." I hope that the hours that we spent in that place will be hours that challenge us to stand up for those who are persecuted, and to keep anything like this from ever happening again. It was not until I spent this time in Poland that I realized what a tragic and violent history the Polish people have had. They have stood up under centuries of oppression, violence, upheaval, and still continue to be a gracious people. After this trip, I can say that I am truly proud of my Polish heritage.

In addition to sites, we had the opportunity to eat some wonderful Polish food. Lots of sausage, bread and cheese, along with pirogi (a family favorite), Polish pastries, European chocolate and plenty of gelato. There were a few things that I didn't like, but most of it I did. Our students were brave enough to try tome things that didn't look so great (warm, shredded beets!) I was surprised when I came home to learn that I had only gained 1 lb. It was probably the incredible amount of walking that we did while we were there.

Brad and Ella did just fine without mommy. They were glad to see me when I returned, but were quick to tell me that they made it okay. They enjoyed their 5 days in Muncie with Brad's parents, and I think that Pat-Pat and Paw-Paw enjoyed it, too. It was good to be away, but even better to be home!

I learned a lot during my 10 days in Poland, and I am so thankful for the opportunity that God has given me to share the good news of the gospel not only here, but around the world. Thank you for your prayers, they were truly felt and uplifted us during this time.

Leaving on a jet Plane

2008-05-04T19:51:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow morning, I am going to be leaving for a 10 day trip to Gdansk, Poland. I will be leading a team of 18 people from Trevecca. Although I have been coordinating these trips for the last two years, this will be the first international trip that I have been on (and my first trip to Europe!). I thought that it was probably a good idea for me to actually go on one of the trips that I coordinate.

I am really excited about the trip, but I will also miss Brad and Ella like crazy. This will be the first time that I will be away from Ella this long. We have been preparing her that mommy is going to Poland, but I don't know that she actually knows what that means. I am sure that they will be fine, but that doesn't make it any easier. They're actually going to visit Brad's parents for 5 days, so that will make the time easier for them.

We would appreciate your prayers for our team, and also for our family. I'll post pictures when I return!

Not Much of a Nazarene

2008-04-30T13:24:00.003-06:00

You would think that growing up in a household with two Nazarene ministers, Ella would be a very good Nazarene. However, we learned last night that she is not! We went to an end-of-the-year party at Vanderbilt Divinity School. There was lots of good food, great desserts, and a band made up of Divinity School professors and administrators (which was surprisngly very good). They had a dance floor set up, and as Ella watched the (slightly intoxicated) Divinity School students take to the dance floor, she, too wanted to join in. So, we let her. For probably 30-45 minutes, she was out on the dancefloor. Sometimes I was with her, sometimes others were with her, and sometimes she was the lone soul on the dance floor. Each time that I told her that it was time to go, she would say, "One more song, mommy!" We finally had to tear her away from the dance floor so that she could go home and go to bed. Later last night, when I asked her what her favorite part of the party was, she happily answered, "The dancing". Maybe it's time for some dance classes?

So the Nazarenes can be funny

2008-04-21T08:06:00.004-06:00

So, some of the students from our West Coast school made a pretty funny video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnIrE3vf3Eo

And, in case you missed the original "Nazbo Rap", here you go:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mrtsCBe6x0&feature=related

I guess that being Nazarene naturally lends itself to making rap videos or something.

My Kind of Coffee Place

2008-03-25T12:10:00.002-06:00

I saw this article today in Christian Century:

"It is not so unusual that Catholic authorities in Croatia have opened a coffee shop. What is unique is that their customers can pay for their caffeine fix with prayers. The cafe' Zagreb charges four "Our Fathers" for a cappuccino, and five "Hail Marys" for a Coca-Cola, the most, expensive item on the menu."

Good thing I grew up Catholic, I can p(r)ay up!

An Actual Conversation

2008-03-07T21:17:00.002-06:00

This afternoon, our phone rang, and even though it said 1-800 service, I answered the phone just so that they would quit calling. When the caller was told that Brad was not available, he asked to speak with the person in charge of the telephone provider decisions:

Heather: "That's me, but I have to tell you, we're pretty happy with our provider."
Caller: "What if I told you that you could save $30/month on your phone bill?"
Heather: "That would be quite impressive since you would be paying me money at that point."
Caller: "Who is your service provider?"
Heather: "We use Vonage."
Caller: "Oh, well I can't beat Vonage's price. Please let AT &T know if you are ever unhappy with your current service."

..Click

I have to tell you that the conversation gave me great pleasure. It makes me smile whenever I think about it.

Mommy & Daddy Wear Glasses

2008-02-26T12:32:00.003-06:00

This morning on the way to school, Ella wanted to read a book. When she picked up her book, she also picked up her sunglasses, and told me repeatedly that she needed to put them on (even though it was cloudy and rainy). She then proceeded to wear her glasses all the way to school, reading her "horse book". When we got to school, I asked her if she was ready to take them off and she said, "I'm done reading my book now," and handed me the glasses. I asked her why she needed her glasses to read the book and she said, "Mommy and Daddy wear glasses to read stories." It is amazing how much they pick up without us ever knowing.

Environmental Tip for the Day

2008-02-19T12:50:00.000-06:00

On the radio today, I heard that if your washer has a "2nd spin" cycle, it's most energy efficient to use that cycle each time you wash. Although it seems that it would use more energy, it actually takes more moisture out of the clothes so that the dryer can run for a shorter time to dry the clothes. Ella's winter coat is in the washer, and I put it on the 2nd spin cycle for the first time. Whatever we can do to conserve energy is important, hope that if you have a 2nd spin cycle, you try it, too.

The Downside of a Good Thing

2008-02-09T11:44:00.000-06:00

So, I posted recently about my weightloss, and I have finally found a downside. I have weighed the same thing basically since I was a senior in high school (so like, for 12 years), with the exception of gaining 28 lbs when I had Ella. So, I have been able to aquire my wardrobe and several pieces over the last 12 years. There aren't a ton of things that I've saved for a long time, but good pieces, like suits, have lasted a long time. Well, going from a size 12 to a size 8 or even a 6 means that I can't waer any of those clothes anymore. Today, I went to a tailor to talk about altering my suits (thinking that it would be less expensive that way). What I found out is that losing so much weight basically means that he would have to take my clothes apart and basically remake them! This is expensive (over $100/suit!), and he said that some of them would be incredibly difficult to do, like my pants (since I lost over 7 inches in my waist!). Buying a wardrobe over 12 years makes it not too painful, but buying a lot at once can be a little painful. The only questions now are where do I find the best deals, and would I rather have new suits, or a fence in my backyard?

A Game for the Ages

2008-02-04T12:25:00.001-06:00

"We don't really conversate.''
--The real words of New England wideout Randy Moss, on his relationship with coach Bill Belichick.

From Peter King: I think Roger Goodell got off a good line this morning at the MVP press conference. "We're grateful to Archie and Olivia and hope they'll have at least one more child," he said. Probably not going to happen.

What a great game! It was one of the best that I've seen, I loved it.

P.S. I hope that Cooper Manning is really successful at whatever he does. It has to be rather intimidating to have two younger brothers who are Superbowl MVP's

The End of a Long Journey...or is it just the beginning

2008-02-02T09:52:00.000-06:00

This morning, I made it to the workout room at Trevecca for a weigh-in, which I hadn't been able to do before Christmas. I was a little hesitant when I went to step on the scale, but today, I made it to my goal weight!

When I began this journey on June 6, 2007, I didn't know if I would be able to make it. Could I really lose 31 lbs? I have been the same weight for the majority of my adult life, and my goal would have me weighing less than I did at my 9th grade physical. But, I knew that I was unhappy with the way that I looked and felt about myself and I wanted to change.

So, Brad and I began a long journey. We began to radically change the foods that we ate, the way that we cooked, and I began to work out 5-6 days a week. And now, 8 months later, I weigh 31 lbs less (if I count what I weighed when Ella was born, I've lost 60 lbs!) and we eat a great, healthy diet. It wasn't easy, but looking back now, it was worth it. Though let me tell you, I want to eat some Chinese food (the one single food group that I have avoided for 8 months!). I have to give a good deal credit to Sparkpeople.com, the best diet plan ever. It helped me to track my food, my exercise, and give me accountability for my weight loss. If you have struggled with diets in the past, I encourage you to check it out.

Today is a great day, and I am excited. But this doesn't mean that I can stop exercising and eat what ever I want. I think that we have successfuly made a life change. I look forward to Ella (and her someday siblings) growing up in a healthy household that will help to give her a great start in life. I hope that our lives will continue to be different!

At least someone with the last name Manning....

2008-01-20T21:44:00.000-06:00

is in the Superbowl. Peyton didn't make it, but Eli did. I had hoped that the Green Bay Packers and Brett Favre would win, as they probably have the best chance of beating the hated Patriots. But perhaps Eli and the New York Football Giants will surprise me and kick their butts. Maybe Eli can do it for Peyton!

Some Random Thoughts for the New Year

2008-01-03T19:46:00.000-06:00

After a long and enjoyable trip to Florida for the Christmas holidays, we have returned to freezing Nashvegas (although it's supposed to climb into the 50's tomorrow). Several thoughts to share as we begin the new year:

1. Christmas is so much more fun with a toddler. Ella loved every present that she opened, even the socks and underwear! We also enjoyed the fruits of reading her a new book "The Fruits of the Spirit" in which she learned that patience means waiting your turn. She patiently waited while other family members opened pictures. What an angel. While at my aunt's house, there were 17 members of our extended family. Before going to bed each night, Ella gave a kiss and a hug to every person in the house. She is a very loving child!

2. Brad and I made it to see a movie, without paying a babysitter (which then makes a 2 hour movie a $40 event). We saw Juno, which neither of us were sure about. But, it was incredible. All of the reviews say that it had quick and witty dialogue and it really did. It is a little racy, but we thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it.

3. The 2008 elections have started! Tonight, Brad and I have the T.V. tuned to C-Span as we watch the interesting event that is the Iowa Caucus. How cool would it be to live in Iowa and get to participate in this awesome portrait of a democratic America. If you haven't taken the time to watch it before, you're missing out. In precinct 53, it looks like Obama is going to win. The only question is what will happen in the rest of the night and the next few weeks.

4. It's one of my favorite times of year, NFL playoffs. The Colts, having earned a bye, will sit out this week, but there's still plenty of excitement to be had. It would be even better had the Giants pulled it out on Saturday night and kicked the Patriots butt. I hate the Patriots and if they make it to the Superbowl, I might just puke.

I head to California next week for a Pastor's conference, and I'm excited to support my pastors, spend some quality time with some of my closest friends, and enjoy the California sunshine :) Until then...

A cute, but crass, Ella story

2007-12-19T09:37:00.000-06:00

Ella learned a fun song for her Christmas program at school (I promise that a video is on it's way), and here's how it goes:

Where is Santa?
Where is Santa?
I don't know,
I don't know.
Santa's coming,
Santa's coming.
Ho! Ho! Ho!
Ho! Ho! Ho!

There is also a second verse about Rudolph. Well, we are in the beginning stages of potty training, and every day, Ella sits on the potty before we get dressed. This morning, it was taking an unusually long time, and so I asked her, "Is there any pee-pee coming?" And Ella responded "Yes, and Poopy, too!" Then slowly and quietly (with no prompting from me) she began to sing.

Where is pee-pee?
Where is poopy?
I don't know,
I don't know.
Pee-pee's coming,
Poopy's coming.
Ho! Ho! Ho!
Ho! Ho! Ho!

I wasn't sure whether to laugh, because it was the funniest thing that I have heard in a long time, or to tell her that we don't sing songs about pee-pee and poopy. I have to say, being the parent of a toddler is a funny, funny thing.

Does this look like a man who should be president?

2007-12-13T21:24:00.000-06:00

An Actual Sign from the Nashville Zoo

2007-12-12T12:53:00.001-06:00

I'm not quite sure what to say about this, I don't think that there's much to be said :)

Tis the Season for Danger

2007-12-01T13:42:00.000-06:00

As Advent begins tomorrow, I thought that I would clean up our living room and get out our mangers. Ella has a Little People manger that a nice family in our church got her when she was born, and Brad and I have an olive wood manger set that Brad got in Jerusalem. I am not one for much decorating, my mother calls me a minimalist, but I like to get out the mangers once Advent begins.

Ella was very excited when I got out her manger, she immediately began jumping up and down shouting, "The Danger, The Danger". No matter how many times I try to correct her, she insists that it's a Danger. Not only that, but there is no baby Jesus in our manger, instead we have a Baby Moses. And, maybe you can see in the picture of our danger, there is a donkey cart. Ours is really a "stroller". I tried to put the fruit piece in there and Ella said, "No fruit, that's Baby Moses' stroller".

You would think that the daughter of a pastor and a PhD student in religion would do a little better, but apparently we have a lot of work ahead of us convincing Ella of the real Christmas story that doesn't involved dangers, Baby Moses and his stroller.

An Answer to Prayer

2007-11-13T13:47:00.000-06:00

For those of you who keep on the saga of the Daugherty life, I am happy to say that as of today, we have found a daycare for Ella! She will finish out this week, and two days next week at Outlook, and then move to City Road Chapel United Methodist Church. I had called every place in the city (that wasn't completely out of the way) that we would be willing to take her to, and everyone had a waiting list. We had heard back from our "last hope" yesterday that they wouldn't be able to take Ella until late spring or early summer, and so we were back to square one.

Someone had mentioned City Road to us, but it is a little out of the way. On a whim, I called yesterday, and they said that they might have a spot. I set up an appointment for today, and when we arrived for our tour, they told us that they had officially opened the spot this morning. After our tour, we asked for a day or so to think about it, and if we liked it, we would return later in the week to put down a deposit. As we walked to the car, we realized that we both liked it, felt comfortable with it, and were ready to sign Ella up. We read over the paperwork, then walked back in and put down the deposit.

There are definitely things that we will miss about Outlook, and Ella has loved her friends and teachers, but we are excited about City Road. One thing that we are most excited about is that she will have a Bible story and song each day as well as prayer before all of her meals. It's nice to have her at a place that reinforces our faith.

Just when it looked like we were down and out, God answered our prayers, and isn't that just like God? Thanks for your prayers.

Well, Sometimes Life Sucks

2007-10-26T20:37:00.000-06:00

There are definitely days when I wish that life would just go away....and today is one of them. Yesterday, we received a note in Ella's mailbox at school that there was a meeting for parents this afternoon. I thought that it was a little odd, but didn't think much of it. This afternoon, there was a note that they will be closing Ella's daycare on November 30, sorry for the inconvenience. Good luck finding somewhere to send your child.

We love Ella's daycare, Ella loves Ella's daycare, and there is a year to a year and a half waiting list to get into the good places. I'm a little at a loss about what to do. And, they told us at like 5:00 on a Friday night, so there's nothing that we can do until Monday morning but think about it. My problem is that I internalize things, so I get sick to my stomach, constantly think about it, can't sleep, etc. Uuuugh. I'm sure that it will all work out, but for now, all I want to do is cry.

Does it really start this early?

2007-10-23T14:14:00.001-06:00

This morning, Ella slept in. She has been a little cranky lately, and so I wanted to let her sleep as long as possible. I went into her room at the last possible moment and told her that it was time to get up, no response. I told her that we needed to get ready for the day, no response. I told her that it was time to go to school, and I hear from the crib, "No school, night-night.", and then she rolled over to go back to sleep. I know that kids like sleeping (heck, I like sleeping, a lot!), but isn't 23 months a little young to be wanting to skip school and sleep in?

Yum-Yum?

2007-10-15T18:50:00.000-06:00

Today, Hardee's unveiled it's newest fast food offering, the Country Breakfast Burrito. This burrito stuffed with eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, cheddar cheese, hash browns and sausage gravy. This bad boy of breakfast will earn you 920 calories and 60 grams of fat. Who eats these things? I can't remember the last time I had 60 grams of fat in one day, let alone for one meal. No wonder America keeps getting bigger and bigger! Yuck.

He Pushed the Water Back

2007-10-14T16:13:00.000-06:00

I guess that sending our kids to Sunday School does something. Ella and I were hanging out this afternoon, and she saw thepaper that she had done in Sunday School this morning. She looked at the drawing the she made and said, "He pushed the water back." When I asked her who, she said "Noah", but then changed it to God. Today in Sunday School, she learned about the Hebrews passing through the Red Sea. It's probably true, "Everybody oughta go to Sunday School."

You can never know

2007-09-29T10:05:00.000-06:00

I went this week to a Minister & Mates retreat in Baton Rouge, LA. The speaker was one of my favorite preachers in the Church of the Nazarene (he's a long preacher, but a good one), Dr. Jesse Middendorf. He has incredible theology and his sermons are so thoughtful. As I was on the District Assembly circuit this summer, I think that I listened to over 20 hours of his sermons!

Last night, Dr. Middendorf spoke of the storms and shipwrecks that come into the lives of pastors (it was a pastor's retreat after all). And one of his points was that "Good people have children who rebel." He shared the story and heartache that he and his wife have experienced with their youngest son, Jim. Jim has been involved with alcohol, drugs and things that they don't even know about. For two years, they didn't even know where he was! And as he spoke about Jim, all that I could think about was Ella.

Every night, before we head upstairs to bed, I go into Ella's room where she is peacefully resting (and oh so cute!) and pray for her. I pray that God would put a hedge of protection around her, that God would help her to grow up to love God, that God would care for her in the midst of all that is happening in her life. The thing that hit me last night was that the Middendorfs probably prayed the same thing for Jim. The more Dr. Middendorf spoke about Jim, the harder I began to pray for Ella. But I realized that you can never know what will happen. You never know what choices your children will make. You can't make their decisions for them.

It breaks my heart to even think about not knowing where Ella is for two years, to think about drugs and alcohol destroying her life. You can never know what will happen, but I rest in the fact that no matter where she is, she will be in the palm of God's hand, and I am thankful for that.

Nobody Likes to Wait, Including Me

2007-09-27T11:06:00.001-06:00

I'm going on a short business trip this week to Baton Rouge, LA. I arrived at the airport at 8:30 for my 10:15 departure time, and was able to get right through ticketing and security. I soon learned that our plane was delayed, and delayed and delayed. I now sit at the Nashville airport waiting for the plane to get here in hopes of a 1:45 departure. I know that there's little that can be done about these kinds of things (it's all weather related), but I when I think of all of the things that need to be done at home, and how much I could have used these extra three hours of time, it makes me sad. Our lives have been absolutely crazy this fall, and these three hours could have made a big difference for me and the chores that await me at home.

But, maybe this delay can teach me a lesson. Sometimes I just need to stop and slow down. And it really is okay not to be doing something every single minute of the day. I'm off to get some lunch, and enjoy reading the magazine that has been sitting unopened at my house for 3 weeks.

A Game and half? A Game and a half?

2007-09-19T20:31:00.001-06:00

What has happened to the Red Sox? After two straight losses to Toronto and two Yankee wins, only a game and a half stands between the beloved Red Sox and the dreaded Yankees. Will what has so far been a fantastic season be ruined? I am banging my head against the wall in frustration (not literally, of course). Such is the life of a Red Sox fan.

Teeth are not for Biting

2007-09-19T10:50:00.000-06:00

Along with being a genius, my daughter has quite an aggressive streak. With her best friend, she would sometimes tackle her just to hug her. She also would tend to bite her every so often. Since she has been in school, the teachers have mentioned to us that she sometimes has some issues with hitting, pushing or kicking. I knew that there was a problem yesterday when I walked into Ella's school, and her teacher said to me, "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Uh-oh, my first parent/teacher conference. Ella's teacher proceeded to tell me that not once, but twice in the course of the day, Ella had bitten one of her classmates (different classmates, you have to spread the love). I felt embarrassed, sheepish and was quite apologetic.

As I took Ella out to the car, I asked her if she had gotten in trouble, and she told me that she had, and for biting. So we talked about how we don't bite our friends. We also went to the library and checked out a book that we had looked at before, Teeth are not for Biting , along with companion books, Hands are not for Hitting, and Feet are not for Kicking. We read each of the books last night and again this morning. I don't know how much Ella understood, but I guess that at least we're trying. On the way to school we talked about how we act with our friends, not hitting, pushing, kicking or biting, but instead sharing our toys and playing. What else is a parent supposed to do? And how many more playmates will my daughter abuse?

I am sure that Ella will grow out of this stage, but in the meantime, it leaves me feeling inadequate as a parent :(

The angst of Parenthood

2007-09-06T15:26:00.000-06:00

Ella has been in daycare now for almost 3 weeks, and she loves it. Unfortunately, she's only attended one day this week, because the center was closed on Labor Day (but Trevecca and Vanderbilt were not) and then she has been sick this week (now she has a recurrence of her hand, foot and mouth disease and can't go). Well, 1) we pay for her to go whether she's there or not and 2) we need her to go because we're working, taking class, doing homework, etc. A person only has so much sick time that they can take! I'm a little concerned about it all, and wonder if we're going to make it through. Part of me wants to find a way to stay at home, but if I stay home, we don't eat or have a roof over our heads. This is the reason that families stick close together, Ella has a grandma who stays at home everyday (and soon a grandpa, too) that would love to spend time with her. If only we lived in Indiana.......

Tonight's the Beginning of Something Exciting

2007-09-06T15:23:00.001-06:00

So tonight's the night, the NFL season starts! Of course, I am doubly excited because the season starts with my Indianapolis Colts facing off against the New Orleans Saints. When I was 5, my mom signed me up to be a cheerleader for pee-wee football, and I have loved it ever since. I love the competition, I love the hype, I love listening to sports talk radio. Everything things that the Colts won't make it back to the Superbowl this year, and they might be right, but I'm ready for an exciting ride. There's just something about Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy that gets me excited!

My Child....Ever Amazing

2007-08-18T12:20:00.001-06:00

Here Brad and I are, heartbroken about sending our angel to daycare. On Friday, I took the day off, and we took Ella to "school" to meet her teacher, her new class, and to become slightly acclimated before we drop her off for a full day on Monday. We stayed in the classroom for about 20 minutes, then left her there.

A half an hour later, we went in to get her and she said, "No, go! No, go! Me stay!". We finally convinced her that we would come back next week, and she relented to leave with us. That afternoon, we had planned a swimming adventure with Ella's best friend, Noelle (or Bauble as Ella says) and her mommy. When Ella woke up from her nap I asked her, "What do you want to do this afternoon?" Without hesitation she answered back, "School, me school." She was happy to go to the pool, but obviously she's ready to leave the nest. At least for a little while.

Children are amazing! Okay, maybe just mine :)

Times They are a Changin'

2007-08-13T19:06:00.000-06:00

Next week is a big week in our house. For the first time in her life, our 21 month old is going to daycare. In order to make ourselves feel better about taking our child to be cared for by someone else for 40 hours a week, we call it school. Ella got a backpack for school, and she picked one with Elmo on it. Pretty cute.

The next week, Brad will begin school and take his first language exam for his PhD program. We are excited about this fall, but also a little nervous about all that we have to get done. Lots of families have two parents who work full time and make it okay. So will we, right?

Cute Ella story: This evening, Brad and I were in the kitchen talking about the slumping Red Sox and the soaring Yankees. All of a sudden, Ella, who was sitting in her booster seat in the dining room began to say, "Boo, Yankees" and make a thumbs down sign. We had taught her this months before, but we hadn't tried to get it out of her in a while. It was pretty cute, and pretty smart!

I'm about to become a Celtics fan.

2007-08-08T18:49:00.000-06:00

For those of you who don't know, I'm a huge sports fan. Mostly just baseball (I'm a proud member of Red Sox Nation) and football (Go World Champion Colts!), but I also watch some basketball. I religiously listen to Boston sports talk radio, WEEI, for news on my beloved Sox and hate for the Colts. Even when we were in Boston, I could care less about the Celtics, they stunk. But today , I open up ESPN and see that my all time favorite basketball player, Reggie Miller "Knick Killer" is considering making a return, and playing for the Celtics. How awesome is that? I love Reggie Miller, and I could listen to news and comments about him on my favorite station, WEEI. Go Celts!

Vacation!!!

2007-07-25T09:14:00.001-06:00

The Daugherty's are leaving for a short vacation tomorrow :) We are heading to Minneapolis to see some of our closest friends, Jeff & Richelle and their new baby George. Ella is most excited about the baby, of course :) Then, we are heading down to Iowa (I've never been to Iowa before) for my brother Steve's wedding. I am singing, Brad is ushering, and Ella will be the flower girl. We are excited to see our friends and family, and for Steve to marry such a wonderful girl (We think that he's "Marrying up"). I love weddings!!

I'm looking forward to a few days away from work, and with friends and family. Ella is also looking forward to seeing her family, particularly my mom. She walks around the house saying, "Mamaw, plane, me". It's pretty cute!

It is finished

2007-07-24T08:47:00.000-06:00

Harry Potter, that is. Brad finished late on Sunday night, and I finished last night at 1:00 a.m. I can't remember the last time I stayed up until 1:00 a.m. for anything, let alone reading a book. At about midnight, I was going to put the book aside and plan to finish today, but then I got to a particular point in the book, and knew that there was no way that I could go to sleep until I finished the book and knew what happened.

I was unsure about how I would feel about the book once I read it (I was a little disappointed in Book 5 and even more disappointed in Book 6), but I was not disappointed, it was amazing. There were things that I could have guessed would happen, but I never would have anticipated it happening in the way that J.K. Rowling put things together. She did a wonderful job, a fitting end to a wonderful series.

I have to admit that I am sad that it is over. No more new Harry news? But perhaps now I can convince my husband to name a boy child Harrison, and not everyone would assume that I am naming him after my hero, Harry Potter.

Sharing = No Fun

2007-07-22T19:20:00.001-06:00

So, today I have reverted back to my toddler hood (Ella HATES to share!) As most every one knows, on Saturday, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows came out, and arrived on my doorstep. Brad and I both read Harry Potter, although I am certainly the biggest fan in our family. We made the conscious decision to buy only one copy, but it's hard. We both want to read it, and any time the book is laid down, the other person immediately scoops it up and begins reading. We should have just bought 2 copies, or perhaps this is an occasion on which we learn something about life :)

I'm hoping to be finished soon (but, I'm only on Chapter 8!), I can't wait to find out what happens!

Is there more to life than this?

2007-07-17T20:28:00.000-06:00

I often wished that I posted on my blog more, but two things hold me back: 1) Is there anything really interesting going on in my life to post about? 2) Where do I find the time? I get home from work at about 5:00 every day, play with Ella, eat dinner, hang out with Ella some more, and then put her to bed. By the time she is down, there's enough time to load the dishwasher, pick up the house, and get to bed in time to wake up at 5:30 a.m. to start all over.I recently started a diet that takes up a good amount of time. I try to work out 6 days a week, which takes up even more time. Where am I going to try to find time to get involved with church and (hopefully) new friends, good causes, and even to read a good book.

Is this what life is like until your kids get older (or until you lose 31 lbs?). I sure hope not. Any time management hints from my readers?

Harry won't die, will he?

2007-07-06T12:40:00.000-06:00

This is a big month for us Harry Potter fans. In just 5 short days, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix comes out in theaters (still looking for a babysitter!). And, even more important, in just 16 days, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will arrive on my doorstep. Brad and I have been arguing for weeks now about who will get to read the book first. I can imagine us both sitting on the couch trying to read over the other's shoulder as Ella destroys the house! Hopefully we won't be that bad.

All along, I have convinced myself that Harry won't die. After all, it's a children's story, you can't kill off the main character in a children's story, can you? But, CNN ran an interesting article (click here to read) that it is not all that far fetched for Harry to die. What do you think, will she do it?

Newest Family Pictures

2007-06-13T18:38:00.000-06:00

We went today (and actually one other time, taking pictures with a 19 month old is, well, exciting) and got our pictures taken as a family. If you would like to see them, click here . Enjoy the pictures of our little Angel, we sure do!

Where Does All the Time Go?

2007-06-05T19:36:00.000-06:00

It's hard to believe that Ella is almost 19 months old. Brad took her for her checkup a week and a half ago, and she was 33 1/2 inches (90th percentile) long, weighed 26 lbs. 10 oz (80th percentile) and her head continues to be off the chart. She is amazing. We can see new things connecting in her brain everyday!

We went to visit my parents this weekend in Savannah. While we were there, Ella learned many new words, including: noodle (the pool kind), goggle, brilliant (like the Guiness commercials), Dixie (the dog), Andrew (my brother) and Uncle. She has even begun talking up a storm, of course we can only understand a little bit of what she's saying. But, she's trying to tell us something.

They always say that you should cherish the time with your kids while they are little, enjoy every moment. But, it's not until you begin to look back that you realize just how far they've come. What a joy, we are loving every minute of it.

Grey's Anatomy

2007-05-23T08:44:00.001-06:00

Because we were on vacation, I was not able to watch the Grey's Anatomy season finale until last night. The show was a little surprising and a lot confusing. How could Callie really have been chosen as Chief Resident? Wasn't Dr. Bailey so much better than her? And, what is Derek talking about with Meredith, isn't he the one who chose Addison and not Meredith? And finally, what was perhaps most confusing for me was Christina's reaction in the apartment. What did she mean when she said that she was free? Did she not want to marry Burke? Is she glad to be rid of him, or is she crushed that he left?

I really like Grey's Anatomy, soap operaness and all. I am just not sure that I can wait until September to find out what happens.

Random Aside: As Dr. Bailey and George were sitting on the bench at the end of the episode, I said to Brad, wouldn't it be awesome if George and Bailey slept together?? It wouldn't really be awesome, but it would be very Grey.

Cold, Rainy, and Wonderful

2007-05-18T13:54:00.000-06:00

We arrived in Boston last night (late, thanks to delays and air traffic control), and it's only about 45 degrees here today. Typical New England weather. And, I love it. We are having a great time, and it's good to catch up with people. As I was thinking about our trip, I realized that there's a part of me that acts as though life has stopped when we weren't here. But that certainly isn't the truth. Kids have grown taller, can talk and walk, and people have experienced things that we weren't here to experience with me. But, it's wonderful to know that friendships go on, even through the distance. We just pick up right where we left off.

Being here has reminded me how much I miss Boston. I miss our house, our friends, New England in general. But, I also can't imagine staying. I know that God led us to the right place at the right time. That doesn't always make it easy, though.

Ella has been so excited to be here. After a day with no sleep (on the airplane), she hasn't been eating. All she wants to do is play with the kids and the toys. Hopefully she won't leave Boston weighing 5 lbs less than when we got here.

Ouch!

2007-05-15T08:11:00.000-06:00

In an effort to try to look respectable, I have been trying to do some basic exercises in the morning. This morning, however, I woke up to every muscle in my body complaining to me. I can barely lift my hands above my head. Perhaps the one comfort that I have is that it is actually working. Maybe someday I can be respectable!

Mother's Day & Baby Day

2007-05-13T19:01:00.000-06:00

Today was my second Mother's Day. It began with Brad letting me sleep in an extra hour, even though Ella woke up at 6:30. We had a wonderful pancake breakfast and I got some beautiful roses and two nice cards.

Today was Baby Day at TCC (our church), and since Ella wasn't here last year for Baby Day, she got to be a part. This consists of going up on the platform and telling little things about her. She was by far the oldest one there, and loved being around the other babies. She just kept pointing, "Baby, baby, baby". Perhaps one of the best things is that she loves to carry purses, and so she took her purse from Guatemala to the stage with her.

The day continued with a long nap, and a wonderful dinner with salmon, sweet potatoes and corn on the cob. We went to the park, gave Ella a bath, and in a few minutes Brad is going to make me a Mother's Day peanut butter shake. Yum. I guess if I'm going to indulge, today's a good day.

I love the weekends, but they go by so quickly. I love being there when Ella wakes up, to put her down for naps, and just to experience the day with her. It's hard being a working mom (but I know that being a stay-at-home parent comes with challenges all its own.)

Last night, we taught Ella how to play Ring around the Rosy. She LOVES it! Even when we quit playing it, she kept playing it herself by singing a song that had some "R" words in it, and spinning in circles. Too cute.

"Gardening"

2007-05-12T19:17:00.000-06:00

In an effort to minimize the work that we have to do on our yard (neither of us are big yard people, heck, we don't even own a lawn mower since ours got stolen), we chose to put down mulch in front of our house with a few shrubs in it. However, the mulch looked increasingly horrid as little green plants sprouted up all over it. Our yard was beginning to look a little trashy.

So, Ella and I spent a few hours today out in the yard weeding. Boy does that take a long time. It led me to several questions 1) Why do people like yard work? 2) How do people who do lots of yard work know what they're doing? 3) How much energy do I want to put into my own yard? We don't even have much grass.

I keep trying to bribe our parents to come and set our yard up, and then I will take care of it, but that doesn't seem to be working out very well. Perhaps I need to learn to do some things myself. Anyone want to teach me?

The Craziness of Life

2007-05-11T10:59:00.000-06:00

Life has been crazy for us the past few months. Me-lots of traveling for work, B-lots of hanging out with Ella, and E-learning new things everyday. I will be happywhen life settles into some sort of routine, but I wonder when that will ever happen. Life is quiet on campus, the students have mostly gone home for the summer. This leaves our building with few inhabitants. It's lonely here.

We are heading to Boston next week for Brad's graduation. I can't wait! I didn't know that I would miss Boston this much, and so it's exciting to think of going back and seeing friends, even if it's just for a few days. Brad will get to say a few words at graduation, and I am so proud of him and what he has accomplished. He is enjoying these last few carefree months before PhD program will take over our lives.

Cute Ella story: Ella is starting to talk more and more, and one of her favorite words is no. In the car, I like to ask her who she loves: "Do you love Mommy?" "Nooooo." "Do you love Daddy?" "Nooooo", and on down the line with a myriad of important people in her life. Finally I said, "Who do you love?" and she replied "Cookie!". The honesty of children :)

Mommy and Daddy Who?

2007-03-22T12:04:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, we went to tour a daycare for Ella for the Fall. It was amazing, and we are planning to take Ella there in August. It will be a great experience for her. While we were taking the tour, and talking with the program director, Ella took some time to hang out with what will be here class. Brad and I left her on the playground, and she had no complaints that we were leaving. Our tour took longer than the playground time, and so Ella got to go for a walk with her class in their special buggy. When we found her, she was sitting in the front seat of the buggy just like it was the most natural thing in the world. We basically had to pry her out of the seat so that we could go home. Here I was, holding back tears at the thought of sending my baby to daycare, and yet she had no problems, and barely wanted to come home with us. Children are much more adaptable than we think, or perhaps my daughter is just an extreme extrovert! We'll see.

A New Car for our Family

2007-03-15T11:34:00.000-06:00

With Brad going into a PhD program in the Fall, we decided that for the first time in our marriage, we needed a second car. It makes me a little sad that we have succumbed to having a second car, but I like our new car. We got a 1998 Volvo V70. It's a good "family car" and has plenty of room to carry around Ella's junk. It will be good for our trip to the Heartland this weekend as we visit Brad's parents in Indiana. It's kind of nice to not have to worry about carpooling all of the time.

Is it Really 70 degrees outside?

2007-03-08T14:09:00.000-06:00

Yes, for those of my readers who do not live in the South, it is 70 degrees outside here in Nashvegas. I knew that there was something that I was going to like about living here. It seems as though spring has arrived, while my New England friends are in the teens. Sure, I miss the Red Sox and Mike's Pastries, but you gotta love the trade-off.

Life continues to go by swiftly and surely for our family. We find ourselves making trips to the zoo, Ella loves the animals, swimming at the community center (okay, we've only done it once, but we loved it!), looking for a new car (although we are proud that we made it for 6 years with only 1 car), and a daycare for the little one. We are making a trip next weekend to the Heartland. Pat-Pat and PaPa are excited to show the little one off to their Muncie friends, and we are excited to perhaps be the recipients of some FREE babysitting!

As always, I love to share a little Ella story: Ella has reached the stage where she likes to mimic our actions. Last Sunday morning, we had a little extra time before church, so we sat down at the table for breakfast, and read some of the Sunday newspaper. When Ella had finished her breakfast, she immediately pointed to pieces of the paper that were strewn about the table. I put a Toys 'R Us ad on her high chair, and she proceeded to flip through, look at all of toys, and point out interesting ones to me. After about 5 minutes, she finished with that ad, handed it to me, and asked for another. Amazing, isn't she?

Are You Kidding Me?

2007-02-02T20:26:00.000-06:00

This morning, at 5:27 a.m., our phone rang. I jumped out of bed, thinking that perhaps Baby Stackert has made his way into the world. Instead, it was the automated system for Nashville Metro School System, telling us that school was cancelled because of the snow (apparently the last people to have our number had school aged children, we can't seem to convince them that we don't!). I didn't even know that snow was on it's way, so I went to look out the window.

There were MAYBE 2 inches of snow on the ground. We turned on the news, and they treated it as though there were 24 inches of snow on the ground! They had reporters around the area, showing the amazing snowfall. One reporter leaned down to pick up the snow, "There must be an inch and a half here." Amazing! Not only that, but EVERY school system in Middle Tennessee was closed today, and the weatherman made fun of the school systems in Kentucky that hadn't closed yet.

The best part of all of it was that the traffic was non-existent today! It was like a Saturday morning. I know that living in Boston made me kind of a snow snob, "a foot, that's just a dusting." But all of this for an inch and a half? Are you kidding me?

A Recommendation for Salsa

2007-01-28T22:09:00.000-06:00

This week, Brad, the grocery shopper in our house, bought a new salsa. We finally broke it out today, and it was amazing. I would highly recommend Paul Newman's Pineapple Salsa. We have the medium variety, but I would guess that any would be good.

Ella story for the day: Ella's favorite new game is pulling from her diaper bag things that are needed for changing a diaper. She pulls out the pad, opens it an puts it on the ground. She then takes out a dipaer and the wipe case, and proceeds to lie on the pad. She doesn't necessarily need to have her diaper changed, she just likes to pretend :)

I Love Parenting

2007-01-08T20:51:00.000-06:00

I am truly amazed each day at how much I love being a parent, and especially how much I love my Ella. She is amazing. What I also find amazing is how much I love her. I never knew that I could feel so much love and devotion to a single person.

Some odd things about parenting: Parenting a toddler is exhausting. She is always on the move, always into everything, always doing something new. When I put her to bed, I am super excited to have some time to myself. But, not long after she goes down, I miss her. I want to go in and look at her sleeping. When I get into bed, I want to bring her into our bed to cuddle. How can you want to have a break from someone, and want to be with them all of the time?

I also am amazed about how utterly dependent children are on their parents. Ella depends on us for her every need. Not only that, but she trusts us implicitly. If I hand her something to eat, she puts it in her mouth without thinking that I might be giving her something bad, whether it would just taste bad, or be harmful to her. It makes me think of how easily people can (and unfortunately, sometimes do) take advantage of that and harm their children. Scary. It is a reminder to me of what a monumental task parenting is.

Let me end my post, dear reader, with a cute Ella story:
We often have Ella in the kitchen with us while we are cooking. One night last week, she was apparently very hungry (she continually made the baby sign for eat), so we turned the oven light on and showed her our casserole that was cooking in the oven. She promptly went across the room to the drawer where we keep the oven mits, got them out, put them on her hands and walked over to the oven to get the food out. What a genius!

Gerald Ford

2006-12-31T23:09:00.000-06:00

I must admit to you, dear reader, that I am a heartless person. When I walked into the living room on Tuesday morning, and Brad broke the news to me that former president, Gerald Ford, had died, my mind immediately went to the Saturday Night Live skit done a decade ago about Gerald Ford's death. It may not be all that appropriate, but I wanted to share it with you, in case you, too, needed to see some humor in a sad situation. Enjoy!

http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/1gmarchive/2006/12/gerald_ford_dea.html

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

2006-12-21T10:51:00.000-06:00

Those of you who know me well know that I am HUGE fan of Harry Potter. So, it much excites me to know that the final book has a name. It is, however, disappointing that no publishing date has been set. I will continue to wait with baited breath. The good news, though, is that the 5th movie is coming in July. But, as a book purist, the movies always disappoint me.

I look forward to the book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows with much anticipation, but it saddens me at the same time because I know that Harry is coming to an end. I wonder what will happen: Where will Harry and Voldemort finally meet? Will we see Sirius again? Dumbledore? And, of course, the girl in me wonders if Harry and Ginny will rekindle their romance, or if Ron & Hermione will ultimately be together. I suppose that I will just have to keep guessing.

You can check out the latest story about Harry and J.K. Rowling at http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/books/12/21/books.pottertitle.ap/index.html

Some Christmas Cheer

2006-12-16T20:50:00.000-06:00

If you would like to have a good Christmas belly laugh, check this out:

http://www.goingjesus.com/cavalcade1.shtml

Thanks to Becca, it is hilarious.

Good and Bad

2006-12-14T20:36:00.000-06:00

This week was a momentous one for the Daugherty Family. Brad and I were able to go away for the first time. My mom came down to stay with Ella, and Brad and I went to a Pastor & Spouse Retreat at the Opryland here in Nashville. The picture to the right is basically the view from the balcony of our room. We worked hard to be able to go away, or at least Ella and I worked hard. In order for me to go away, she had to be weaned. So, we worked from her birthday, and she was finally weaned a week ago, just in time for us to go. We had a great time, and the Opryland is an amazing place.

I thought that having us gone for the few days, and especially me, would be hard for Ella. But, my mom says that she hardly even noticed that we were gone. She and my mom had a wonderful time, and she did great without us.

It was good that we got to go away, after 13 months, we definitely needed it. It was good that Ella and my mom got along so well. But, don't you think that it's just a little bad that Ella is so independent? I would like to think that she would have missed us, a lot. I guess it's true what they say, they sure do grow up fast!

A Funny Little Story

2006-12-06T19:01:00.000-06:00

Tonight, I thought that I would share a little story that shows the difference between when I was growing up (perhaps you, too) and today's generation.

Over Thanksgiving, we visited my dad and his family in Savannah, Georgia. Because we had Ella with us, we often had to take our car so that we didn't have to keep moving around the car seat. Well, my sister, Anna (who is turning 10 next week), climbed into the backseat with Ella. She was in the car for a few minutes and then asked, "Heather, what is this bar below the car handle?"

I wasn't sure what she was talking about, so I asked for more information, and she answered, "You know, this lever, maybe it moves something."

And that's when I realized that Anna was talking about the lever to roll the window up and down (we don't have electric windows). When I told her this, she said that she had not seen that in her whole life. The rest of the time that we were there, Anna would ride in our car and exclaim over the lever. She even told us that when she got a car, she was going to "pay extra" to be able to roll the window up and down herself. We didn't have the heart to tell her that people paid extra not to roll up their own windows.

Amazing how much life changes as time goes on, isn't it?

Tyranny of the Urgent

2006-12-04T20:33:00.000-06:00

I am not much of a planner, although I do like to have some idea of what is going to happen on any given day. But I have found that in my life lately, no day ever goes how I plan it to go. I will have a list of things to do at work, but a phone call comes in and I find that I have another project for the day. Or, I will be at home trying to fix dinner or clean, and Ella wants to be held, or eat, or for me to read a book to her and I never get to the cleaning or the cooking. Does life ever come to the point that you can plan out your day and actually have it work that way? How do you stop living in the urgent and get to the everyday parts of life? Am I just not good at getting done what needs to go done? Do I need to be more rigid with my schedule?

But, tonight was an example of when it's a good time to set aside your plans. Tonight, I wanted to clean up from dinner, but Ella wouldn't stop tugging at my pants legs. So, I set aside the cleaning and sat with her. We read books, sang together, laughed and talked with MaMaw on the phone. These are the moments that you wish would last forever. And it is then that you realize that your plans are not always the best ones.

News?

2006-12-02T13:13:00.000-06:00

Everyday, I plan my morning around watching the news. Now, when I say news, I mean NBC's, "The Today Show", although the quality is a little less now that Katie Couric has made the move to CBS. Nonetheless, I take time each day to watch the "Morning Headlines" with Ann Curry, and to catch the weather, and I also enjoy a few of their other stories. Now, when I tell Brad that I am going to watch the news, he says, "News? You mean the Today Show?" Then he walks out of the room laughing. What do you think, does the Today Show count as news?

2006-11-29T20:56:00.001-06:00

Like All the Rest

2006-11-29T20:56:00.000-06:00

So, for months now I have been reading the blogs of friends, looking for a little something to make the day interesting. So, I thought that I would start my own, the antics of the Daugherty family. Hopefully I'll have interesting things to say, or at least somewhat interesting. We'll see.