It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

My new office-mate (for that's what they call the woman I share an office with), Tammy, gave me two tickets to "Fantasy of Trees" in Knoxville, so Kevin and I went today. To learn more about the actual event go here.

I couldn't help but comment to Kevin that my mother would have LOVED it--she loves Christmas, especially the Christmas trees. The only problem would have been we never would have left, for she would have wanted a picture of every tree!!! Though I didn't quite get every tree, this post is for you, Momma!

We took several splendid pictures that we hope you enjoy!

This was one of the first trees we came across. The trees are decorated to be sold, and the proceeds are given to charity, and there were several peacock-themed trees. Having always loved peacocks, I like the idea--even if the feathers on top were a little odd. :)

REAL peacock feathers on it! Such amazing colors!

Me standing in front of the peacock tree. After Kevin took this picture, he said, "You look like you're wearing a hat!" Thanks, hon...

Of course, hundreds of magnificent trees, dripping with decorations!

Some that were just cute. (Notice the "It's a boy" and "It's a girl" signs on them....)

A display of miniature trees.

There were some pretty cool ornaments, too.

I've always been fond of Snow Men.

...and snow flakes, too, for that matter!

One of those For-Posterity pictures.

And then there were all the usual players...

Some ballerinas (who were absolutely adorable!):

A guardian angel (who looked surprisingly like Angelina Jolie, we decided) with her reindeer (we're still trying to figure that one out)...

Santa Clause...

(I think we decided how we're going to broach this topic with our children...ask if you want to know. :)

Last...a garage band of penguins?

Kevin assured me it's their mascot, but I'm not entirely convinced....

This one's also for Mom. She likes lambs, and I thought she'd get a kick out of these little guys...

And there you have it! Knoxville Fantasy of Trees, 2008.

It was enjoyable, crowded, pretty, consumerist, relaxing, and costly....

But it was free (to us) and at this stage in the game, that's really what we're all about.

So, Merry Christmas! From us to you. May your Christmas season be a celebration of what the season is truly about...

Thanksgiving, 2008

We were incredibly blessed to celebrate Thanksgiving twice this year!

We don't have any pictures from our first celebration, on Wednesday, with the Fowlers (darn those rechargeable batteries that haven't been recharged!).

On Thursday, we went to some dear (newly-married) friend's house to celebrate. It was quite the experience--neither one of us had ever made a Thanksgiving meal on our own. So, we divided the menu and conquered! And aside from a couple forgotten dishes (like the mashed potatoes! how does one just forget mashed potatoes in the Thanksgiving meal!?!? yes...that was my doing...), we did just fine!

The dining room table:

Da Boyz: Thomas holding Indy (as in Indiana Jones) and Kevin.

Thomas cutting the Turkey...which was absolutely amazing! Not bad for a first time!

Steph showing off the giraffe oven mitt Thomas's grandmother bought them.

And then, after dinner, the real party started...as in Guitar Hero.

Steph and Kevin getting down with their bad selves.

And where there is music (or something like it), there must be dancing (or something like it).

Kevin and Me attempting a hoe-down.

It was a wonderful evening of time with friends, and we are very grateful to have them in our lives.

One lat pic for the road:

All About Kevin!

Sooo....I'm a fan of a couple blogs, and I was reading Jessica's today, and she had this really cool post about her husband (which she copied from some other people's blogs, so I don't feel so bad!).

And, as you all know, it's Kevin's birthday week (because that's the REAL way to celebrate a birthday--ALLLLLL weeeeeeek!). So, I thought, why not give him another tribute!?

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? MarioKart, and he's looking like a little boy. And Matt or Josh are next to him, also looking like little boys.

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Ranch. We're out at the moment, and the other night, he almost did Cesar, but I cautioned that it was not for the faint at heart. He relented and took Buttermilk (which I mistakenly bought thinking it was Ranch the other day....)

3. What's one food he doesn't like? All the AMAZING dips and spread that i LOVE like hummus and guacamole!

4. You go out to the bar. What does he order? We don't go out to a bar. And he doesn't drink. Problem solved.

5. Where did he go to high school? He was home schooled, but he attended a Knoxville co-op through Berean Christian High School (did i get that right, babe? i always get so confused with his schooling!).

6. What size shoe does he wear? 8.5 or 9--small for his height--and yes, we are the same size, and we share shoes on occasion (namely because I wear men's shoes at times).

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Political campaign posters. You think I'm joking, don't you?

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? the edible kind. :)

9. What would he eat every day if he could? BBQ

10. What is his favorite cereal? Golden Grahams, i think. But he's got an easy cereal pallet to please, as well. :)

11. What would he never wear? Anything with the name-brand on it. He has one Abercrombie shirt that was given to him and he wears it sometimes, but I think it's painful for him.

12. What is his favorite sports team? I don't think he has one, but he'd like to go to a Vols game at some point--does that count?

13. Who did he vote for? You're not serious, are you?

14. Who is his best friend? me. :)

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? burp, probably.

16. How many states has he lived in? one.

17. What is his heritage? ...European....?

18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what would it be? chocolate cake with chocolate icing with chocolate sprinkles on top with chocolate chips in the cake itself. That boy is a chocolate fiend!

19. Did he play sports in high school? Nope.

20. What could he spend hours doing? Surfing the net reading about politics.

21. What's something cool about him? He absolutely adores me. I feel so secure in the love of my husband. I'm not deserving of it, but he truly does seek to love me and cherish me as Christ loves and cherishes the church.

My New Digs

It wasn't quite three months ago that I started expressing to Kevin that I was wearing out at my job. Yes, it paid the bills. Yes, I worked with wonderful people. Yes, I could set my own hours. But, I was finding joy in my calling hard to come by. I was--and am--very grateful for that job--it allowed Kevin to finish college without having to work simultaneously.

Mere days after I expressed my feelings to Kevin, I met the director of interpreters for the University of Tennessee. She mentioned a full-time position she had open. I applied (what could it hurt?) and got the job.

What a blessing! It is a full-time, full-benefits position with vacation and sick time. I have a set schedule, and I don't have to worry about finding hours at all times of the day--they're already there for me. I am so grateful!

So....here's my office:

I share my office with another staff interpreter. She is the sweetest Christian lady, and I am so grateful to share our little space together. I think we were both a little nervous about being with each other (What will she be like? Will I annoy her? Is she clean?). It's almost like having a roommate! :-)

In the bottom right corner of the picture, you can see the small laptop with headphones on top that I use to train as a transcriptionist. It's quite the process--a little frustrating at times, but I'm so excited to use this service for Deaf/HoH students as well.

On the wall is my CERTIFICATION! But just in case your eagle eyes can't see that far:

I can even see the Sunsphere from my window, but it's kind of a yucky day outside, so I'll not post a picture of that just yet. :-)

Stay dry out there! :)

What Does a 23-year-old get for his birthday? Why, clothes of course!

For Kevin's college graduation, my mother made him a t-shirt quilt. It's a wonderful way to preserve t-shirts, it's incredibly warm, and it will be cherished for years to come...however, Kevin had no t-shirts left afterward. :-) So.....

For his birthday, I bought him a couple new ones. Behold....

Strong Bad. Granted, I do not understand the fascination with this Internet phenom; however, I'm trying to not buy Kevin things I think he should wear, but things he thinks he should wear (imagine that!). And this one was a winner! :)


Our next selections are from Randomshirts.com. (heard of them? if you haven't: gohere.) Lots of fun thrift-store-like t-shirts for very cheap--it's run by former college guys--what can you say?

This shirt says: "TREES: the real case of forest fires".

And, well, you can see this one. heehee! :-)

And, last, my parents sent me a check which I took and purchased some nice khaki dress pants for my little professional! He wore them today--they look fab! :-D

And that's all for now, but I have a feeling the gifts will keep rolling in as we journey to Vonore for Thanksgiving on Wednesday (yes, yes, I know Thanksgiving is on Thursday--we celebrate the eve of in the Fowler home :). We'll letcha know how that goes!

Happy Monday, y'all! :)

23 Things I Appreciate About My 23 Year Old Husband on November 23, His 23rd Birthday!

Phew! That's sure a title, huh? But it's true! Kevin is the big 2-3! Ah, to be young again! Haha—I joke.

But in light of this, his golden birthday (or "star" birthday, according to Wikipedia), I thought I'd offer a tribute to the neatest guy I know.

So, strap on your light sabers, cuz here goes (in no particular order):

23) He likes to play board games. The first things we bought with our wedding Target gift cards were Monopoly and Scrabble.

22) He appreciates my creativity. I inherited the love of artistic, creative expression from my mother, and it manifests itself in varied hobbies, such as scrap booking, experimenting with clothing combinations, and arranging the furniture in different ways.. Kevin has said many times, he's not creative (which isn't entirely true), but creative outlets also needs appreciators of the art itself, and he has a great eye for beautiful things.

21) He has an easy-to-please pallet. I like to experiment when I cook, and sometimes it turns REALLY well, but sometimes not so much. No matter what, though, he always thanks me.

20) His height. I know, I know—he had no say in this. But I'm grateful the Lord gave me one with whom I can wear high heels (like 4 inches!) and I'm not towering over him.

19) He trusts me. As I trust him.

18) He's good with technology. I'm very much NOT, and it's nice to have him explain or figure out things that I would rather throw out the window.

17) We agree financially. As money is the number one cause of strife in marriages, I'm incredibly grateful for this.

16) His blue eyes! Bright and Beautiful! :-D

15) His work ethic—incredibly responsible and hard working.

14) His young-at-heart attitude. I take life pretty seriously most often, and God knew I needed someone to help me lighten up!

13) His family. I love my in-laws, and so often, that is not the case when one gets married.

12) His passion for the Word of God.

11) His sense of humor. In church the other day, we sang this song, and when we got home, Kevin said, "But Lydia, what about the penguins?" I had no clue what he was talking about until I read the lyrics…and he's right—they don't include penguins.

10) He always strives to live with me in an understanding way. This is not to say I am always easily understood or deserving of being understood, but my husband takes his God-given husbandly responsibilities very seriously.

9) He appreciates solitude.

8) We like each other. It's one thing to love someone (we are commanded to love even our enemies), but Kevin and I actually like spending time together. It's great to have a foundational friendship underlying our marriage.

7) He likes chick flicks. No joke. He brought Return to Me into our marriage, and the other night, he willingly watched Legally Blonde with me. What can I say? He's a keeper!

6) His music taste is very diverse. Despite my opinion on the OC Supertones, he'll also listen to Mozart, acoustic, a Capella, and a score of other genres!

5) He lets me cry. He doesn't like it when I do, but every once in a while when I have to have that good womanly cry, he's right there with the tissue.

4) He's inquisitive. We have wonderful conversations oftentimes lasting hours regarding all sort of topics from politics (imagine that! :) to theology to the economy to our respective jobs.

3) His Explorer. Does that sound odd? I've ALWAYS loved big trucks, and it's pretty much like a big truck with a covered bed... :-)

2) He plays the guitar, and now he's playing bass for Grace's worship team.

1) God chose him for me. (Jeremiah 29:11)

I love you, Kevin!!! Happy Birthday! :-)

Sweet Celebration

There's a birthday boy in the house tomorrow!

...but in true Skidmore fashion (and as he's now married to me, he's part of our family, too), the celebrating has started a bit early.

Check out this chocolate chip cookie cake he got from some adoring (female) students....

Not too shabby, eh?

And just for good measure, the (soon-to-be) birthday boy himself:

Check back tomorrow for a birthday post by Mrs. Fowler in honor of Mr. Fowler, both of the land of Fowlerinia. :-)

Seven Things You Didn't Know About Me

I read Kati Hurst's blog Here, and was inspired on this bright early Monday morning. So, here goes:

Seven Things You (Probably) Did Not Know About Me...

1. I had red hair when I was born (and then it all fell out and I was bald for three years...moving right along....)

2. I'm lactose intolerant. But Kevin drinks enough milk for the both of us. :-)

3. I'm a writer and would love nothing more than to sit at a computer for hours and create stories....I can dream, right?

4. I'm a homebody. This just dawned on me the other night, and when I expressed my new found insight to Kevin, he said, "Well, that's good. Because I am too." :)

5. I look forward to staying home to raise my children.

6. I am NOT a morning person, but this whole 8-5 job thing is working out rather nicely. It's nice to have a couple extra minutes to spend with Kevin in the am....

7. I am two years and one month older than my husband, but for a brief period of time, it looks as though I'm three years older than him--like right now. But his birthday's coming, so the lording-over is almost at an end...until next year! ;-)

New Job

Good Evening!

I must admit that while I type this, my body protests. It will be short, but by way of update, I started a new job today at the University of Tennessee. I am now a staff Interpreter/Transcriber. :)

It's very exciting, but also presents a steep learning curve, as does any new experience of this nature. Orientation and a general overview of the Office of Disabilities was on the agenda today. The rest of the week is a variety of observing transcribing, observing life in the office, and generally settling in. I'm very excited about this new venture. We do feel it was providentially placed in my path, and the Lord will be faithful to reward our leap of faith.

In the meantime, I'm battling a head cold and/or sinuses, so please pray for that as it makes it difficult to be as enthusiastic about that as I would wish. I do get my own office, office phone, name plate, and email address. Pretty cool, huh?

I'll try to post some pictures before too long. :)

We Went to the Beach

We've been back for a while, but, as you well know, after a vacation, one almost needs a vacation from the vacation just to catch up. With that said, while I'm working on this post, I'm also writing out a shopping list, eating breakfast, and trying to decide what we're having for dinner tonight...yay for multi-tasking!

With that said, I cannot at current find the pictures from our vacation, because I'm so smart with my computer, that I transferred them to somewhere I can't find...

(alright, done with breakfast--check that one off the list)

Suffice it to say that our vacation was everything a vacation should be. We relaxed, we saw some friends, Kevin met my grandparents, we did some sight-seeing, and we indulged the history nerds within both of us. (yes, yes--Kevin is the history teacher, but I love it just as much!)

So, as the computer performs a search to find those evasive vacation pictures, I'm going to post a picture that's not from vacation, but about a month ago. It's from a friend's wedding reception, and, well, I just love it. :)

Me and My Love:

p.s. For those who are interested, tonight, we're having Audrey's Beef Stew. ;-)

Surprisingly Sound Wisdom

I wish that everyone could be rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed to do so they could see that it's not the answer. -- Jim Carrey