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! :)