Sayonara Citizen's Bank

Bethany came to visit pre-Thanksgiving. She cooked us dinner and we enjoyed eachother's company. (For pictures, you know where to go.)

Bethany and I were able to have another bonding moment as we drove up Lookout Mountain to close our accounts at Citizen's Bank. It was so sad, we both banked their for 7/8 years and had become friends with the bank ladies. They wished us luck and hugged us goodbye. I love this bank and it's family banking mission. No one really understood why Bethany and I banked so far away from home and with a bank with only two branches. But we were committed to visiting our banker lady friends who baked us cookies, thats what banking is all about! ya know.

This was another moment in time that said that 'bethany-kiko' era has ended one chapter and is moving on to the next. Closing out old accounts and opening new accounts.

Brown Sugar

So, I finally figured out how to post videos on my blog. This entry and the previous are of our two friends, Mesh and Todd, at their best. These recordings are taken at Rob's at Mesh's last night at Karoke. So fun. Enjoy

Cream

A proud father...

....is he...

...not Vincent, but Rob Righter (Christy is the proud mother).

Huh, fooled ya!

This is Isaac Robert Righter!
Born 13 minutes after my birthday.
(I suppose he didn't want to share his brithday
with eigther Bethany or I.)
Very cute.

Gabe is going to be a great big brother.
"MY baby brother!", says Gabe.

We love children and congrats to the Righters.
but we are just happy, being newly weds and being just the two us,
if anyone is woundering.

Dreamt for Light Years

...in the belly of a mountain.

Another article by Vincent! Check it out! Or pick up the current copy of the Pulse!

Farewell Mesh!

We will miss you Mesh!
(P.S. I have video clips of our last Karaoke bash with Mesh and I will have it posted as soon as I figure out my techinical difficulties...I promise.)

Sunday Nap

As I mentioned previously, Brae and Uncle Damien came to visit.
It was enjoyable like a Sunday afternoon nap...
which I wish I can take one now.

Bulls Eye!

Here are some pictures of us hanging out at

Parkway after Tacy and Stephen's wedding:

Em's Bulls Eye...can't see it, but its there.

Rain Rain Go Away...

It’s a rainy day…don’t feel like working but I have lots to do.

A rainy thought for this week: Mesh is leaving in several days.

Ordination

Another busy weekend and variety of events: Brae and Uncle Damien were here to visit, Tacy and Stephen got married and a group of us went to Parkway afterwards. However, the greatest event this weekend was that Kenny Foster, a previous Associate Pastor of New City Fellowship, was ordained last night. This is historic in many levels as he is one of the few black pastors in the P.C.A. It was a beautiful service as great men of faith encouraged Kenny in his upcoming ministry.

Kenny singing from his heart! Love it!

Congratulations Pastor Foster!

I'm a Junkie

Man. So, some of us gathered on the Martin’s porch last night to give out candy to trick or treaters. Charity asked each child what they were and if they weren’t dressed up in costumes, she still asked…and if they responded with an ‘I dunno’, she still had them come up with something. Very interactive and very creative, one kid even rapped for his treats. Some, not so creative, responded with, “I’m a pimp!”, “I’m a junkie” (most of these comments coming out of children no older than 6)…some just asked for beer. Next year I’m handing out tracks with my candy!!!

Henry the Bear

Jackson and Watchman: Watchman's very first candy!

Doubl-headed Bearded Man (A.k.a. the Stavens)

This was my favorite costume of the year!
(I don't know who she is...)

Window Washers, Chattanooga TN

True Shine, Window Washers
at your service for
clean residential or commercial windows!
For a FREE Quote call: 423-503-8783

Here is Vincent, cleaning our kitchen and cooking dinner for us after a hard day’s work, cleaning windows, screens and gutters. Who wouldn’t want to hire True Shine window washers, they are great to have around!

Chattanooga Window Washing

The Wedding Album

This past Friday, Emily, Katie and I planned a “Dress-up and Get Down: Halloween Party”. I’m 27 years old and still enjoy playing dress-up…Anyways, lots of fun…I couldn’t finish down loading all my pictures on Flikr, but check out the ones that are up!

And here we are:

I finally was able to dress up as Yoko Ono, I’ve been wanting to for a couple of years now (just because it’s an easy get-up for me) but I either couldn’t find a guy to play my ‘husband’ or I had short hair. This year I had both: a husband and long hair, so it was a fairly easy decision to make for what we would be.

Side note: I’ve read a bit about Yoko, after the party, and didn’t realize what a “character” she is…Oh, and last Halloween Party was when Vincent and I started hanging out. I was Chun-Li and he was a bar fly.

"For the Love", by Vincent

Recently Vincent has been busy rekindling his love for writing. He has been doing art features and music reviews for the Pulse: Chattanooga’s weekly alternative. You should check it out when you have time (by picking up a copy of the Pulse or clicking onto their link)…and if you would like, feel free to comment!

This current article is about The Late Bloomers Series at the Chattanooga Theater Center (more details in the article). It all seems very interesting and we should get a group to go see some of their shows.

Back to Work

I'm officially back to work. It's nice and liberating to know I'm getting paid again. Its sad how I'm so much more motivated now that I'm getting paid...hopefully that motivation and passion will hold me through these next couple of months as a lot of my cases are going to court.

Well, in the world of adoption and foster care, we are always going to court. Nothing is final until we take it to this building (photo below) and the judge makes a decision. And like any other governmental process, one visit to this bare, impersonal building isn’t enough.

Often I see the same kids roaming these halls and to them it’s a normal part of their lives to sit in a courthouse. Sad. They know the routine: be quite, be torn between your biological parents and your foster parent as they sit across from each other in the waiting area, once you’re called into the ‘big’ room they are to behave, say bye to your biological family, and go home with your foster parents.

I sometimes wonder why I’m a part of this sad system. To make children’s lives better? Who am I to know what is best?

The irony is that the children I work for always make me smile, THEY make ME smile. They make me feel loved...even if I don't have any clue in what I'm doing, its all okay when a child runs to give me a big hug and I can at least return the hug.

Middle Child

I have now mentioned to Vincent several times, in passing, how Sienna, my new cousin, has quickly become one of my favorite people. I was listing off her great characteristics to why she is so great and without much pre-thought I assessed it was all due to the fact that she was the middle child. Then later I realized that I’m married to a ‘middle child’ and furthermore, a lot of my close friends are, as well as other cool people.

According to Wikipedia, “Middleborn children have a diverse range of personalities. The habits of many middleborns are motivated by the fact that they have never been truly in the spotlight. The first-born always seems to be achieving and pioneering ahead, while the younger sibling is secure in his or her niche as the entertainer of the family. The middle born child may develop great social skills and have an easier time growing up with an other-centered point of view. The middle child knows what he or she is doing and tends to become very intelligent in their efforts to gain attention from siblings. Middle born children are usually quite talented, and their quest for perfection against their siblings can lead them to discover new and unlooked-for qualities, musically, academically, and theoretically. It has been suggested that middleborn children are more likely to be entrepreneurs. Karen E. Klein, a Los Angeles-based writer, suggested that a middleborn's innate skills in diplomacy plus their flexibility in ideas make them more susceptible to entrepreneurship. A first born's common feeling of a fear of losing the top position makes them more risk adverse. This makes first borns less likely to create a new venture.”

So, maybe middle children are just cooler. Maybe from here on out, when I’m meeting new people I should ask for their birth order than decide if I want to be there friend or not. But then again, maybe not, since I’m a first born and I think I turned out okay.

Kristine and Vincent: both middle children

Carrie Galpin, sitting in the middle, can sorta be considered a middle child.

And here is Sienna.

Tommy: the coolest of them all.

Emily and my sister, Kari (Halloween two years ago)

'D'-standing in the center. Um, Mokko I guess is/
can be considered to be in the middle...but I think
he's more of the baby in the family.

Minutes from the weekend

I just got back from hanging out with Emily at Hair of the Dog. Good ole’ girl time. It was a good way to wrap a busy weekend as I socially caught up. Friday, I went to have dinner at Durty Nelly’s with the Roes, Brent and Andy. (And thanks to the guys, I now know what to get my husband for Christmas.) Saturday morning, Vincent and I went to the Enchanted Maze with my foster families (wish I had pictures). That night we enjoyed the company of some of our friends at Lupi’s…

...and here is Brandt and Kristine, at Lupi's, not too thrilled that I had my camera out...

...and yes, another picture of Vincent.

Paychecks!

Praise God! It has finally arrived...my employment authorization card!
Thanks to all those who have prayed along side
us for this day to come!

Half Off

Today is Thursday: where Mudpie's offers Half off Wine Night.
For me it is an excuse to see friends,
actually it WAS an excuse to see friends...
I think we are getting older and more responsible,
as there is less of us that go or
we sometimes just don't go at all.

Me and Marr Marr back in the day all our friends used to come.

Kari and Bethany: mid expression-this was Kari's last 'Half Off' before she moved.


Lo-Lo

Vincent: who knows what he's doing...

Henry in Recovery

We rejoice that Henry's surgery yesterday was a success, and that the Lord placed our young warrior in the hands of a serious expert. Henry's a huge joy for us to behold whenever we're with the Ferris family. And we're praying for them as they stand by Henry's recovery bed. Check the Ferris family blog for details on the surgery if you haven't yet.