"...but the water tower says Ossipee!"

Five years ago when I was a junior at Meredith College, I had the great pleasure of leading a Campus Crusade Bible study for a dorm of freshman ladies. The Lord blessed my life richly with the relationships I formed during that year with so many of these precious women. One of these ladies is my dear friend Lyndsey Thompson. Upon meeting her in a rush between classes, she gladly accepted the invitation to Bible study. When I asked her name she informed me that it was "LYYYYNdsey!" (said with one of the absolute thickest Southern accents I've heard to this day...keep in mind Phillip is from Florence). I immediately asked, "Where in the name of the goodness are you from?" To which she excitedly answered, "Elon, but the water tower says Ossipee!" I knew nothing more about this new member other than the fact that she determined her geographical location based on the closest town water tower. That was enough to lead to a wonderfully, blessed friendship. This weekend, in Elon (or Ossipee), Lyndsey became Mrs. Jeff Lowe. Below is the newlywed couple during their first dance as husband and wife.


The new Mrs. Lowe and I after her nuptials. Phillip and I had a fantastic time. It was such a gorgeous wedding and reception!


The reception was held outside...where most everyone disposed of their formal shoes in trade for a more practical substitution. Below is a picture of Lyndsey and her new hubby...showing off her boots.


I also got to finally spend time with Mary Grace and Lindsay...along with quite a few other friends from college. I miss you ladies immensely!!!


Phillip and I LOVED the scenery. We got candied apples to take home too (Phillip thoroughly enjoyed this one).

Congrats to the Lowes!!!

Aqua Dog

Mason has had a funny habit since he was a tiny pup when he swims. He starts out great, but then gets so distracted by the water splashing up in his face that he forgets to fetch.



Sweet "special bean" tries to bite the water splashing in his face and swim. It ends up being slightly amusing. We were finally able to catch a few seconds of this on video. Hope you get a little chuckle out of it!

Autumn...Southern Style!

We have been so incredibly busy lately with our hectic work schedules that we seldom see one another, much less take the time out to travel and spend time with family. The Lord blessed us this past weekend with a while 48 hours of free time for Phillip!!!

We decided to use this to make a long-overdue trip to Florence to visit his family. It worked out well because it was also homecoming for Liberty Chapel (the church he grew up attending). Unfortunately both of Phillip's parents were quite under the weather, so we didn't get to spend any time with them. We did, however, seem to catch everyone else.

On our way down to Florence we stopped by McLeod Farms to pick up a pumpkin for us to carve with our nieces. We had a great time! We love this place...they are one of the largest peach producers in South Carolina. If you are ever in McBee, SC you should do two things: 1) Watch your speed, they are serious about that 25 mph thing and 2) Make it a point to not miss this place if you enjoy fresh, locally grown veggies/fruit of any kind.

Below are some pictures, mostly of pumpkin carving, but we hope you enjoy viewing (and enjoyed your weekend as much as we did our own).

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Daddy's Boy

Mason is only a little over six months old. He's HUGE compared to our little 12 pound Gracie, but doesn't seem to realize this. Often times he tries to mimic some of the things she does. However, he has a precious habit he's developed all on his own.This is what Mason does anytime Phillip leaves. He tends to wait there for a while...seemingly holding out the faith that Phillip will be coming back for him.

Admittedly slack...

Those are the most befitting two words to describe our commitment to blogging (and many other things) as of late. We would apologize, except it's given us more time with friends, family, and most especially one another. We've had the privilege of hosting several friends over the past few weekends. It's been most enjoyable catching up with everyone.

There's really not that much new to report. Right now we're enjoying the many blessings we have in our lives (most of whom come in the form of a wonderfully supportive network of friends), and trying to remember that despite national and local circumstances God has blessed us richly.

As many of you know, we work two COMPLETELY opposite schedules. Phillip works 3 PM to 1 AM and I work from 8:30 AM to 5 PM. Therefore, during the week we never see and hardly speak to one another outside of the daily notes on the counter tops. Phillip was fortunate enough to attend the Clemson game this past weekend (his first game in Death Valley). Sadly, they lost but he thoroughly enjoyed his time. I was given a gorgeous Saturday to myself. I decided to visit my mom at one of my parents' florists in downtown Monroe. It's been such a long time since I've actually taken the time to appreciate the small town from which I came. Mom and I shopped in most of the Main Street boutiques and then had a small lunch at this quaint coffeehouse called Alice Jules (if you're around, you should go). Phillip and I took the opportunity to enjoy a Saturday night out. We had a fantastic dinner at City Tavern (one of our favorite, local restaurants) and saw a late showing of Fireproof at the cinema.

For those of you that are married, we'd love to challenge you to see this movie. God's work in a person's heart can completely alter their entire life. This movie depicts just that. It's especially geared towards marriages, and its message is priceless. Here's the link for the movie and many other resources. Please check it out!

Hope you are all well and enjoying this wonderful fall weather!