Back to the Basics

Shortly after Brad and I got married we were approached by the preschool director, Lori, at our church who was trying to start a new program. Most of the schools in Raleigh go all year long so during "track out" times these kids are left needed some type of childcare while their parents work. Lori came up with this great idea that not only offers childcare to these kids but allows them to learn certain hobbies. So, this Fall Brad began teaching guitar lessons while I taught ballet classes for the Enrichment program at Bay Leaf. My kids range from ages 3 to 5 and they are the cutest kids ever. I was 3 when I started taking ballet and I remember being just as excited as these girls are about being able to do a passe and plie. Here are a few pictures from the classes. Aren't they so cute in their little leotards, tights and skirts?

Pretty toes and ugly toes!

Oh Baby...

I'm going to be an aunt and Brad is going to be an uncle! We are SO excited my sister-in-law Kristin and my brother, Brandon (aka B and K) are expecting their first child in March! They are going to be wonderful parents and I just can't wait to love that kid...and be its favorite aunt, of course :)

So, I have a ton of pictures of/with them but this one always makes me laugh every time I see it.

What's so great, too, is that I'm going to be an "aunt" x3 in 2011. Some of my best friends are expecting as well...

Elise and Clayton are expecting the same week as B and K! I've known Elise since we were in diapers and have shared many great times with her. You can read all about Elise's journey with her pregnancy here. I'm so excited for them! The first PPhiG baby!

Shannon and I met in New Orleans the fall of 2005. When hurricane Katrina kicked us out of the city I spent the next four months in Houston with her as we worked as semester missionaries. We still keep in touch and I love the honesty in our friendship. Shannon was told many years ago having children naturally may not be a possibility for her. Nevertheless, Shannon and her husband, Jonathan never doubted the Lord was capable of doing anything. Shannon and Jonathan are expecting a boy at the beginning of 2011 and I am so happy for them!

Sara Beth and I got to know each other better at a time when I was in desperate need for an encouraging and present (as in same city) friend. We soon found out that my dad and aunts grew up with her parents...instant connection if you have relatives from the small town of Fayetteville, TN. Sara Beth and Josh are going to be great parents!

Bring on the baby showers!

One year ago...

I was in Senegal!

Oh, man! I loved that place! I went with a group of wonderful people from Dauphin Way Baptist Church, in Mobile! We worked with the Wolof people group to share the story of Jesus. It was an awesome experience. I pretty much had a consistent flow of sweat from the time we landed in Dakar until we got back on the plane to go back to the US but it was totally worth it. One day I hope to go back!

I received an email today, one year later, from a guy we worked with who was one of the few believers in the entire country. Hearing from him got me to thinking about that experience and how it changed me. My eyes were opened to the poverty of this world. At the same time I saw children and families who were happy with little to nothing and called you family after only knowing you for a few hours. It is a crazy thing to have a conversation with a women who know nothing about the Bible or Jesus. Then they want to hear why some crazy Americans fly and then drive hours to their village when there is nothing and want to love them and learn about their culture. The women there are strong...they don't have all the things we take for granted. One day I watched a girl wash clothes with her hands, a bucket, and a bar of soap. Those clothes were cleaner than any washer and dryer could come close to cleaning. What's so sad about the women in the West Africa region and the Wolof people group is that they have no say in their lives. They have no voice. They answer to the chief of the tribe. If the chief does not turn to Christ then nobody will. If someone decides to step out of a limb and follow Christ they are kicked out of their family, community, and tribe. To follow Chirst is to literally leave everything you have and know. It brings a clearer understanding to what Jesus said in Luke 14:26-33,

²⁶“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. ²⁸For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? ²⁹Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, ³⁰saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ ³¹Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? ³²And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. ³³So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." -ESV

The men work in the fields. All day. Every day.

Team Two-Bob (minus Terry) wearing our clothing made for us by a local seamstress.

My favorite picture of the entire trip. Omar was my buddy. He couldn't play like the other kids. He had something wrong with him. Maybe a heart defect. He was retaining water all over his body and getting the proper medical care was next to impossible. Omar passed away in October after his family was unable to get him to a doctor in time. What I love about this picture is that he wouldn't smile for the camera but every time I showed him the picture of us on my camera he would laugh.

The kids love to have their picture taken. They would follow us until we took a picture of them. Of course, you have to show them the picture on your camera, too. They would laugh and then run away.

To find out more about the need in West Africa go here!

What happened to June?

June flew by. Brad has been taking summer classes since the first week in June and working. I've been working and getting hours for my practicum. To say we have been busy is an understatement. In fact, the only reason I have time to write now is because I'm sick (throat is on fire, sound like a man and completely exhausted, can you relate?). We've had our share of frustrations but have learn a lot over the past few months. Brad and I are so excited about the many changes throughout July and August! New jobs, new home, new opportunities, and vacation to Alabama!

More to come, when our changes become more official! :)

Raleigh, I like you.

I have been a Raleigh resident for four months and the more I found out about the Oak City, the more I like it. Now, let me just preface this with by saying when I talk about Raleigh, I'm not talking about the city and all surrounding areas. Its not like when I was growing up and people said they were from Birmingham but actually lived in Chelsea, which is not even in the same county. This would soon be followed by a response like, "I only date/associate with people with a "1" as the first number on the license plate." Ok, I know, I was a snob and then married somebody with a "2" but at least it wasn't a "58"...

Back to what I was saying...It is possible to spend all your money shopping, hanging out, and eating and only buy from local businesses. I love it. It makes what I do seem so much more personal. Don't get me wrong, I love Target and H&M, but I also love all the local places. According to my friends from Raleigh, I haven't even visited some of the best places.

Brad and I went to the State Farmer's Market on Friday. I took some clients from work there last weekend and didn't have enough time to do some shopping of my own. Brad and I got some fresh vegetables, lemonade (with cherries, limes, and oranges), and our first babies...Lil Guy and Petey. We now have two cacti sitting on our kitchen counter. The lady at the market told us to make sure we give them lots of sun. So, being the good, new mom, I put them on the dashboard in the blazing sun on the way home. Two minutes later, one left turn, and Lil Guy had flipped over and dug himself in my knee leaving several needles in my leg and dirt all over me and the car. It was intense, but Lil Guy sustained no permanent injuries from the fall and should have a full recovery.

Here are some of my favorite places, so far, in Raleigh! Enjoy!

1. Morning Times is my favorite coffee shop! In the middle of downtown it's a great place to get and enjoy coffee! Brad and I have a slight addiction to coffee and there are many great coffee shops in Raleigh but this place won me over with the latte, carrot cake, and free WiFi.

2. At the end of the corner, two shops down from Morning Times is Stitch. I haven't actually bought anything here yet, but I can't help but stop in almost every time we walk by. Holly Aiken makes the cutest wallets, bags, and accessories! They are so unique and the friends that I know who own a piece of her creation say it is super durable! I am in the process of trying to decide which colors I want for the wallet. I love them all! Holly's precious golden retriever sits in the shop throughout the day and sleeps in the windows at night! P.S. Brad loves this store, too, and is working on getting a guitar custom strap.

3. Of course, the State Farmer's Market. $4 lemonade was worth every penny!

4. My home. I'm not going to lie, I've done some excellent cooking in the past few months. I have only repeated a few meals and I have baked more desserts in the past few months than I have in my entire life (I have a chocolate pound cake in the oven now). I love the kitchen and I have really loved getting good use out of my new recipe books and aprons! As seen in a previous post. Brad and I have been blessed to be spending the first 6 months of marriage in Nate and Maria's house. It has been wonderful! We have been looking for a new home as of lately and I'm pretty excited about the possibilities! More to come on that...

5. Bay Leaf Baptist Church is our church home and it is located in North Raleigh. The people at the church have been amazing and so welcoming to me since I moved up here. Brad has been on staff there since just shortly after starting seminary. This is our family in Raleigh. We attend the regular services on Sunday morning, the youth service on Sunday nights and the College/Seminary/Singles service on Wednesdays. Oh, and the worship leader is way hot! :)

Lil Guy and Petey

Raleigh is feeling more like home everyday, but there are still cities I would love to one day call home, again. One of those being Nashville. Fortunately, next weekend Brad and I are taking vacation for the first time since our honeymoon to Nashville. Our great friends Virginia and John are getting married next Saturday in Kingsport, TN! Brad and I decided to keep on driving to Nashville after the wedding! We are so excited to see family and friends for a few days! Grab your route 44 drink from Sonic, Combos and trail mix! It's road trip time!!!

Easter and Updates!

Brad and I had an eventful Easter weekend. Bay Leaf had their annual Easter egg hunt on Saturday. The church owns some property not far from our house and every year over a thousand people gather for the egg hunt and other fun activities! Brad and I volunteered to help set up and hide the eggs. It was fun and we hid over 15,000 eggs!

Sunday, after a wonderful time at church, Brad and I had some friends over for a potluck lunch! I bought a HoneyBaked Ham and we had tons of other great food! Brad and I wanted to have friends over who were not able to spend Easter with their families. I was able to use all of my fine china for the first time, too! Here are some pictures Lane took!

In other news, this weekend Brad decided he had heard enough of my complaining due to extreme tingling/numbness/uncomfortable in my right knee/leg. I mean, I love to run and not being able to was so frustrating! For the past several weeks running would cause major discomfort and recently the only exercise I could do was walk at a normal pace. So, Monday we went to the orthopedic surgeon and was told I pulled some of my accessory muscles in my hamstring. Apparently, people who run a lot can have this problem. The PA (who favored Dr. Sorrell, for you B'ham people) told me the only way for complete and fast healing would be physical therapy and some NSAID gel. I'm glad to know whats wrong and to hopefully be back to normal soon!

Next week, Brad's parents and granddad are coming to visit! We haven't seen them since the wedding and I'm looking forward to spending time with them! Our good friends, Laura Ashley and Lee will be here next week to visit, too! I can't tell you how excited I am for them to move up here this summer! I've know them since I moved to Mobile and Brad lived with Lee his senior year at UM!

My supervisor for my practicum/internship asked me to read A General Theory of Love. I've only read a fourth of it and it's pretty interesting if you read it with an open mind. It was written by three doctors and my supervisor told me they do a great job of explaining how parents really affect their children's ability to love others. Basically, the dysfunctional clients I will be working with more than likely came from dysfunctional homes.

That's all for now!

Happy Birthday, Farrah!

My sweet, spoiled rotten, baby dog, affectionately know as fairbear is 6 years old today! Now, today isn't really her birthday. We know she was born sometime around this date, but you know what? February 28 isn't really my birthday but we still celebrate! I can't believe it has been 6 years since Mom and I saw her for the first time in a parking lot with her "foster" owner and about died at her cuteness! We picked her up and she immediately wrapped her paws around our arms. Little did we know that meant she was trying to dominate but we just thought it was precious! Farrah is the best nap dog, even though she likes to sleep on her back, snore, and hog the bed/couch! Glad I have someone that has taken her place now that we are hundred of miles apart! Although she sheds and has no concept of personal space, she is the sweetest dog alive! No matter what she is doing all I have to say is "Comeandseeme!" and she is up and in my lap in a matter of seconds! Since Mom will not let Brad and I have joint custody of Farrah, I am looking forward to the day when we get a niece for Farrah to play with/attempt to sit on!

Adopt your pets from local animal shelters!

Part 2: The Reception and Honeymoon!

So...after a lovely ceremony it was time to party at B&A Warehouse! Loved the atmosphere, loved the food, and especially loved the company! It was exactly what Brad and I had imagined plus more! Like any great rock star, Brad got on the stage and sang a few songs. I tried really hard to soak in the time during the ceremony and reception. I remember at the ceremony thinking, "Pay attention to the details and the words being said. Remember this. Remember the people, the faces, the feelings." Then at the reception in the midst of seeing all of our guests, my sweet bridesmaid, Lia, made sure to remind me to soak in all the details. Some parts of the day were a blur, but for the most part I remember all the people I talked to and danced with. I remember being so happy that everywhere I looked I could see someone I loved. Whether it was my new husband, sweet family, PphiG, the peaches, old roommates, friends from college, or new friends from Raleigh, I felt so blessed to be surrounded by all these people. Looking back I would not have changed a single thing...except getting more of the cheese from the appetizer bar. Am I the only one who could eat that stuff with every meal? 16 weeks to the day after Brad proposed we were married and proved to ourselves and others that you can have a perfect wedding and reception and still have a short engagement!

Sunday, began the honeymoon in Hot Springs, NC. Since we were driving to our honeymoon, we were able to take our time leaving the next day. It would have been better, though we would have left earlier than we did had we known what awaited us. Parts of I-40 were closed due to a rock slide. Since we were taking 40 for awhile, this made for some interesting detours. We did not think anything about it until it became dark outside and the roads started to freeze. So, here we were. Newlyweds driving through the mountainous highways, without a care in the world. But as the roads became rougher, steeper, and very curvy (Brad liked the word 'serpentine'), my grip on the car became tighter. We had to drive up a private driveway in order to get to our cabin, which meant the car had to drive up a steep, curvy, black ice and snow covered road. I have never been so happy to reach a final destination in my life. Since we got there by a different route than we had planned, we did not stop by the Ingles grocery store to get essential for the week. Thankfully, I had suggested we stop at Target along the way where we picked up some non-perishable items (and to get my last fix of Target for a week).

Monday, we ventured out to Ingles where we were able to get the rest of the food for the week. Since where we were staying was no where close to restaurants, we had planned on cooking all but one day, which was when we traveled to Asheville. Now, when I say we weren't close to restaurants, what I really mean is that we had to drive 40 minutes to get to Ingles and an hour to get to the "local" Wal-Mart. This was great because we hadn't planned on attending any social gatherings, but it caught us off guard when we did return to civilization and realized we had missed some important happenings in the world (ie Haiti earthquake). Monday night it snowed a lot so we stayed in the cabin all day Tuesday. Wednesday we woke up early and traveled to Asheville to tour the Biltmore Estes. Brad and I loved touring the home and highly recommend going but make sure you also pay for the audio tour. Yes, you will look like a tourist, but the other people walking around without the headset will have no clue about the cool stories behind the really tacky curtains or velvet walls.

The people who owned the cabin we stayed in offered us a free massage and "hot soak" at the Hot Springs Spa and Resort. We decided to use our voucher Wednesday night on our way back from Asheville. Call me a snob, but the spa was nothing like what I had imagined. After checking in we were told to go outside to a trailer type thing and talk with a guy who would instruct us what to do regarding the hot soak. The guy who helped us told us to go change clothes in another trailer type thing and to come back outside. Now, this would have been fine if it were, oh I don't know, not 20 degrees outside. But it was and there we were standing in our robes and "bathing suits" waiting for the hot soak outside. The guy, who by the way looked like he just got back from deer hunting, took us to a hot tub where we were supposed to soak for an hour. This was nice for 5 minutes, but since we already had a hot tub in our cabin and the water was anything but hot, we decided to leave our hot soak before our time expired to get our massages. This meant that we had to get out of the water and walk back to the main building soaking wet when it was 20 degrees outside. It was very funny to us that we seemed like the only people who thought there was something odd about having to do this. Then we got our massages, which were fine, and filled up our nalgene bottles with water from 2 miles underground. So, the water was really hot. I thought that was pretty cool....hot springs.

I forgot to mention that while we were at Target on Sunday we bought movies and the most recent season of 24 to watch throughout the week. So, Thursday we finished watching 24 and enjoyed our last day at the cabin. We also decided to drive around another side of the mountain that we had not seen yet. During our driving we passed a building called GRITS. For those of you who aren't from the south, bless your heart, it stands for girls raised in the south. We weren't really sure what the building was but there was a sign for a restaurant so we decided to grab a dessert, or two. As we pull in the parking lot, we figure out that this place is a school/day care/grocery store/city hall/ restaurant. As we walk into GRITS, a man is running the whole place. Grocery store clerk, waiter, cook, and I'm sure he was the school principal, too. Obviously, nobody had ever told him what GRITS stood for. The walls were decorated with school uniforms and baby quilts. We were in the country and there was no turning back. So, we enjoyed some blackberry cobbler(warmed in the microwave, thanks) and a questionable strawberry milkshake and were on our way.

Friday we left Hot Springs and traveled to Winston Salem where we stayed at Brookstown Inn for the night. We walked around the city and indulged in Pizza Hut, Krispy Kreme, and Ben & Jerry's for dinner followed by a diabetic coma. That week marked the end of our P90X diet. Supreme thin crust pizza had been our final destination and we made it!

It was a great honeymoon filled with wonderful memories!

Part 1: The Wedding

I apologize for waiting several weeks since my last post. I had every good intention to blog about our wedding and honeymoon shortly after the first post. I was waiting on our CD with the pictures form our photographer. The CD arrived in the mail yesterday, so now I can share the pictures with you! But first, let me share the stories with you!

The Wedding!

Brad and I are so blessed to be surrounded by wonderful friends and family members. I have the best Mom. I know most everyone says that, but I really do. She has sacrificed so much for my brother, Brandon, and I over the years, and my wedding was no different. Thanks to Mom, I was able to have a dream ceremony and reception. My sweet brother walked me down the aisle and his calming touch on my hand helped me to relax when the tears started to pour...but I am getting ahead of myself...

When Brad and I got engaged I knew exactly where I wanted to have the ceremony. Dawson Memorial Baptist Church was the only church I knew from the time I was born until I went to college. It is the church where I came to know the Lord and was baptized. Besides having wonderful memories at Dawson, I have always loved the beauty of the sanctuary, especially in the past few years when they replaced the lovely blue carpet with hardwood floors. I am so glad Brad and I got married there and even more happy that all of her family and friends where there to help us celebrate.

If you didn't read our wedding website then shame on you...but if you did you learned that Brad and I had an amazing wedding party. Brad and I were so glad to have our rather large group of friends and siblings standing beside us on that day. Thank you Katie, Audra, Dana, Elise, Jenna, Kristin, Lia, Meg, Rachel, Sarah, and Stephanie for being my bridesmaids. The day would have been incomplete without your sweet faces laughing with me. I still laugh when I think about a certain bridesmaid's husband walking in our room about an hour before the wedding with a large paper bag full of carbonated beverages. It would not have been a big deal if we did not have Pam as the wedding coordinator. Pam said no carbonated beverages should be consumed the day of the wedding, but that did not stop some anonymous bridesmaids from getting their much needed fix prior to the wedding. It was so funny to me and there was no way I was going to object, because I needed caffeine too! I love you, girls!

Brad's groomsmen were great, too! Brad had mixed emotions about our car not being decorated/written on when we left the reception. I was pretty happy we didn't have to find little gifts in the car or drive awkwardly through Birmingham with words and phrases displayed for the fellow drivers to see. Glen, Ben, Brandon, Bryce, Jeremy, Jeff, Ken, Luke, Mat, Nathan, Sterling, thanks for making my man look good on the day of the wedding.

Brad and I decided not to see each other before the ceremony once we were ready. Brad came to my house early the day of the wedding to pack the rest of my things into his car and to calm a few nerves before the ceremony. It made us both feel better to see each other then although not for long, but I was still a little nervous by the time 2pm arrived. I can be a pretty emotional girl at times so I was proud of myself for holding myself together prior to ceremony. In fact, I thought I was going to make it down the aisle without crying until it happened. As I walked towards my groom on my brother's arm I decided to look at our guests instead of making eye contact with Brad. I knew the second I saw how handsome and sweet Brad looked while watching me I would get emotional. Just as I made eye contact with Brad, my journey towards him took an abrupt stop as the end of my lace train got snagged on the wood siding of a pew. It literally took my breathe away and kind of scared me as I tried to continue to move but was obviously not going anywhere. Thankfully, my mom came to my rescue and unhooked me so I could continue towards Brad. By then the lump in my throat had surfaced the the tears were flowing. Brad looked at me helplessly and Brandon comforted me through his sweet patting of my hand. Once I started breathing again I was okay. I tend to get red spots on my chest and neck when I get upset, excited, and/or nervous. Brad told me later that the red on my skin went to a whole new level because the red had spread around my shoulder to my back. Lucky for him, I can't hide my emotions.

To be continued....Part 2: The Reception and Honeymoon!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here we go!

Welcome! I never thought I would be one to blog. However, the times are a-changin'. Brad and I have been married three weeks! We love our community in Raleigh, but we also miss our sweet family and friends who are spread across the country. So, this will be our attempt to keep all of you informed! So, lets begin.
Brad started his fourth semester at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary last week. Looks like he is going to have a busy semester with his classes. Fortunately, I have a very smart husband who will be able to dominate Hebrew II. I'll be available to help with making note cards, but thats about as far as my help can go...besides being his number one fan and cheerleader, of course.
Brad leads worship for the youth on Sundays, the College/Singles on Wednesdays, and a downtown outreach ministry on every other Thursday. Here's more about that ministry (www.yourcitylights.org) So inbetween all of this he has rehearsal with the bands and works in his office at the church. As you can tell, Brad stays busy.
I have not started working yet, but hope to get started something this next week. Drug and background checks are taking awhile to process. I will be working for an organization called SouthLight. You can read about it here: (www.southlight.org). Not only will I be working here but I have the wonderful opportunity to do my practicum and internship for my Masters in Counseling at SouthLight. It will be from my previous experience with victims of domestic violence so I am looking forward to learning a lot! I am taking comps in March so the studying process began this week. I am hoping to study everyday and be fully prepared by the time March 26 gets here.
Before we had time to get really busy the weather gave us a long weekend indoors. Starting Friday night the snow covered Raleigh. Yesterday, Brad and I ventured outside to see how much had fallen. We measured about 5 inches and it was still coming down. It snowed again last night so we probably ended up with about 6 inches. It's the dusty non-snowman building kind of snow so we weren't able to play a lot. Brad was able to decorate our front yard with a lovely snow angel, though. Until January I had not seen snow in years. Since Jan. 7 2010, we have seen snow three times. The first was the Thursday and Friday in Birmingham before we got married. Brad and I discussed how we had never been so unhappy about snow in our lives. The second snow we got was during our honeymoon in Hot Springs, NC. I'll save that story/experience for another day. Then this weekend, which has been a lot of fun! Snow is so pretty, but blinding when the sun is shining brightly!
Brad and I have been very blessed during this season of our lives. We are renting a wonderful house from a couple who has been living in Switzerland the past year and a half. They will be gone through the summer, but in the meantime Brad and I are loving keeping their house company! All of the furniture and most of the decorations are theirs so don't let your mind wander trying to figure out how we can afford this great stuff.

Song of the day...it won't escape your mind...it is on most commercials...and lets be honest, its catchy. I can't get this song out of my head. I even tried singing Beauty and the Beast this morning, but it continues to dominate. "I Gotta Feeling" By Black Eyed Peas...Give me another song to sing, please!

Here are some pictures from this weekend along with some pictures of our house.

More to come.... Next post, Our Wedding and Honeymoon...The pictures are in!

Meredith B. Cleveland