Charleston

Thanks to credit card points for gas and hotel points from Joey's work traveling, we got an almost free trip to the beautiful city of Charleston! I had always wanted to visit this town because I love all the old charm of it (reminded me of Savannah).


We took the dogs with us which limited us a little bit (kind of like taking children!), but it was still fun to watch them have fun. Their two favorite parts, I believe, were watching the squirrels in Battery Park and playing on the beach.




The history was so visible in the scenery everywhere! Gorgeous!





I loved all these old trees!




We ate great food, whether it was seafood (amazing shrimp and grits) or wonderful Southern cuisine. If you ever go, we highly recommend Bubba Gump's (I know it's a chain, but it really is good), A.W. Shucks, Hominy Grill, and Southend Brewery.

The Windy City

I had a wonderful opportunity to visit my childhood best friend who's in a doctoral graduate program in Illinois. So she, of course, showed us all around Chicago.





I really enjoyed Chicago...much more than NYC. It felt so much cleaner, maintained, and less crowded. Plus, the pizza. Oh my gosh! It was amazing!

Heart attack on a plate, I'm sure, but oh so good!

We did some sightseeing, saw the Bean...




and the Fountains




We also went to the Field Museum and saw "Sue," the largest, most complete T-Rex.




One of my favorite parts of the trip, though, was the view from the Skydeck at the top of the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower).





My other favorite part was the gorgeous architecture downtown and in the Sheffield/Lincoln Park neighborhoods.





I would definitely recommend Chicago!

The Longest Yard Sale

Joey and I decided to check out the World's Longest Yard Sale this year since it does run right through Chattanooga. I have come to figure out that my design style is very rustic and antique-y, so I found TONS of furniture I would have loved to have...maybe another year when we have built a house that needs to be furnished.

I did find something cool, though, that we could afford. I found this really neat old ceramic butter churn. It was missing the lid and stick, so I got it very cheap compared to other ones we saw. I figured I didn't need the lid anyway because this was my plan for it...




We also found a working VCR for 4 bucks! I'd been wanting one since ours began eating tapes (yes, I still have some VHS tapes), but I didn't want to spend 50 or more dollars on a stupid VCR! So if you like deals like that check out The 127 Sale next year.

Godly Legacy

As most of you probably already know, my Granddad, Fred Gunter, went to his eternal home several weeks ago. I'm finally getting around to writing down some of what he meant to me.

I found these Scripture verses while writing something for my Dad for Father's Day, but as I was thinking about my Granddad, these verses came to mind again...
"Hear, O Israel!
The Lord is our God,
the Lord is one!
You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart
and with all your soul
and with all your might.
These words,
which I am commanding you today,
shall be on your heart.
You shall teach them diligently
to your sons
and shall talk of them
when you sit in your house
and when you walk by the way
and when you lie down
and when you rise up.
You shall bind them
as a sign on your hand,
and they shall be as
frontals on your forehead.
You shall write them
on the door posts of your house
and on your gates."
(Deuteronomy 6:4-9, NASB)


The legacy of Godly men in my life began with my Granddad. He embraced these verses as he raised my amazing dad and several of my uncles to also live by these words. I can't imagine my life today without God's grace having poured out on my Granddad (and Granny) at a Billy Graham conference 60 years ago. Granddad was a man who stood up for what he knew was right and loved people, especially my Granny and his family, through Christ's love. It was so amazing to hear and see at the funeral (and through conversations) the many people whose lives he touched for the Kingdom. Between him and my dad, I have an amazing Godly legacy. Thank you Lord for blessing me with Fred Gunter as a grandfather!

30?!!

I cannot believe my man is 30! He's been 30 for about a week now, but we just had a surprise get-together for him on Saturday. If Joey's 30, that means I've known him for over 10 years! That seems so crazy to me! I could have never imagined 10 years ago, at age 15 or 16, that I would be married to the guy I was crushing on! I'm so grateful that when I finally got "old enough" for him to date me that he did!

We've never done huge things for each other's birthdays before, but I thought 30 was a pretty big milestone, so I figured I'd put something together. He was absolutely surpised. He had no idea that when he came back from shopping at Mike's Merchandise (and visiting with Bro. Bill Millican and looking at his guns) in Guntersville that so many of his family and friends would be there waiting to celebrate with him.



Even the Humphrey family (Tanner and Taylor pictured here), friends of ours from when we lived in GA, came over 4 hours for this!

And the very talented Alison Humphrey made this awesome cake for Joey. If you've been around Joey lately, you know how obsessed he is about McCulloch chainsaws. He will do his best to sell you one that he's fixed up! She even made parts of it off with a screwdriver and screws lying there.


We had some of his favorite foods...


Hot wings and sliders.

He got some pretty good gifts too...


To help with his OCD shower routine.

and Mountain Dew chapstick since he's having to cut back on the caffeine.

His big surprise, though, was the pressure washer he'd been lusting after...


Caiden enjoying some cake...


Happy birthday to my wonderful hubby! I love you! (Even though you're the only one that doesn't read this).

Happy 4th of July!

Hope everyone had a great celebration of our country's birthday. We celebrated by taking the boat out on the River in Chattanooga, grilled burgers, and watched the fireworks.



I'm not a city-girl by any means, but I do love Chattanooga. I love the history, natural beauty, and slower pace of it.






As I was thinking about how grateful I am to live in this free country, I also began to think about the freedom we as Christians have in Christ. An amazing man, Larry Crabb (a Christian counselor, author, and old professor of mine) put it in a way that really hits home for me and my struggle-

In the Old Way of life, "you've decided that what you most want out of life is within your reach, and you're doing whatever you believe it takes to get it." But in the New Way of life, "you've realized that what you most want is beyond your reach, and you're trusting God for the satisfaction you seek. You want Him. Nothing less, not even His blessings, will do."

I am so thankful to live in a country where I am free to worship and so grateful to the people who worked, fought, and died for that. But even more, I am thankful to a Savior who rescued me (and continues to rescue me daily) from the bondage of that Old Way of life, giving me freedom to live in the New Way.

Joey + Lindsay = handy + design

I'm so blessed to have a husband who complements me so well. I get these design ideas in my head of things I would like to have, and either nobody makes them or they're way expensive. So I had been on the hunt for a clock for my guest bathroom. It's kinda a shabby chic decor, but nothing I found was what I had in mind. So I did finally see this on one of my favorite websites, etsy. I loved it but wanted a different color and thought I could get one for less money.

So I found the plate, and Joey of course put it together - drilling the hole and all.



In place in the bathroom...


We make a good team!