Burger and Chips; it's a Fine Fine Life, and guess what? YOU Matter: A night of for KING & COUNTRY

Holly and Kelly: For the 3rd time this year, we saw for KING & COUNTRY last night.

If you remember, this was the same band we saw at the 4th of July concert in Winchester. Back near the end of September, I was randomly browsing and then I (Kelly) checked my email (we signed up to receive their emails after the Winchester concert) and found out they were coming to Lexington. Yup. All over that one! I mean seriously, we love these guys. Not only do they love Jesus, but they love their fans too! Before we left for the concert, they posted on Facebook that they were going to leave tickets at the will-call center FOR FREE for anyone who wanted to go for themselves, friends or family but couldn't afford them. Yeah. Does your favorite band do that? Would your favorite band do that?

We took a good friend of ours, who didn't want to go at first because of the cost and such, but I (Kelly) said "I will buy your ticket and your dinner because I just really want you to see this concert because you will be so blessed by it." Needless to say, we both got several thank-yous (and if you're reading this Matthew, you are so welcome!) But one of the other things that got us sold was their support of Compassion International. In case you don't know what they are, Compassion is an organization that sponsors children that live in impoverished areas of the world. Sponsorship pays for medical care, food, schooling and for these children to receive the Gospel at their local churches. Luke, one of the brothers in the band, is a big supporter of this organization, and so finally, after seeing them 3 times, we finally decided to become sponsors ourselves. We are now sponsoring 5 year old Perla from the Dominican Republic :) We are thankful to God that a portion of our earnings will be going to this little girl so she can grow and know that somewhere in the world she is loved not only by us but by a God so big and loving. If you have any questions about sponsorship or want to sponsor a child yourself, please go to Compassion International's website and get connected.

Anyway, so the concert lasted close to two hours and afterward we waited 45 minutes to meet Joel...again.  I of course (Holly) just had to ask if he remembered me from Winchester (you can read the entire story here...which you should :) ).  Guess what y'all? He did!!!  In fact, he gave me a high five and said "Rock on!  I can tell that it's been loved."  You all, if I could just describe the feeling.  alkdsjbzskjdfng!!! The icing on the concert cake was that they opened the show with my FAVORITE song, "To the Dreamers".  Give it a listen.  You will be encouraged! :)

Like we said, last night was the third time we've seen them this year, and it just blows me away at how much more I fall in love with their music, their message, their stories, every time I see them.  I'll say it again: if you have not yet seen them live, you really need to.  I'm serious.

Schtuff Twin girls say: Volume 6

Off we pop with some more funnies!

Holly: She sounds like Lady Gaga with a cold. I heard that song on the radio today. "I'M SO FAAAAANCY." Iggy...Petunia I think. 

Kelly: I thought it was Iggy Azalea. 

Kelly: (after Holly said something not so nice. Not inappropriate. Just not nice) Holly. Say something else. That's not a nice word. 

Holly: ....Trees

Kelly: So if I wanted a cup of hot chocolate but then put it in the fridge, wouldn't that just be chocolate milk?
Holly: ...that's deep.

Holly: I think Malcolm Tucker would be a good psych patient.

Holly: (talking about King Solomon). I think it's fair to say he fell off the wagon.
Kelly: Actually, he pitched himself off the wagon and the wagon ran him over.

(a typed conversation)
Holly: That is my pick. !
Kelly: ~
Kelly: Q crap! (I was trying to type !)
Holly: lol whaaaa?
Kelly: !
Holly: UMQRA?

Holly: I just really want to get fat and bake stuff this weekend.

Kelly: Sonic tater tots make me weak!

Kelly: (while watching a classic Doctor Who) O Dalek, my Dalek.

Holly: Why is it called Banana Republic? Why not, like, Watermelon Republic or something?

Kelly: Can someone please give Peter Capaldi a BAFTA?
Holly: I think he already has one?
Kelly: Well, give him another one!

Holly: Yoda is sleeping on your wrist brace. (a few minutes later) Maybe the cats sleep on our things so they can feel close to us. Like when you're dating a guy in high school and you sleep in his hoodie or something.
Kelly: So...Yoda wants to be close to my smelly, sweaty disgusting wrist brace?
Holly: Precisely.

Holly: (while making brownies) I just snorted pumpkin pie spice.

Holly: Yoda always seems so excited after using the litter box. She just runs out.
Kelly: I peed!

Kelly: (while petting Wiley) Hi there, pretty girl. (Holly realized my mistake)
Holly: Uh...that's Wiley.
Kelly: (in pet voice) I sorry, handsome boy. (He purred)

Kelly: Can we go see for KING & COUNTRY now?

Holly: (while driving to ALEP) Uh...we're 1.7 miles away and there's still no food.

Holly: (carrying Wiley out of the garage) Wiley, you are a vast expanse of cat.

Kelly: (while hiking, to the tune of "Hey Jude"). Hey dude....don't wanna fall.

Kelly: Have you ever heard-
Holly: No. Probably not.

Kelly: (to Holly regarding twitter). You have the best hashtags.

Bonus from our dad:
Kelly: You say potato, I say potahto.
Dad: If anyone pronounces it that way I don't want to be their friend. 

Your someplace

Holly: Lately Kelly and I have been on a bit of a Numb3rs binge.  If you're not sure what that means, you can read more about it here.  Anyway, we watched an episode earlier today, "The Running Man", and one of the side stories is that Charlie and Don discover their late mother was a closeted, and gifted, musical composer.  Their father feels some resentment because he felt as if he was kept in the dark about this.  At the end of the episode, Charlie and Alan (their father) are having a conversation about this discovery; Alan still feels as if she was hiding something, Charlie believes she wasn't.  Charlie states that people go to their own places to be alone, and he puts it this way:

It's just part of being human, you know?  To want to find someplace solely for yourself, whether it be out in the world or deep inside your head.  

Got me thinking about alone time.  As many of you know I am a very happy and exuberant person by nature.  I love to laugh and I do it often.  Most of all, I love people.  However, after taking several personality tests over the past year or so, and just based on my own experiences in that time as well, I have discovered that I do lean towards being an introvert.  Like I said earlier, I love people, but after being around people for an extended period of time, I need time by myself to unwind and detox.  No, that doesn't mean I'm shy.  Quite the opposite, actually.  In fact, I was surprised by these findings because when I was in college, I was waaaayyyyy more of an extrovert (Probably because I didn't have any time to be alone in!).  Back to alone time:  I think Charlie is dead on.  I greatly look forward to my alone time, even though, given my current schedule, my alone time comes in bursts throughout the day: walking to work each morning with my iPod on and a cup of coffee in tow, at home; writing a blog, in my room writing in my journal, reading a book, binging on a Netflix series, sometimes mindlessly surfing the net.  Despite all those, I do find a lot of my solace in writing.  If home doesn't suit me, you can usually find me at Berea Coffee and Tea with a book :)

Alone time is essential.  Yes, we humans are designed to be social, but there is a time for that, and there is a time for retreat as well.  We all need our "someplaces"; to reflect, unwind, or just simply exist.  To me, it's that very time where I learn the most about myself.  What is your someplace?

Kelly: I consider myself to be a people person. Heck, I'm around them so often that it's just second nature to me. But I think that even the one who loves people the most yearn for quiet and solitude at times. Even Jesus needed times of stillness. On my days off, when I wake up in the morning and the house is quiet, sometimes I just gather in all that is around me. My house, the smell of coffee, the cats either sleeping or running around manically. Even now as I'm looking outside, it's gray but the air is somewhat still with the occasional leave blowing. Very gently. Usually days off are spent in where I say very little, and it's ok for me. I've had Holly ask me how I can just stay at home for days on end and not go anywhere. Other than the fact that I'm used to it, but to be honest it's nice. With a job like mine, I look forward to those quiet days where I sometimes get lost in myself.

For me, I like being outside when the weather is nice. When I take in all that's around me I wonder how people can't believe in God? I write my own blog about my nursing endeavors; it's good for me. I can look back and read about those who have touched me deeply, and also reflect on my growth not only as a nurse but as a person as well. My mom discovered my blog and said "Kelly, I feel like I know you so much more." Often when I write a post I'm at home, alone, reflecting on what I am writing about. My favorite someplace is alone, in my bedroom, with my Bible, journal and iPod. I just let all my guards down and I write. God I truly believes sees what I write, and sometimes I just sit, think and pray. Either in my head or sometimes out loud. And I love my music; music is one of the ways I feel that God speaks to me. So I will close with this; take some time for yourself in your someplace. Wherever that is; we get so busy and wrapped up in taking care of other people that sometimes I think we forget that we need a little taking care of too.

Because God first loved

Kelly: I have recently discovered that I sometimes do my best thinking while I am driving to work. This happened yesterday. Until now, I have refrained from sharing any thoughts about this Berea Fairness Ordinance that did not pass. I will disclaim right now and say that I did not vote for it or against it; in fact I am choosing to keep my opinions about the ordinance itself out of this, or I'm going to try to. I didn't even vote for it at all. I shot myself in the foot in this one because I honestly didn't really know much about it. But what I have written below is not about the ordinance; it's about love. Love of people, God's family.

Once again, it seems to me that politics and opinion have gotten in the way. The fact that this ordinance was a solution to any problem troubles me. To be sure I'm not entirely sure what the problem was. But, we had to let politics step in because we as a city simply disagreed on a very basic principle; love. When you take away the essence of this ordinance, that's what it boils down to, or at least that's what I think it boils down to. The fact that this ordinance was suggested should trouble Christians. We really had to have the city possibly pass a LAW that basically states we have to be nice to everyone? Am I the only one who sees this problem? Instead of turning to bias, opinion and other people, we should be turning to God and His word! In there you will find His commandments on how to act around other people. 

My point is this; when we get to Heaven our views, words and opinions won't even matter. When we face God on judgment day, He's going to ask us all how well we followed, obeyed and loved His son, and how well we treated His body. His family. If anything, this ordinance should tell us Christians to step it up a bit! These are our brothers and sisters! These are people; people that God loves and created, just like He loves you and me. I know I have a lot of work to do.

Holly: I'm going to keep my peace very brief on this.  Like Kelly, and it's purely on account of my own ignorance, but I am not very well read in this Fairness Ordinance.  All I know is that this proposed ordinance did not pass.  Here's what I have to say on that, and it's a two-fold piece, really:

1. Like Kelly said, these are our brothers and sisters.  To be honest, I was shocked at the reactions I read on Facebook.  I won't get into them, but....yeah, I was shocked.  We ought to be reaching out to them with love, as with ANY of our brothers and sisters.  Instead, some of us were celebrating the passing of the ordinance.  So now our very neighbors, THE ONES THAT CHRIST CALLS US TO LOVE AS OURSELVES, are now disadvantaged, possibly distraught, defeated...and we're celebrating? My opinion does not hold much merit, I see that, but to me, that is NOT Christ-like behavior.  Period.

2. WHY in the name of all that is pure and holy are we getting SO BENT OUT OF SHAPE regarding basically any and all mentions of homosexuality, homosexual marriages, etc?  Christians, and non-Christians, are getting mercilessly persecuted, slaughtered, demoralized for their faith and beliefs, but HEAVEN FORBID someone brings up gay marriage, and suddenly everyone has an opinion.  Really?  I mean...really?  Yes, I know what the Bible says about gay marriage.  I know what the Bible says about sin.  But why is THIS always on a pedestal?  What about cheating?  What about lying?  What about adultery, these Hollywood marriages lasting six months or less...why are those getting overlooked?

We're just going to end with this...

ALEP: More than just a long expected party

Holly and Kelly: I would also add sister bonding, music, weekend, unity and silly things to the labels part of this blog, but the label section cut me off after 200 characters. So much for that. Anyway, YES. This was the weekend of ALEP: A Long Expected Party. Now what was it? Fun, fellowship, geeking out, costumes, music, food, dancing, skits, workshops and PEOPLE. Lots of people! From all over the country and in some parts of the world...mostly Canada. It started this past Wednesday and concluded yesterday, and most people bought passes for the entire couple of days. As for the two of us, because we didn't know what we were going to be doing work wise and schedule wise, we opted for a Saturday day pass (bear in mind, we made these reservations 18 months ago. Not even joking. You wouldn't believe how fast spots filled up) And we're going to try and get some friends to come with us in 2017!!!!

We arrived Friday night around 7PM and checked into our room. Little did we know that's when the adventure would begin. We stayed in the West Lot Dwelling, which if you've ever been to Shaker Village, you know that....well, it's kind of out there. A mile and a half out there, away from the main part of the village. By the time we arrived it was starting to get dark. We got in the car and drove to the house, couldn't see the sign (which we figured out later that that was it) and then realized maybe we missed it and drove back to the main part of the village. We walked around for over an hour, going into the different houses where people stayed, desperately trying to find our room! Then, it dawned on me, maybe the building we saw the first time was it. So we drove allllllllllllll the way back out there (and it was dark by this point) and went to the first building we found, and sure enough, that was it. Holly's room key had two keys on it and mine only had one; the check in person at the desk said that she didn't need the second key but said to just keep it there so they wouldn't have to worry about it. We got to the West Lot house and the door was locked. I told her "try that other key the desk person said was useless" and sure enough, that spare key opened the side door. Thank GOODNESS we had it, otherwise we would have been stuck. So we moved all our stuff in, got settled and drove BACK to the main area, chilled out at the Dancing Pony, met a few people and that was the end of Friday. There were lots of catchy drinking songs; yes we have videos but they are too big and Blogger doesn't like that.

Saturday was a beautiful day! We got up early and I (Kelly) went downstairs to the kitchen and fumbled around trying to figure out how to use the complimentary coffee maker. It worked, after about 5 minutes of tinkering with it. Once we got to the main village, we just walked around, since nothing started till 10 in the morning and we got up there at like 9ish. It was nice to look around, explore and actually see all the sites in daylight! We ran into a few people we met the night before and bought some cool little trinkets (and I bought an Evenstar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Right before lunch time we went to a workshop by an artist who showcased various paintings and sketches of Middle Earth from the beginning of it until the fourth age (the end of Middle Earth). Oh. My Goodness. Beautiful and stunning artwork....kinda wish we would have snagged some pictures of them. After lunch was a bit of chill time before we decided to join the Hobbit choir. Our selections were May it Be and The Road Goes Ever On, which is from the musical. Yes, there is a LOTR musical and apparently will be world touring next year. Wee.

The big party was at the site where our house was we were staying at, so we took naps! The party site looked pretty much dead-on to Bilbo's birthday party in Fellowship. There was also a Bag End site that was built by two of the coordinators of ALEP. Let me tell you it is a SPOT ON replica (pictured below). Holly also did a Bag End painting about a year ago...it's in our den :)

So anyway, thus the party began. It was all outside and there were tables and chairs set up under lights and paper lanterns. Like I said, it looked exactly like Hobbiton. We were joined at a table with the only person we knew at the time and met lots of other awesome people! What was so interesting was that we were some of the youngest attendees, with the exception of a few families who brought their young children. At this party, there was AWESOME food, music (major kudos to the Great Hobbit Jam Band) and a HILARIOUS skit near the end. I would post my video, but Lord of the peepers took over and its sound quality is a bit rubbish, but I still have it for my enjoyment. Holly has a video as well, but its watchers may endure a grand mal seizure in an attempt to view it. Anyway, after the sun went down it got a bit chilly but there were gracious individuals who were warm hearted...and also had a few matches to spare for some lanterns that had tea lights in them. After a final parting song, we made our way back to the Dancing Pony again where we chatted, nibbled and had some lovely tea and used our new tea pots. Then it turned into a mini bar where a bit of drunken foolishness occurred and we left. This was at about 1AM and we got back to our room and craaaaaaaaashed. 

Sunday was very lovely. We arose a bit early, packed up our room and drove to the main village again. Debbie, who we knew and goes to our church and told us about this in the first place, led a mini church service so to speak. None of us were expecting a good turnout but actually about 20 people showed up! We sang, prayed and Debbie shared a devotional that she wrote, and it was lovely. After mini church, we stayed around for a bit and watched a fan made movie called The Hunt for Gollum. For being done by fans, it was really well done! The cinematography was stunning! Then we drove home, and on the way home my GPS got a bit wonky and we ended up driving through Danville. It was a nice detour to say the least. So there you have it. ALEP in a nut shell. Overall, the time was too short. It was too fast. We met a lot of awesome people, some only briefly, but there is no doubt we will meet again. It was more than just a bunch of costumes, dancing and food. It was a retreat, so to speak. A revamping of it all, not necessarily an escape, but a respite. It was different and special. And on that note, we will close with this: 

I (Holly) wrote this in my journal last night, and I think it captures the spirit and mentality of the weekend perfectly.  Until 2017...

I met so many wonderful people, all from such vast and different walks of life.  And yet, despite our differences, backgrounds, characters of choice, we were all bonded and united by this one love of this brilliant soul and his magical world that will forever captivate us...I pray for a continued, prolonged sense of wonder, that we will establish our own Shires, wherever we may be, and that we will never, ever lose sight of not only the time spent together this weekend, but of the One who made it all possible in the first place.

Run wild. Live free. Love strong.

Holly and Kelly: Today. one of our favorite bands, for KING & COUNTRY, released their second album.  You may have remembered us mentioning them during that one time during the 4th of July concert where Holly ended up with Joel's bracelet and it was kinda awesome.  So we've been listening to it...pretty much all day, and there's a monologue towards the end of the record that has just resonated with us so powerfully.  We wanted to share it with you all.  Take some time to reflect on the words, and please listen to the album if you can (it's on Spotify); really fun music with an awesome message!  Be blessed!


Run wild.  To risk everything, to hold nothing back, to lay it all on the line: your reputation, your success, your comfort.  It's that moment when fear is overcome by faith.  Live free.  It's not the liberty to do whatever you want, whenever and wherever you want, but rather, it's living in accordance with the author of humanity, and finding freedom by connecting with the Creator who conceived you.  Let the light flood into your eyes for the first time, feeling the blood course through your veins, finding the truest version of yourself by knowing the One who knows you even better than you know yourself.  Love strong.  Because you were first loved.  Because without love, we all perish.  Because the earth and the stars can and will pass away, but love; love will always remain.  

Introducing....Spout!

A spotlight on Christ. An outlet to plug in and share life. 

Holly and Kelly: Our church has a great youth program, starting as early as babies up to high school, in addition to an AWANA program that has garnered a huge amount of success. Our church also has a great variety of adult programs that meet throughout the week. We have Men's Sunday, Women's Sunday, Deacon Ordination Sunday and Youth Sunday. We have a Sunday School class for college students.

And that's it.

This is where we come in.

Starting in October, the two of us will be having a home-based small group for college students/young adults. The purpose is to have in-depth discussions based on Scripture and to fellowship with one another in other ways.  College is a crucial time, and while we want to have a Christ-centered focus, we also want to extend Christ's love and hospitality to those who choose to become a part of this group.  If a student wants to come over and hang out, has a question about a class or professor, is facing a faith challenge, or just needs a ride to Wal-Mart, we want to be there for them as much as possible during this time.  It is also a chance for us too, because we feel this responsibility, because let's face it, that's what it is, has been called upon us by God and we have decided to take the plunge and obey Christ. We have no idea what to expect, how many students will come, if any, and what sort of needs these students may have. But we're willing and ready to face whatever may come of it. We're excited, a little bit anxious, but have prayed and consoled with other Christians we trust and we feel this is a step in the right direction.

Maybe this is what following and obeying Christ is really about.

Now, a quick disclaimer: We are NOT, repeat, NOT leaving Berea Baptist.  We love our church and still value and cherish the relationships we have there.  We still love being in the choir and don't foresee that changing for a long time.  We have NO ill-will towards the church what. so. ever.  We simply see this need that the church possesses, and we feel that God has called us to try to meet that need.  We love the messages every week and are deeply encouraged and challenged. We can't predict the success of this upcoming endeavor- only God can.  And we're trusting Him to see this through.

So that's it. We appreciate your support in this decision we have made, and we are so thankful that it was at this church where we felt this need was started. The picture on the bottom is a tiny bloom, and we thought that was fitting. We want to help these young people grow, and in turn we will grow as well.