BYOP Tennessee Style

so, in honor of a fun tradition started by friends back in good ol' College Station, we decided to continue the tradition of BYOP (for those of you who are wondering what in the world BYOP is, "bring your own pumpkin"...pinson, you should be proud). a fun time was had by all! it's really fun just to be a kid again and discover what you can create with your hands. there were some pretty fantastic pumpkins carved, if i do say so myself! we ate lots of snacks, scraped out lots of pumpkin guts, watched "The Great Pumpkin", and enjoyed lots of laughter with some great friends! Enjoy the pics below....

Shauna working on her masterpiece...
Melissa, Leslie, and Dusty hanging out...
many amazing pumpkins...

Melissa trying out some pumpkin guts...
Ashley and Jara with his masterpiece (pretty good for a first time pumpkin carver!)

me and Carson enjoying some yummy caramel apples...
Carson modeling he and Silas' masterpiece

Sneaky, McSneakerson

Lex's antics continue....

So, on Friday, Leslie came home to find that Lex had helped himself to a bag of candy corn and taken a couple of bags of caramels off the kitchen table. So, she picked up the mess and scolded him, as usual. Later on, she was straightening up the pillows on the chase lounge and found in his secret hiding place a bag of marshmallows. That's right, no bones, but a bag of Jett-Puff Marshmallows....

The stash!
Lex guarding his treasure....sneaky little guy!

off with the old, in with the new do....

So, this past Friday, was the big day that I cut my hair off for Locks of Love. It seems like I've been growing my hair out for FOREVER and Friday was the day that it went bye-bye. It's REALLY short now, and that's okay....it will grow back soon. But, for now, it's nice to have a change! Here are some pics....

fall fun

Fall has undoubtedly fallen upon east tennessee this past week. So, to celebrate the cool weather and magnificently colored trees, participation in some outdoor activities was in store! First, I went with roomie, Leslie, to an East Carolina football game and we tailgated with her family. I think I may make attending college football games at various colleges a new hobby :) Fun times were had by all....

Then, on Tuesday, I headed down the Creeper Trail in Virginia with a few of our awesome girls from Girlfriends (it was fall break this past week). It was soooo much fun!! What a blessing to enjoy the splendor of fall and the majesty of Dad's creation for an afternoon. A few pics are posted below....you can view all by clicking on Kelly's Shots....

I think he may be a real pirate...too cute!!!

Purple Pirates...AAAAAARGH!

That's right, we went to Lizard Lick, NC....don't you wanna go?Isis, Francis, and Selena excited about a 17 mile ride!
can someone tell me who said bike helments don't make you look like a dork?
AAAHHHHH!!!!

thank you, Lord....

for falling autumn leaves

for friends old and new

for mistakes covered by your grace

for discovery of new things

for honesty in a world of deceit

for the giggles of little children

for hugs and kisses

for the prayers of the saints

for late night talks with roommates

for innocence

for squirrely teenagers

for excitement in new relationships

for Your abundant, incomprehensible love

can you say oxymoron???

mountain city

Thought I would share a little bit of what I've been doing with myself. Each Thursday, I travel to Mountain City, TN (which is about an hour from Johnson City....it's a beautiful drive), with my partner in crime, Joe Diaz. In the AM, we educate 5th and 6th grade students at various schools in Johnson County, on safety and sexual harassment, which is a starting ground for abstinence education. In the PM, we have afterschool groups at Mountain City Elementary school with 4th-6th grade kiddos. This past Friday we took this group to the Homecoming Game, parade and we tail-gated for a bit. It was a lot of fun, exhausting, but fun!!! The kids had a great time!! Mtn. City is a tiny place....the kind where everyone in the county was at the game and homecoming festivities!! A lot of fun!!!! Here a few pics from the festivities....please be praying for this group and Joe and I as we travel to and from Mtn. City each Thursday. On a side note....it was quite an experience to watch a high school football game nestled in the mountains in COLD weather in Sept! Quite a change for this Texas girl whose used to hot, humid weather through Nov.

A few of the boys enjoying a little football....maybe not so much football....they were quite entertained by the cheerleaders....
A few of the parents at the cookout....
The girls trying to get warm....it was COLD!!!!
A few of the Girlfriends hangin' on the playground....
Carson and Joe trying to get the grill fired up....
Being silly.

p.s. if you are one of those "no leave comment" blog lookers....try to change your ways and drop a line :)