Hippity, Hoppity Easter's... Over

Me and Caroline at the church egg hunt.

Scott, Caroline, and Luke at the church egg hunt.

Our precious Easter Bunnies!

Luke in his Easter outfit!

Luke and his preschool class at their egg hunt.

Another Easter has come and gone-- this year's was exceptionally cold! The week was filled with many fun activities, and the kids were precious. Luke really got into the egg hunting this year! Caroline had fun watching. I'll remember making cookies with Luke and watching him decorate with the icing and sprinkles; Luke and Caroline in their sweet Easter outfits; Luke's excitement when he found his basket Easter morning; Caroline toddling around the church gym at the egg hunt there, trying to steal eggs out of others' baskets; seeing Scott and the kids on the front row at church Easter morning, watching Mommy and the praise team practice.... We are so blessed!

The Easter service at Otter Creek this year was overwhelming and powerful. What a day to celebrate the new beginnings that Jesus' resurrection brings to all of us. We heard testimonies from several who had known such tragedy in life-- both physical, emotional, and spiritual. It was so inspiring! It reminded me of how much He has done in my life, and I felt so thankful.


Our Alive Forever time of worship last night was also incredible! The music was so meaningful and fun! The crowd was great! There was a tangible spirit of worship present. What a blessing to be a part of that! Brandon did a great job! I feel so blessed to be a part of a church that allows us to worship with such freedom.

So-- now, the next thing on the Westerman calendar of events is Disney World!! We leave next Wednesday. Luke is so excited!

Bunnies, Babies, Beth, and Baking

Don't you just love spring!?! Everything is so gorgeous here-- beautiful redbud trees, tulips, Bradford pears... new blooms, new life.... God must have planned it this way- all the beauty to remind of us of the new life Christ's resurrection brings....

So-- I still haven't lost all the baby weight from Caroline. Did I mention she is now 13 months old?! I had been going to sculpt classes and hadn't been doing much cardio. So, I'm now running and doing kick-boxing, trying to max out on cardio until I get back down to where I want to be. I have to confess, I am learning a lot from this whole weight thing. Background: I had never struggled with weight B.K. (before kids). I was always the "skinny minnie" which in the 80's wasn't really the "in" way to be-- think baggy jeans and sweats. I was probably underweight.

Now? Different story! :) I am about 30 pounds heavier than when Scott and I got married 12 years ago. Am I obese? No. Do I need to lose weight? Yep. For the first time in life, I understand how frustrating the whole weight-loss thing is.

More background: I taught high school for 8 years. One of the hardest things I dealt with was all the dozens of girls who came to me with eating disorders. I reached a point where I preferred dealing with suicidal girls over those with bulimia or anorexia because the whole eating disorder thing was SO hard to deal with... I would immediately turn them toward "real" counselors so that they could get legitimate help-- not just common sense advice from me. I vowed then that I would NEVER EVER become hung up or obsessed with food. I never wanted to start down that path.... I sympathized with them... they broke my heart.

God graciously sent Beth Moore's video into my life last week in response to all the body-issue related junk in my life lately. Our final session on the Holy Spirit was on self-control, and Beth's message really struck a chord. She laid out a case for idolatry-- in terms of our body and it being the temple of God (1 Cor. 6). She believes that for a woman, body image issues are our number one downfall as far as being tempted to "conform to this world" (Romans 12). She proposed that we are not in control if we are a size 4 watching every morsel of food that crosses our lips, nor are we in control if we are a size 14 watching nothing that crosses our lips-- either way we are not in step with the Spirit.

Christ died to bring us freedom (Galatians 5) and becoming a slave to food or becoming idolatrous by being overly focused on our bodies or diets is slavery. We need to learn to find where our freedom lies, and if that is a size 10, then we need to be honest, make peace with it, and get on with life.

She said much much more which was wonderful-- but, her message really spoke to me. She talked of making exercise a time of worship-- where we are in a sense dedicating our temple (body) back to God-- as opposed to trying to look good or lose weight, etc. All I can say is "AMEN"!! I truly want to have that mindset as I am exercising.

So-- making 4 dozen brownies and three dozen Easter cookies in the last 24 hours probably isn't the greatest idea for a woman trying to lose weight, but, hey-- it's Easter!! We had a tea party to end our Beth Moore study today. It was so fun! We all wore hats and had a grand time! :) When Luke got home from school, we made sugar cookies and decorated them. He has so much fun helping me cook! He's a pretty good little chef.

Final note: researching great Christian minds who have gone before really appeals to me. While looking for writings on the Holy Spirit, I stumbled upon a series of dialogues by Catherine of Siena. The life she led over 650 years ago humbles me. I am so touched by her views and account of the Holy Spirit as the "gentle waiter who comes to the table of the human heart."

This servant, the Holy Spirit, whom I in my providence have given her, clothes her, nurtures her, inebriates her with tenderness and the greatest wealth . . . . I wanted her to experience that with or without the help of another person, in any situation or at any time whatever, in any fashion she knew how to desire and even more in any fashion she could not know how to desire, I know how to and can and will satisfy her in wonderful ways.

The Holy Spirit, my loving charity, is the waiter who serves them my gifts and graces .... This gentle waiter carries to me their tender loving desires, and carries back to them the reward for their labors, the sweetness of my charity for their enjoyment and nourishment. So you see, I am their table, my Son is their food, and the Holy Spirit who proceeds from me the Father and from the Son, waits on them.

That is such a beautiful image.... even when I don't know what I want-- or need-- to order off the "menu" the Spirit is right there ordering for me and placing it before the Father. He always picks up the check, too. And, best of all-- there aren't any calories on God's menu.

Skiing is Believing

Our getaway to Park City!

The sale has come and gone-- life is resuming its normal pace. Things are good-- very good.

We met our $12,000 goal at the sale! Everything went SO well! We now have over $20,000 to put toward the playground. It is such a rewarding feeling to think about how much we've accomplished through our little sale.

Scott and I were thrilled to get away for a ski trip to Park City this week. We really enjoy skiing and used to go quite often B.K. (before kids!). I hadn't actually been on the slopes in almost 4 years because of being pregnant or having little ones too small to leave behind.

Now that Caroline is one, we decided to let my parents keep the kids while were gone. It is such a blessing to be able to leave them and not to have a moment's worry about it. They didn't even know we were gone! They love Pa Bob and Ma Betz.

Scott and I had a great time! The weather was perfect, even if the snow got a tad slushy by early afternoon... It is nice to remember what life was like before we had two kids! It also lets you remember just how blessed we are to have each other and those two precious kiddos.

Next item on the Westerman agenda--- DISNEY! We are headed to Disney in three weeks! This will be Luke's (and Caroline's) first trip, and he is beyond excited! He is especially pumped about eating breakfast with Jo Jo, Goliath, and a few of the Little Einsteins from Playhouse Disney. We are excited to see the park through their eyes.... I first went to Disney when I was 6, and I still have vivid memories of being scared out of my wits when the ghost was sitting next to me on the haunted house ride! Scott and I also spent a few days there on the way back from our honeymoon.... Good memories, and now we will have new family memories there.

My Beth Moore study wraps this week. It has been a rich time, and I will miss it. I am extremely humbled and aware of how much work I still have to do in yielding my will to His and to learning to live under His power and not my own. Thanks for your gifts, Beth!

I vow to do better on posting! Sometimes life just gets out of control and things must be placed on the back burner for a time.... I have missed capturing my life in words. When I find time, I will sit down and "slurp" this all into a hardback version that perhaps others can read many moons from now-- or at least it can collect dust on one of our shelves! There is a new company into blog-binding now-- BLURB check it out.

Also-- I have to put in a few words about my favorite writer of choice lately-- Lauren Winner. I first heard of her from Mike Cope's raves at a ZOE planning meeting in early 2006. She was soon slated to be on the ZOE conference schedule. I actually didn't even get to hear her at the conference, but I tracked down the audio CDs and was hooked, too. I snapped up two of her books. I tackled Girl Meets God and was deeply affected by it in such a positive way. What an amazing tale of a journey from one faith (Judaism) into another (Christianity). This week on the plane, I finished Mudhouse Sabbath. This book chronicles the Jewish traditions and how they parallel and might even enrich our Christian traditions-- LOVED IT!!

It is odd how God seems to be placing similar things in my life lately revolving around this. Last fall I was blessed to sit in on a class by the head of New Testament studies at Vanderbilt, Dr. Amy-Jill Levine. She is a devout Jew and knows more about the New Testament than I could even begin to muster. What an interesting time hearing her takes on Christianity and the story the gospels reveal-- and yet, she does not believe. She had to cut the class short due to some health issues, but she will be starting a class on Matthew next month on Tuesday nights at 7 pm at Otter Creek. It would definitely be worth your time if you are near to attend.

In another class on Sunday mornings, I was blessed to hear one of our elders talk about a recent experience he had at a local Jewish Synagogue. He was moved to tears as he described the time he shared with the congregation there.

So-- I think I am going to start thinking more deeply about things like Sabbath, and scripture study, and celebrations, and other traditions which aren't so much Jewish as much as a part of the entire story of God, from beginning to end. Thanks, Lauren!

OC Sale this weekend! Come shop!

Our sale is this weekend! If you're near, come shop!
It is going to be a BIG sale!

Visit the website www.ottercreeksale.com for directions.

Sale times:
Friday, March 9th, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday (1/2 price), March 10th, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

You've Got to Have Faith

So-- I haven't been making the time to sit down and type out my life lately. I have honestly been too consumed with the laundry list of things I have to do (like all of us are)-- I just couldn't seem to make blogging a priority.

One thing that has been a blessing to me is the Beth Moore study I'm in... Living Beyond Yourself. This week's lesson was on "faithfulness" as our journey through the fruit of the Holy Spirit continues. She had some powerful things to share on the concept.

Some things I'll take with me about FAITH (there is too much to list here!):

• Do we have faith in what God does for us or rather in who He is? Do I only trust when He is following my plans, or I am willing to have faith in Him solely because of who He is. Do I acknowledge that His ways are higher than mine, and that I might never know the reasons behind the things He chooses for my life?
• Two obstacles to faith-- fear and familiarity. I am too afraid to be vulnerable to Him-- to fully trust. Or, am I just too casually familiar with Him? So much that I have stopped expecting great things from Him or trying to keep my relationship with Him constantly growing....
• In Ephesians 6, in the armor of God imagery, faith is presented as our shield to fight off Satan's flaming arrows. When we start to doubt, fear, or question, we let down our shield and allow Satan's arrows to strike us.
• When Paul was shipwrecked off Malta, it was all part of God's plan to rescue them. Sometimes in life running aground is the only way we can find answers. The process isn't pleasant, but it allows God to work in our lives in ways He couldn't otherwise.

I still am in awe at the insights Beth has! What a blessing! :)

Luke had a great 3rd birthday, and it's SO hard to believe that Caroline will be ONE in just over 2 weeks! My babies are quickly becoming KIDS!

Connecting in Cyberland

Well-- I am finally catching up with the generation below and have delved into the world of "facebook." I had actually created a myspace page months ago just for the sake of having one out there, but I didn't check it or update it.

This past Sunday night, I was blessed to meet a student from Freed who had started a ZOE fan club out on facebook, so I went to check it out, I ended up setting up a profile, and now I have 40 "facebook friends!" It has actually been such a joy coming across the profiles of old friends, current friends, and former students and being able to catch up on their lives all with a simple click of the mouse. In the past 24 hours I have learned that one of my former students was married over Christmas and has moved to California. We talked and caught up-- nice. I learned that one of my dear friends from Woodmont is pregnant and due in August! Yeah! I learned that Mike Cope is on crutches for some reason (yes he has a facebook account-- go Mike!!). I have just reconnected with people whom I would never keep up with apart from this new way to connect out in cyberland.

How amazing the way we communicate today! We're a long way from two tin cans and some string! At first I was a tad skeptical of these type of sites-- I thought they were simply for pedophiles and lonely people looking for a mate.... But, I'm convinced this is a new era of reconnection-- and perhaps yet another way to pass along the blessings of Christ in ways we've never dreamed of before!

I do confess to feeling a tad "odd" out there-- not many folks my age and older have dared enter the realm of the young and Internet savvy! I am betting that it will only be a matter of time before most catch up and catch on to this new trend-- anyone under 30 is already entrenched.

I know my kids will look back one day and laugh that I was so late in coming into cyberland--- (although who knows what the facebook of the future will be!!?)-- but I thought I was already pretty hip with my blog!! :)

Headed out to Fresno for the West Coast ZOE conference EARLY in the morning! Can't wait to see all our Fresno friends! They are so dear and treat (feed!) us SO well! This will be my first trip away from Caroline, so pray that all goes well! I admit I am excited to leave the house without a diaper bag-- first time in 1.5 years! :)

Long time-- no post!

Was my last post really on December 15th?!? I'm so ashamed! I'll save the "I've been so busy" speech and just say that any free time I've had on the computer has been delegated to some other task higher up on the priority list!!! :) Sorry!

Christmas was great! The kids were cute! New Year's was fun! Then all the January birthdays hit and I started gearing up for the next consignment sale!!! March 9-10! Save the dates! :)

This is life! I feel like I have a long list of "to do's" and not enough time to get everything done!! I'm sure many of you can empathize! Why do we (I) let our (my) schedules get so crazy!??! It is hard with Caroline still being so small-- although she'll be ONE next month! That is SO hard to believe! It was just "yesterday" that we were praying she'd arrive safely! Can it really be that this year has already flown by??!?

ZOE is headed to Fresno this weekend and it will be the first time I have been away from her. Pray for that-- me mostly! She'll probably be fine! :)

So-- I'll do better updating-- hopefully! :)

Our Return Address-- Santa Style!

I absolutely LOVE playing around with graphics and creating things-- perhaps I spend too much time doing it on occasion.... But, I thought our return address labels that I designed for this year's Christmas newsletter were just too cute!

Sorry about the black outs-- I originally posted it without, but then decided Scott might have a heart attack if he knew I had posted our home address out there for the world to see! Not that someone couldn't Google our address anyway without too much trouble, but....

* Yes-- this is yet another way to pass the time while my newsletter is printing! :)

Type on! Post on! Blog on!

So-- I finished writing my newsletter.... But, I have been sitting here for two hours watching it print! I usually take it to the printer, but for some reason, I decided I could do it myself this year and save time and money. I wouldn't get them back until Monday if I took them to someone to have them printed, and I REALLY want to get them in the mail tomorrow. So, I have about 50 copies printed-- halfway there!

I have been surfing around reading all of the Otter Creek bloggers while I am listening to the hum of my printer working overtime! It is amazing how many people at OC blog! SO cool! It is just nice to be able to catch up on the details of friends' lives that you might not ever know about seeing each other for 5 minutes in the hall at church on Sunday morning. Yes, I am sure that is a sad commentary on the state of relationships in the new millennium... but, blogging is still such a convenient way to share and to stay in touch.

So-- to all my fellow bloggers! Type on! Post on! :) Thanks for opening your worlds for us to share!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I finally finished my annual Christmas newsletter today! It takes a while to complete anyway, but it is even harder now that I have two little ones underfoot! I think the thing I miss most from my pre-kids days is the ability to work on things without interruption. I am the type-A sort who wants to keep working on a project until it is finished-- I am not good at starting and stopping. Many nights I would stay up until the wee hours trying to complete something-- I still do if it's important because late at night is the only time I have to myself.

Anyway-- I hope to get the newsletter to the printer tomorrow. This is our 12th Christmas newsletter! I have them all saved in two scrapbooks so that they are archived for us to look back on each year and for years to come. I am so thankful to have them. I know some detest getting those type of cards and letters at Christmas which detail all of the activities of a family.... But, I don't apologize! I love our newsletter! We actually have quite a following-- some people actually look forward to getting our letter each year. Well, at least they remember getting it! :) I send out over 100 each year.

It has been such a joy experiencing Christmas through Luke's eyes this year. He gets so excited about things like Christmas lights and Christmas songs. It just reminds you of what a wonderful time of year it is and how precious our world is right now with two sweet little ones. We are just so blessed.

Luke has his first Christmas program at school on Tuesday. I will post photos and maybe even some video for you!

Family Christmas Breakfast

Our Otter Creek Family Christmas Breakfast was on Saturday! I was so blessed to help plan, organize, and decorate for it. I was at church ALL week working on it! It was worth it! We had well over 400 people and over 100 families from church represented.

We utilized the website I designed for the children's ministry to have people make online reservations, and it went over very well. We had 96 families sign up early. That made it so much easier for us to do our table layout and plan for food. We also had a spot online for people to volunteer to do all the various jobs required to make it a success-- from set up, serving, break down, and clean up! People at OC are SO great about helping! We love OC! We will have officially been members at Otter Creek for one year on Christmas day! :)

Incorporating Santa into a church event gets a little tricky... I will save all discussions as to why, but this year we wanted to put more of the focus on the "Reason for the season." We started off the morning with a time of worship and praise for God's most wonderful gift to us! Santa's arrival was still a big hit, too! :)

Deck the Halls!

We spent Thanksgiving at my parents home in Paris, TN-- very nice time. They have such a beautiful spot, and it's always nice to be back where you grew up.

Caroline enjoyed her first Thanksgiving meal! She can eat just about anything now!


She had been SUCH a grump that week-- whiny and wanting to be held. When we returned, we noticed she had two new teeth poking in on top! That explains why she was such a grump! Tonight we noticed another one coming in on bottom which brings her grand total to 4 on top, 3 on bottom! She is getting so big!

Luke always has a great time at Pa Bob's house because he gets to help him work around the house! He couldn't wait to get on the tractor! He kept telling him, "We've got a big job to do!" He spent an entire day following Dad around trying to be helpful-- so sweet.




We returned to Nashville on Saturday and spent the rest of the day at Scott's Dad's and the rest of the Westerman clan! That is always fun! Luke LOVES playing at Grandpa Steve's and hanging out with his gorgeous cousins, Stephanie and Shannon.



Caroline had her 9-month check up on Thursday. She is a tiny little thing! She weighs 16 lbs., 14 oz. which places her in the 25% percentile! She is 50% in height. Dr. Wood said he wasn't worried and that she looked perfectly proportioned. This is just new territory for us since Luke was always in the 95% category! She our little petite princess! :)

My favorite thing now is coming into her room in the morning when she wakes-- She is sitting up smiling and playing! What a big girl! What a way to start our mornings! :)




We spent ALL day Saturday putting up the massive amount of Christmas decorations I have collected! It is so much fun, but also a great deal of work! It has so much more meaning this year now that Luke is really old enough to enjoy it. He had to be involved in EVERY step of the process from climbing up the "big ladder" into the attic with Dad to hand down boxes, to climbing the step ladder to hang ornaments on the Santa tree! He was such a big boy (which he reminds us of constantly)! He also LOVES Christmas lights! He and Scott worked hard outside to get all our bushes trimmed with lights!

Luke is into Christmas music, too, which has been so fun! I filled the CD player in our car with nothing but Christmas and we listen to it when we're out and about. His favorites are "Rudolph", "Here Comes Santa Claus" and "Deck the Halls"-- he's right there on the "fa la la la las!" What a magical time of year!

We are Glad!

The Westermans 2006

I just went back to my November archive from last year.... It has been on my mind so often lately that just one year ago we were in such a different place. I had just learned we were having a girl, that I needed surgery, and that I was going to be on bed rest. Every day was a small victory in getting Caroline into the world-- now the stress and worry seem like a distant memory.

Of course, we will never forgot those times and the lessons learned, but on this Thanksgiving, we will be especially grateful that God led us through those tough times and delivered our precious little ones-- both Luke and Caroline-- to us in His timing and in His way.

We went out to eat tonight since I decided not to stock the kitchen this week since we would be gone. As we were leaving the hostess commented, "You have a blessed family." Yes, she's right-- we are blessed. Luke and Caroline are each miracles and true blessings.

The things I was thankful for last year are amazingly similar this year:

We give thanks for

• our little girl, who is still doing well and has made it to 24 weeks
• our incredible Luke, who is the most perfect son any parent could ask for-- he is such a joy to us-- so smart and sweet
• our marriage-- through the good and the bad, we remain best friends and genuinely appreciate the relationship that we have shared for 13 years
• our wonderful friends and family who lavish us with love and support
• our beautiful home that we are so blessed to have and to enjoy each day
• all the many blessings, big and small that God continues to send

The LORD has done great things for us;

We are glad. Psalm 126:3
Thank you, Lord!

May you all celebrate this Thanksgiving

with the ones you love! God bless!

Pine Cones, Pictures, and Praise!

At the Pine Cone Lodge-- Sevierville, TN

At the top of Clingman's Dome- Smoky Mountains

At Elkmont campground where we stopped to eat lunch.

On the deck of our lodge...

We just returned from a great weekend in Gatlinburg with our lifegroup! We stayed in a cabin called "Pine Cone Lodge"-- it was just the perfect place with plenty of room and the ideal mountain feel to it.

The weather was great on Saturday and we made the most of it. We drove up to Clingman's Dome and made the trek to the top. The view was amazing as usual, and the kids did ok... Luke had a minor breakdown on the way back. He kept complaining that his legs didn't work and he wanted Scott to carry him! We took it in stride considering he was operating on such little sleep. The three boys in our group had all been SO excited when we arrived! They had a room with three twin beds so they all were able to sleep together, too! They finally conked out around midnight and they were still up at 6:30 Nashville time!

We had to get back Sunday because I had to be at the Ryman auditorium for a community Thanksgiving service. ZOE has participated in the event before, but I wasn't able to go last year-- I had just begun my bed rest.

What an amazing experience! Not only was I standing on the historical stage, but I was also standing with brothers and sisters in Christ of different color! Sadly, not something most of us do on a weekly basis. We were blessed to sing with a wonderful group from Temple Church led by Victor Wynn. He and Brandon led plus we sang with George Rowe. He did a spectacular song he wrote called "Be praised"-- so beautiful-- he is such a talent! Anyway-- a great night! And, a perfect way to end a great weekend-- even though I was tired-- and the perfect way to kick off the Thanksgiving holiday! :)

Praising God in the Ryman! The Ryman actually was first a church-- Union Gospel Tabernacle. Dwight Moody even held a revival there in 1896. It has held presidents (Teddy Roosevelt) and famous musicians (John P. Sousa) ever since!

Janet, Trina, Karin, and me! We were blessed to sing with Temple Choir!

The Temple/ZOE Gang!