A TRIP TO MAMMOTH CAVE PARK NOV '08

Each year we make at least one trip up to Mammoth Cave National Park. It is one of my favorite places in the world. Before Shana & I got married, I'd go up for day trips several times a year to hike & spend special time with the Lord. A couple weeks ago we went up & met my mom(she now lives in Bowling Green, KY). Hiking is a bit different with a pregnant woman & a woman nearing 60, but it was a good time!! Here are a few pictures

Most of the leaves had fallen, but it made for an amazing site as we walked through the forest on reds, yellows, and oranges.

Mom & Shana taking a moment to smile for the camera & catch their breath.

Next Fall...Margaret will be with us...WOW!!! :)

Margaret's first trip to the forest...I think she liked it(mommy got a bit tired though).
Some of my friends say I am a ham....I don't know why they would say such a thing?

BLIZZARD '08

This is the snow storm we didn't see coming!! Who would think that in Nashville,TN before Thanksgiving we would have such a terrible snow!! It's just unthinkable?!?!?!?! Oh wait...that is the wrong picture...go down a little bit!!!CAN YOU BELIEVE ALL THE SNOW WE GOT?!?!?! I've not seen this much snow in Nov. since I moved to Nashville 12 yrs ago!!! I thought all my family and friends from up north would enjoy this little picture!! As I walked out to my car this morning around 6am....this is what I found! I knew I had to get a picture(because it would be gone in an hour!). Hope you all are keeping safe & warm as winter knocks on our door!!

Thankful for a Laugh!

I thought because of the past two posts containing a bit of life's stressers...that we needed to have a good laugh!

Ms. Moore is an amazing Kindergarten teacher at my school. Every year she has her students do Turkey Recipes(if you live in the Nashville,TN area...watch Channel 4 News...they read them every year on the air).

Here are a few of the recipes the kids came up with! ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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AVA- Get a 5-ounce turkey. Use water to wash the crusty stuff off from the zoo. Put number one sauce on it to make it sweet. Cook the turkey for 6 minutes in the oven on 7%. Eat the turkey with corn, beans, and a little bit of pork chop, and some potatoes.

TERYN- Get a turkey as big as a brick. Put 1 ounces of salt and pepper on it. Put it in the oven for 10 minutes on 7 degrees. Put a tablecloth on the table. Put plates and cups out. Put chairs at the table. Buy a Hanna Montana cake and some cookies. Eat the dessert with the turkey.

JACKSON- Buy a one-gobble turkey. Kill the head. Put 5 chickens on it. Put another turkey with it. Pour 2 brown sauces on it. Put a Ninja Turtle on it. Put it on a plate. Cook the turkey in the oven for 5 minutes on too hot. Eat the turkey with chicken and different colors of lollipops. Also eat a Mickey Mouse Lollipop.

DEVIN- Get a turkey taller than me. Put a little soda juice on it. Put 6 pepperonis on the turkey. Put it in the grill for 6 minutes on 10 piles of hot. Drink milk and juice with the turkey and eat macaroni and rice. Eat some Cinnamon Toast Crunch with it.

TOMMY- Buy a turkey as big as the classroom. Put a ton of salt and pepper on it. Put grilled peppers and chili from Wendy's on it because my dad loves chili. Cook the turkey for 10-hundred hours in the oven. Put more salt and pepper on it. Eat the turkey with mashed potatoes & gravy and pinto beans.

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Those are just a handful of the funny recipes the kids came up with. FROM THE MINDS OF KINDERGARTENERS....ya just can't make this stuff up!!! ha ha ha

Does your house speak?

Our houses speaks to us or at least that is what I think. If you recall, a few months ago the shelf in our bathroom came crashing down at 2 am. Translation....the bahtroom was telling us it was time to remodel. A few weeks ago an air vent fell off the wall at 4 am. In hind sight, the house was trying to tell us there was a problem with the furnance. This weekend, as I was cooking breakfast, a dish fell out of the cabinet squashing my french toast. I guess that means the kitchen needs to be reorganized. Luckly, I enjoy reorganizing!

When It Rains....it Pours!!!!!!!!!

Well, we were blessed to have the issues with the furnace found...and fixed! There was some stress about it...but we both know that it's truly God's hand.. lookin' out for us and our baby on the way. However, in installing the furnace...they found that our whole house needs to be rewired. This is a a bit bigger. God is still God..and we know that He is the provider of all that we have. We have the money to cover such a thing, but in "our plans"...this money was going to be in savings....and help us through the time of Shana being home with the baby. In our "ideal" plans....with me in grad school & baby on the way......we would not have had to replace the furnace & we would not have to have the house rewired(we're kind of wondering if they're going to tell us our foundation is cracked and our whole house is going to fall into a gigantic sink hole!! ha ha..I'm kidding..kind of). But as I said...God is still God...and He will meet our needs. Please pray that we find someone to rewire our house that knows what they are doing...and gives us a good/fair price!!!! Please pray that we would continue to trust God...and not allow the things of this world stress us out(cause they do at times). Pray that Shana & the baby will not be effected by said stress. Thank you!!! Welcome to The Edingers...DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA!

...blessing in disguise...

We aren't sure exactly when it happened, but....this past weekend we realized that our furnace was no longer working(with our first cold snap of the season). At first, we believed it was a minor issue. We've had some problems over the past couple years, but they were fixed with a little help from Morris(Shana's brother) or the local heating repair guy. This time we called our friend Michael(who was the master mind behind our wonderful bathroom makeover) to see if he knew of someone who could look at it. We are so thankful to have a friend like Michael. Yes, he is well connected, but he is so giving & kind(and doesn't make me feel like a dumb dumb for knowing nothing about fixin' stuff!!!)

With the weather turning cold(30 degrees Sunday night)...we could not stay at the house. So off we went to Lebanon to stay at Shana's parents. They're great & gracious to let us stay(PLUS...Shana's mom enjoyed showing us all the new items she found for the baby). However, that night I was not able to sleep. The bed made me hurt all over. Thank goodness it was only for one night. WE THOUGHT! Monday we found out that the furnace did not just have a minor problem....but that it would need to be replaced. The man that came to look at it said he thought it was about 40 yrs old....there were char marks up the side(so it has been a fire risk)...and that it was a carbon monoxide risk. Knowing I could not spend another sleepless night(and still be a good teacher, husband, friend)....I found a friend to stay with near my school. Shana has been staying with her folks(and getting mom's home cookin'). Hopefully, we'll be back in our house tomorrow!!!!

Though this was not exactly what we were hoping for....with some time to reflect on the situation.....we are extremely thankful. There has been no fire! We've not had any ill effect from carbon monoxide. We aren't juggling being new parents while trying to find a place to stay, a new furnace to buy, and a person to install it! We feel so blessed that God knows our needs, looks out for us when we don't even realize it, and loves us through our anxiety & frustration. He's a good God...yes He is!!!

BABY BRAIN 2 : The Halloween Edition

I have been given permission to share this story(I don't want to be accused of being a big meanie for making fun of my pregnant wife!).

Halloween is a holiday of costumes, candy, and craziness. For teachers...it ranks up there as one of the longest days of the year(because kids minds are on costumes, candy, and craziness!!! ha ha).

So after a very long day at school...we head to church for Trunk-r- Treat(which Shana could not get straight...she kept calling it Trick-r-Trunk)! We had a great time passing out candy, talking with friends, and showing off Shana's pumpkin belly. Isn't Margaret's costume awesome!

Well, after we were done at church....we decided we'd head to Target to do our Baby Registry. We were tired, but knew we needed to get it done because of an upcoming baby shower!

After some issues getting our information logged into the system....off we went to the baby section. Shana had done her research, talked to friends, read reviews...and was ready to get this show underway! I really had no strong feelings about the baby stuff. If it's shiney, bright, and colorful...I like it! ha ha So, my job in this was to zap the items Shana handed to me. This I can do(was my job when we did our Wedding Registry). So, Shana hands me an item to zap...I zap it...hand the item back to her...and she throws it in our cart. Ok...I'm really tired...but realize this is not right. "Shana...Honey....aren't people suppose to buy these things for us???" She pauses..looks in the cart..and starts laughing. "I guess I'm really tired" she tells me. I smile, nod, and get ready to zap the next item. She hands me the item...I zap it...hand it back to her...and she throws the item in our cart. At this point I burst out laughing...Shana looks at what she has done...AGAIN...and starts laughing. Well...this is very funny..and delightful...and could be explained by the extremely long day we've had. HOWEVER.....it didn't just happen twice. BABY BRAIN STRIKES AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Shana made sure that this wouldn't happen today when we did a registry at Babies-R-Us..........she didn't get a cart!!!!