Lotsa Pictures

I just posted lots and lots of pictures to our flickr page, so follow the link on the right side under "Desch Family Photos" and enjoy!!!

The Weekend to End All Weekends

Last weekend was sooo amazing. My mom and grandma came into town on Friday night, and after seeing our apartment, we promptly took them to just about our favorite place in town, The Pizza Joint. (Last Friday made 3 times eating there last week for me and Josh. We're serious about this place.) After dinner my mom realized that she couldn't find her wallet... now this was no cause for concern because this happens all the time. Usually it's in her pockets or purse or in the car somewhere. I have learned over the years not to panic as my mom "lost" assorted mittens, sunglasses, wallets, etc. They're usually in a very obvious place which was overlooked by her panic. Turns out that she had left it in her hotel room. The things that she loses usually aren't off the premises, so maybe this time deeming it "lost" was warrented. Anyway, dinner was wonderful.

We woke up Saturday morning and made breakfast for my mom and grandma, which consisted of scrambled eggs (remember that Josh is the king of the griddle), grapefuit, and tea. Yum. After that Josh and I had a going away party for our friends Laura Susan and Springer, who are moving to Columbus, GA, this weekend. We went to the Red Robin, a new restaurant in town. We had a blast with them, even though we're very sad that they're leaving. Then we picked up Mom and Grandma, who had been shopping, and took them back to our apartment. Later that afternoon we were joined by my sisters Marnie and Jennie and Marnie's fiance Chris, who came down from Greenville. Jennie was in town for the weekend from Peoria!! We had a wonderful time with them... went to Sticky Fingers for dinner, which is a guaranteed good time. The food was sooooo good. Josh and I both had barbeque, and Baby Desch was loving it. He/she has become quite the Southerner. My grandma was being her usual self, meaning that she was so funny that I was crying. Needless to say a good time was had by all.

Josh preached in church Sunday morning on Exodus 7, and it was wonderful. I was way more nervous than he was... in fact, I kept asking him if he was nervous, and he finally told me to quit so I wouldn't make him nervous!! We prayed about it a lot, and I think God really blessed Josh as he preached. Then Sunday afternoon our small group from church (who we LOVE) threw us a baby shower!!! It was sooo much fun. Josh's parents from Peachtree City came up for the day, and we all had a blast. Baby Desch is beginning to have many earthly possessions. We felt honored and loved. Then Mr. & Mrs. Desch and my mom and grandma left town. It was a wonderful weekend.

This weekend we're helping our friends Laura Susan and Springer get packed up for Columbus. They are such good friends and we'll miss them horribly, but we wish them the best in their new situation!!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Josh, the Next Barry Bonds

I would like everyone to know that Josh Desch hit an amazing home run at his church softball game on Tuesday night. This was a home run for the ages. I unfortunately missed the launch of the ball from his bat because I was unwrapping a piece of bazooka bubble gum in the stands (come on, you know that stuff is good), but once I looked up and realized what was happening, I went crazy. Josh hit the ball over the heads of the other team's outfielders, almost to the fence. It was incredible. He blazed around the bases and had a huge smile on his face coming around to home plate. The crowd went bonkers, the crowd consisting of me and a few other ladies. But this was a hit to remember. I'm so proud of him. The ladies asked me what I had fed him, and just laughed... if they knew the truth. For dinner Tuesday night we had eaten random stuff around the fridge since we didn't have much time. A half piece of pizza that was getting a little hard, some green beans, some scrambled eggs, an Arnold Palmer... wow, I guess that strange mix of food worked some wonders. Maybe we'll try to replicate that in hopes of producing another home run in tonight's game. Now by the title of today's post I in no way meant to insinuate that Josh is taking shady quasi-drugs. This boy doesn't need that to slam it out of the park. Take that, Barry Bonds.

This has been a really busy week so far, but good. It's heating up nicely in Augusta- today the high was 87. WOOP!! I'm starting to get into this hot, hot summer thing.

Have a wonderful day!

The Best of Times, The Worst of Times

Friends, being pregnant is unlike anything I've ever done. Allow me to elaborate.

In some ways, being pregnant is the BEST of times.

• A fun bump keeps growing and growing.
• You get to be excited about a baby coming.
• You get to put really cute baby things in your house.
• You get to feel a miniature human being moving inside of your belly. That is beyond description.
• You get to consume extra calories for the sake of the baby's growth and well-being.
• You often get to be the one in the group who picks where you go out to eat, because people know pregnant women are weird about food.

In some ways, being pregnant is the WORST of times.

• You have KILLER heartburn all the time. I mean KILLER.
• Your feet, legs, and hands swell really bad. I officially have cankles, something I've never, ever wanted. (You know, where your ankles just sort of run into your calves and you can't tell the difference.)
• You sometimes panic when you're trying to sleep, realizing that a baby is coming and is going to change your life forever... did we make a bad decision??? Should we start contacting adoption agencies? (Don't worry, this one always passes.)
• You have to sleep on your side, which gets old and also leads to backaches.
• You endure endless poking and prodding by the hands of your doctor and nurses.
• Early on, foods you once loved make you want to throw up.
• You have to go to the bathroom every 20 minutes. Josh and I are driving to Dallas in 3 weeks for my sister's wedding... I already feel sorry for him. "Baby, can you pull over again?"

We are sooo very excited about Baby Desch's arrival, which is supposed to be 2 months from today!! Pregnancy has been fun, and I've had it easy compared to what a lot of women experience.

We had a wonderful, busy weekend!! More on that to come!!

When Child Acting Starts Too Young: "I don't get paid enough for this!"

Betsy and I burst out laughing the first time we saw the picture (above) we have put on this post. I, especially, have become very interested in this picture. The reason is because the baby in this picture is supposed to be . . . well, just that, a baby! Instead, this baby in this picture has the most fake, un-babylike, I've been acting for 20 years smile I have ever seen. The baby in this picture is advertising for a product that functions like a bookbag, except that instead of books you can hall your baby around with you. There were similar products to the one this baby was advertising for, and they all featured a baby on the front that actually looked like a baby. Anyone who has ever seen a natural baby smile knows what to look for. The baby looks genuinely happy and oblivious to the fact that anyone is taking a picture. The baby in this picture looks like he's been on the set for about 4 hours and that he's on outtake number 43, and that he is ready to collect his paycheck and go home and relax on his Lazyboy. Simply put, the baby in this photo appears to be smiling for the camera, which is just weird, because babies aren't supposed to know what's going on. Notice also that the baby has perfectly parted hair and a old man sweater on. A sweater!!! Is this a baby I'm looking at or Bob Barker from the Price is Right ?? Anyway, like I said, kids are getting into acting way to young these days. Either that, or this kid has been modified by a computer to look like a 40 year old professional actor. Either way, you've got to laugh when you look at this picture.

Also, check out our flickr

Announcement: Amazing Weekend on the Horizon

We've got an incredible weekend coming up here, Folks. For starters, my mom, Aunt Martha, and Grandma are coming into Augusta tonight!! WOOP!! Can we get a "that's going to be amazing" please??? We haven't seen them since Thanksgiving, so that will obviously be wonderful. My sister Jennie is flying into Atlanta tonight and she, my sister Marnie, and her fiance Chris are coming to Augusta tomorrow!! Then comes Sunday... Josh is preaching in church on Exodus 7, and in the afternoon we've got a couples baby shower for Baby Desch!! So pretty much this weekend is going to be amazing. We're sooo excited to see my family!

We finally got our rears in gear last night and put away the last of our stuff in our apartment. It looks wonderful! Josh took some pictures to document the orderliness of it all, since we're too realistic to think that it will stay like this for long.

I'm beginning to realize how good I had it in school in so many ways. To put it bluntly, working is just not all it's cracked up to be. I mean, think about school. Yeah you have to bust your butt studying and writing and cramming, but the schedule is great... you're not really in class for that long each day, you get these amazing breaks for Christmas and summer, etc. I'm really jealous of the youth because they're looking forward to summer break. Hello??? I need a summer break!! I've put in a solid 2 years to the work force and I'm ready for some TIME OFF. Like at least 3+ months. Now you might say, "Well, Betsy, aren't you quitting your job when Baby Desch arrives?" And to that I'd be forced to say, "Actually, yes." But that's not the point!! I wouldn't know since I've never done it, but I doubt staying home with a teensy baby is much of a summer break. I'm talking about the kind where you have nothing to do but sit on the porch, lick melting popsicles, ride your bike down the street to your friend's house, catch fireflies, play red light-green light-dynamite blue, get really sweaty running around, put on your swimsuit and run through the sprinkler, find the hose to be THE source of entertainment and refreshment, lay in bed really sticky-sweaty with a fan blowing on you to read a book, go to swimming lessons, fry your buns on really hot car seats, etc. THAT'S the kind of summer I'm ready for!! Heck, I'm re-taking my childhood by storm!! Who's with me?? That was such an amazing time of life and I didn't even know it. Why can't there be some kind of rewind thing where you could re-do all of those activities and appreciate them like you would now?

Well, Friends, have a marvelous weekend!

Violence in America: Reflections on the VT Massacre

Like everyone else, I was shocked by the massacre that happened just a few days ago a Virginia Tech. The number of people killed on wounded by one person with two handguns is simply staggering. 33 people dead; at least another 16 wounded - all with multiple gunshot wounds. On an experiental level, its hard to believe this could happen. Nonetheless, on a intellectual level - and this is the really scary part - its NOT hard to believe this could happen once one spends a little time in reflection.

After all, this is America, where a resident alien can buy two handguns and lots of ammunition just because he had a drivers license and no crimal record, even though he had been investigated for stalking and wrote extremely disturbing plays in an English class. This is America, where our movies and video games glorify violence, and you would have to live in a cave to actually be shocked by a murder you saw on a TV show. We have all become desensitived. Me and Bets' favorite show is 24, like millions and millions of other people. And even know we like this show for reasons other than the violence, its hard to have an episode go by where someone doesn't get shot. This is America, where the homicide rates is way higher than other first world and Western nations

I love America, don't get me wrong. As far as I know, its the greatest country in the world. We have a lot of freedoms and a lot of money. Still, we need to come to grips with the fact that America is a violent country. I don't know how much American culture contributed to this young man's horrible rampage, but I do know this: there will other crazies who do this in the future. In my relatively short life I have witnessed Columbine, the two Virginia/DC area snipers who terrized that area for months, and now Virginia Tech.

What's so scary about these killing sprees is that they don't have a direct or obvious motivation. By that, I mean these people were not fighting for a cause, something I believed in with all their heart. Nor were they fighting for a country, or a movement such as the abolition of slaves, like John Brown in 1856 in Kansas. (below: John Brown)


It seems that these killings were motivated by extremely distrubed individuals with a love of violence - end of story. I almost wish they were fighting for something they believe in, because the killings would make more sense in my mind, but instead were are left only with questions.

Bringing it all home. I think this tragic event has reminded us all of how much people need Jesus. God ordains all things, but from a human perspective, the only thing that definately would have stopped this guy from doing this is the power of the gospel. This guy was lost; he was confused and angry at life. Only the love of Jesus seen on the cross could ultimately have provided the answers this guy was looking for. Is our culture violent? Sure. But gun control (and we could use a little) and secular counseling on our college campuses is not going to solve the problem. People need Jesus; lets show Him to them.

Baby Desch, World Traveler

Today I had one of my first "I'm-Almost-A-Parent" moments. Josh is leading a missions trip to Canada this summer from July 14-21. There are 6 youth going, and then one other adult, who is not me since Baby Desch will have only just made his/her appearance. Seeing as Josh will be gone for a week, I'm not too keen on me and Baby Desch hanging out at our apartment alone for a week. Too lonely! So the two of us are going to fly home to Peoria while Josh is gone. I was on airtran.com today trying to buy the ticket (you only have to buy one when traveling with an infant because he/she can just sit on your lap. Hopefully I will not regret this. I have no desire to be the one that everyone hates on the flight with the screaming baby.), and I checked the box for "traveling with an infant?". The next screen asked for the baby's name, sex, and birthdate. This was problematic because I didn't know any of these. I tried to put in a fake name with the due date as the birth date, but evidently you're not allowed to travel with a baby who hasn't been born yet. I decided that I would just go ahead and age Baby Desch a bit... so by the time we take that flight he'll probably be in the books as about 4 months old. I don't think it really matters- I think they just want to be sure that the baby isn't over 2 years, or whatever the cutoff age is for when you actually have to buy the baby his or her own seat. If it does matter for some reason, then I'll look for a tired, apathetic checker-inner who probably wouldn't know a 1 year old from a newborn. But it was funny signing up my yet-unborn child for his/her first flight.

Josh left yesterday for a Presbytery meeting in Savannah, where he was supposed to officially go under care of the Presbytery. I was lonely last night but used the time to attack the mountain range of dishes in our kitchen, so that was good. I turned on the TV for some friendly noise and washed dishes during the commercials. Yet again another contestant fell prey to the greedy desire for more money on Deal or No Deal and ended up walking away with a measley amount compared to what she could have had. I shook my head in an I-told-you-you-would-pick-the-big-case- sort of way. Then 24 came on... a little Jack Bauer is good for everyone.

I'm really into sweet tea right now. I don't know if that's an official sign that I've embraced my current situation in life as a Southerner, but sweet tea is really good. I just learned how to make it on my own. Homemade sweet tea is wonderful. It's also kind of bad because you see just how much sugar establishments like Chick Fil-A must be putting in their sweet tea to make it taste like that. Trust me, you can dump tablespoon after tablespoon for a disturbingly long time, and it's still not going to taste like that.

OK, I guess that's all for now. Have a wonderful day!!

It's Monday... Sigh.

Josh and I had a wonderful weekend. Yesterday was his birthday!! WOOP!! We had such a great time! We had church and Sunday School, went to lunch at the Pizza Joint... let me pause here to say something funny. If you've ever eaten pizza with anyone from my family, you know that we all like green peppers on our pizza. It's a pretty incredible combo. So I ordered a piece of pizza with green peppers. When the pizza came out, I looked on my lunch with horror... it was covered in BANANA peppers. Not my little green friends, but some horrible, fluorescent yellow imposters. I will readily admit that I am a picky person, and banana peppers just do NOT have a place in my limited repertoire of allowable foods. So we talked to the lady serving us when she came back to see how it was going, and Josh said, "I think my wife ordered green peppers..." The lady said "They're not the spicy ones." It was really uncomfortable for a minute there. Clearly the peppers were not GREEN. They were in fact a disturbing shade of YELLOW. But we didn't want to be rude and insist that they indeed were not green peppers, so we said it was fine and let her go. I think that lady is not a pepper eater, because it seems like she only had two categories... spicy and not spicy. But it turned out OK. We also got to relax for much of the afternoon, which was wonderful. Over all Josh had an amazing birthday, I'd say. We went to our church small group, which we LOVE, and then came home only to find that one of our favorite shows was on, Deal or No Deal. Gotta love that Howie with his bald head. The lady on last night could have walked away with $170,000, but instead she kept picking cases because a $2,000,000 case was still out there... she picked the 2 million on her next turn, and the offer from the banker went down to $7,500. From $170,000 to $7,500. Did she make a bad choice or what??? She ended up with a measley $15,000. Now listen, if someone came up to me in the middle of the street and offered me $15,000, I'd be OVERJOYED. But when you had the chance to take home $170,000, it doesn't look like much. Josh and I have perfected our idea of when to walk away, and we can't wait to go on. I think that's how the Lord is going to provide for seminary. NBC is going to indirectly fund the work of God's kingdom.

We went to our OB this morning for a check up, and let me tell you, folks- this baby is starting to get kind of pushy!! He/she was kicking me sooo hard this morning! Maybe he/she knows there's only about 10 weeks to go, and he/she's getting antsy. I had a test for gestational diabetes this morning, which meant I had to fast since late last night. Josh got up and decided that he wanted to eat leftovers from Outback Steakhouse, where we met my sister Marnie and her precious fiance Chris on Saturday night for dinner. (That dinner was phenomenal- the food was delicious and the company of course delightful. We love those two sooo much!!) So Josh put a steak in the microwave to have for breakfast, and I ate nothing. That was pretty funny. By the time we got to the doctor's office, I was sooo thirsty. The nurse drew some blood and then gave me this juice to drink that was like Hawaiian Punch on speed, with lots more sugar, but it tasted amazing. I slurped it all down. Yum. Not eating or drinking for even a short time makes you so grateful for food and drinks! Baby Desch is doing fine!! The nurse had a hard time pinning him/her down to listen to the little heartbeat, but he/she finally succumbed to the examination.

So that's our report. It was a wonderful weekend and an eventful day. We posted some new pictures on flickr, so be sure to take a look!!!!

Funny Pregnancy Issue

Today Josh and I were having lunch together at the picnic tables outside of the county library, which is a beautiful, sunny spot. Today is a gorgeous day in Augusta- all remnants of the chilly weather we had last weekend and earlier this week are gone! So there we were, eating lunch peacefully- it was sooo good- and then I got the feeling that I needed to blow my nose. So I grabbed a paper towel that we had brought for a napkin, and lo and behold, the floodgates opened and my nose started bleeding like crazy. I've never had a nose bleed in my life, so I was a little bit at a loss to know what to do. It just kept coming and coming, through the two paper towels that we had, then into the huge wad of toilet paper Josh ran in and got from the bathroom. It dripped onto my shirt (which thankfully was black) and a little onto the ground. Then it miraculously quit! All of the sudden the bloody torrent stopped. Now "torrent" may be a bit melodramatic, but for someone who has never had a nosebleed, ever, this was a strange experience. I learned that nosebleeds can be very common in pregnancy because your blood vessels change in order to get blood to the baby easily, and your blood volume also increases to accomodate the extra person inside. I'll know for next time to just get some paper towels and blot away.

Josh and I recently watched a documentary on kids who go to the national spelling bee in Washington D.C. We were amazed by these kids. They all studied spelling words for several hours each day. One kid's parents hired a spelling coach who worked with him daily for 3 or 4 hours. The same kid's grandpa paid people to chant and meditate during the national spelling bee in hopes of improving his grandson's performance. He said if his grandson won, he would pay to feed 1,000 hungry people in India. How's that for pressure? The well-being of 1,000 people rests on my ability to spell ridiculous words that no normal person would ever even hear of, much less use, much less know how to spell. I've gotta say, some of these kids were crazy nerdy. Not that all people who love to spell are nerdy, but I think they got a good representation of the nerd community. The documentary is called "Spellbound" if you're ever interested. It was really good.

Josh and I don't have much planned for this weekend. It's going to be nice to relax. We're still trying to find places for some things in our apartment, so we'll see how that goes.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!!!! HAPPY TAXES!!!!! GOOD OLD UNCLE SAM!!!!!

Beautiful Wednesday

Today was supposed to be rainy and stormy, but instead it's actually beautiful!! WOOP!!

Josh had a great game last night. We had such a good time. The team ended up losing by 5 runs, but it was still a marvelous effort. Josh is a warrior on the softball field.

Today I went to Josh's office for lunch, and you will never guess what we ate... YEP, spaghetti!!! By this point we really didn't have much sauce left. So I got to his office, and he had already started getting lunch ready. His plate was covered with a HUGE mound of pasta and the smallest bit of sauce... it was really funny. So he basically ate pasta with a hint of tomato-y taste. But that spaghetti had a good run.

We had the joy of meeting our esteemed friend Richard Feero for breakfast Monday morning at Bojangles. It was so good to see him!! We're huge Richard Feero fans. We caught up, ate some BoBerrys (YUM!), and just had a generally amazing time. It's nice that we have some friends whose families are Augusta residents!! That way we're guaranteed to see them from time to time. I tell you what, Richard Feero is going places and I'm already proud to say that I know him.

Well, Josh and I are psyching up for LOST tonight... that's one of the great things about Wednesday nights!! Hope that ya'll have a great one!!

Psych Up Dinner

Josh has got a big game tonight at 7:00. He's been carb loading- we had spaghetti last night, for lunch, and we're having it for dinner tonight. This shows you two things: a. We take our church softball very seriously, and b. We made a HUGE batch of spaghetti last night. YUM!!

I'll give ya'll an update tomorrow on his performance. Hopefully the pasta will give him some extra spring in his legs to sprint around the bases after he hits it out of the park.

Fun With Digital Cameras

Josh and I had an eventful holiday weekend! We spent a couple of days with Mr. and Mrs. Desch in Peachtree City, which was fun. Josh went golfing on Saturday morning and it was pretty chilly, so he decided to golf in ski gloves. I told him that couldn't have been helpful to his score.

I got a kick out of how people described the conditions for this year's Masters Tournament, which just ended yesterday. We watched a lot of coverage on Saturday and then watched the finish last night. I repeatedly heard commentators and news people talking about the "brutal" conditions. The word "brutal" might bring some pretty extreme conditions to some of your minds, like wind chills in the negatives and heavy snow. But here in Augusta, "brutal" means temperatures in the low 50's. That's pretty bad. Come on people, low 50's is NOT cold and it's certainly not BRUTAL. I got a kick out of that. Now to be fair, it was very windy on Saturday and also breezy on Sunday, which I'm sure contributed to the assessment of the conditions. I watched the 11:00 news on Saturday night and the weatherman, in giving the weather forecast for Easter Sunday, said it was going to be another "cold" day with temperatures in the mid 50's. I would like to challenge most Augusta residents to go play golf in Minnesota between December and February. You'll learn real quick that Augusta has never seen weather to justify the assessment of "brutal." But all that aside, Josh and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Masters. It was kind of fun to watch something that's happening just a few miles down the road.

One highlight of the weekend was watching Mrs. Desch become acquainted with our digital camera. She and Mr. Desch are owners of a quite notorious film camera that they got at a yard sale which was to benefit Ugandan orphans. They claim that they paid about 10 cents for this fine piece of machinery. It's actually comical to pose in a Desch family picture, because the picture taker inevitably leaves the shutter closed or proceeds to hit the side of the 10 cent camera to make it take the picture. So you can imagine the leap from the 10 cent camera to a digital camera. This is not a feat for the faint of heart. Mrs. Desch repeatedly took a picture, switched the camera over to review mode to look at it, and pushed the trash can button to delete it. It's true that practice makes perfect, and she was really adhering to that saying. Get in picture taking pose (one leg stuck out a good bit, fingers moved from in front of the shutter), push the button, review the picture, throw it away, repeat. We got a good laugh out of the process. But I think she's now more comfortable with the camera! So it worked.

Last night we watched The Passion of the Christ with our small group from church. This was the first time that either Josh or I had seen it. It was a very powerful movie that left me humbled by my own participation in Jesus' crucifixion and also shocked at the gut-wrenching torture inflicted on him. I found myself really angry with Caiaphas and the other Jewish leaders and then it hit me- I would have done the exact same things had I been alive then. I would have been shouting for his crucifixion along with the crowd. It's nice to think that we don't really need Jesus- we would have been on HIS side. My sins aren't ugly enough to make me do what THEY did. But I realized that Jesus had to die for my sins every bit as much as those of the people shouting for his death. Another thing I contemplated was how even through all of that horrible, horrible suffering, Jesus didn't hate the people who were doing it to him, or the crowds who insisted that he was executed. He still loved them and was still willing to lay down his life to atone for their sins. Even the sins of the people who scourged him and made fun of him and crowned him with a crown of thorns. Can you imagine being tortured like that and not absolutely hating the people who were doing it to you? Revenge and hating people who have wronged you are such common themes in our culture today, prevalent in movies, books, music, etc. Jesus really practiced what he preached: "Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you." Love like that is just beyond my imagination.

So Josh and I had a wonderful Easter celebration, as we hope that you did.

My Problem with Fergie

Does anyone here know the musician Fergie? She was a singer in the Black Eyed Peas, and I've got to say, I can't stand her music for several reasons. First of all, I think her main following consists of pre-teen girls. If your fans are mainly 11-14 year old girls, I think that says something about your music (no offense intended if you are an 11-14 year old girl). They are some of the most vulnerable in terms of absorbing ideas, and I think for some reason Fergie appeals to them. Fergie's music is probably the last thing they need to hear. Second, I feel like Fergie is obsessed with spelling. Have you noticed that? In her first hit "Fergilicious", the word "delicious" (a clever rhyme) is spelled by some male background singers several times. In her second hit "Glamorous," she and her background singers spell "glamorous" several times in the course of the song. Is Fergie really a washed-up spelling bee contestant? Did she lose the spelling bee in 5th grade and she's still carrying around that baggage? I feel like this type of music would be more appropriately sung by Elmo on Sesame Street than a pop star. At least then children would learn about letters and spelling. Instead, Fergie spells out words with a sexy beat in the background, and everyone lauds her as a star. Fergie, if you're reading this, I think you're horrible and you belong back in primary school, where we get out all of our spelling tension.

With that said, I'm ready to move on to other news. I have an announcement to make (drum roll please......................................................................................)!! Josh and I are now on Flickr!! We just started posting pictures there and we'd be honored if you'd stop by for a look. I put up a link in the side bar as the Desch's Family Pictures. For some reason it takes me a really long time to upload pictures into this blog, so it's easier to put them up there. And trust me, we've got pictures. Our new camera is definitely earning its keep.

Last night Josh and I finally got around to putting up all of our pictures in our new apartment. We had put that off because it's a lot of work to make all the measurements, figure out just where to put the nails so the pictures will be centered and even, make sure everything is straight, etc. Once we had the oomph to get some going, we went strong until all of the hardest ones were done. Now we just have a couple of easy things left to hang up- the things that only take one nail and a quick check to be sure it's level. Our apartment is starting more and more to feel like home.

We're heading to Peachtree City tonight to hang out with Mr. and Mrs. Desch and a few other Peachtree City folks for a couple of days, and then back here for Easter Sunday. Augusta is basking in its full glory as the Masters kicks off for real today. Golf always makes me think of my grandpa, who passed away last winter. He was a BIG golf fan, and I know he would be watching the Masters. So I'll watch it this weekend for him.

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Why 23 is Old

The following is a true story. The other day, I went to the gym after youth group with Bets. One of the youth in our youth group, who is 13 years old, asked to go with us. His mom promised to pick him up right when we were planning on leaving the gym, so I said okay. This kid plays on his school's middle school basketball team, but no one would describe him as a big 13 year old. Well, in case you didn't know this, when I was at Covenant one of my goals was to get my weight up to 150 pounds (which I never did), so I am certainly not a big guy. But still, I'm a 23 year old youth pastor, so I expected my performance at the gym to be better than it was. The 13 year old and I go to lift weights, and we start out at the incline bench, at my request. Well, to make a long story short, he ends up benching more than me . . . his youth pastor . . . who has graduated from college. Moral of the story? I need to start lifting some heavier commentaries in my office, because this was a real low point, kind of like when you finally reached that age when you realize that most of the guys getting drafted in professional sports are now younger than you. Well, I'm glad I'm still not banking on the NBA like I was when I was 8 or 9.

Happy Tuesday, Friends

We're having mahi mahi for dinner tonight and I'm pretty excited. I used to like fish a lot more, but as of late I've had to choke it down. But I went on allrecipes.com, and I think I've found a winning recipe. The American Heart Association recommends eating a whole lot of fish every week, and we need to get two feet on the fish train. Right now I have one foot on and one foot off. Josh loves fish and would gladly eat it often, but I'm only half-way there. I guess if it will keep you healthier longer, it's worth it. It's like spinach. I hate spinach with a PASSION, but we eat it faithfully anyway. Sometimes you just have to eat unpleasant things in the interest of your arterial and cardiac health.

All right, I've got LOTS of pictures to post, so I'll get those up here!! Have a wonderful Tuesday!!

I Can't Believe It's April

Can ya'll believe today is April 2nd? I feel like it was yesterday when 2007 made its big debut. We had another great weekend. We have some friends from work who just bought a pontoon boat this past week, and they took us out on one of its maiden voyages on Saturday. It was sooo fun!! Josh and I both got somewhat fried, of course. We met our friends at the dock at 10:00 and it was still pretty cool- when we got going in the boat, the wind was cold, so we bundled up with a sweatshirt and beach towel over our legs. But it didn't stay chilly. We stopped to barbeque right on the boat around 1:00, and by that time it was HOT!! I think we both got fried in the time that it took to barbeque, eat, hang out, and get back to the dock. We both got those really lame sunburns where you ask "How the heck did that shape get burnt into my skin?" I hate getting those, but I will forever have the type of skin where if you put your hand over your knee for too long, you'll get finger-shaped burns. But that's OK, it was worth it. I really like boat rides. Our friends have this really cool grill that folds up and you can unfold it and grill right there on the boat!! We just parked, threw down the anchor, and ate lunch. Yum!!

To continue in the spirit of spring celebration, Josh and I ate corn on the cob last night for dinner. My mom has always called it corn on YOUR cob. It was soooo good!! I love corn on the cob soo much. My mom always saddled me with the job of shucking like 20 ears of corn, and I always took a brown paper grocery bag out on the back deck and shucked away. Corn on the cob makes me think of SUMMER!!! Josh and I are hoping to buy a grill now that we're in our new apartment so we can make some of those good things for summer... barbequed chicken, hamburgers, baked potatoes, of course HOT DOGS, etc. YUM!! It's in the mid- 80's today, and I'm sooo ready for summer clothes weather. I'm wearing a quasi-long sleeved shirt, and I'm about to combust. Bring it on!!