Brunch

Yesterday we woke up early to a sunlit house and made our way to the kitchen for a hot cup of coffee and lots of baking to finish before 10am.

We were baking for two very special people - Matt and Susan - who in less than three weeks will be married. We're just a bit excited for them! Yesterday Todd and I, along with some of our closest friends, attended a special brunch to celebrate the soon-to-be married couple.

We had so much fun and ate way too much. Each couple was to bring something sweet and savory. Todd and I contributed cherry turnovers and sausage muffins.
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Josh and Christi's place in the city is unbelievable, perfect for parties.
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The happy couple...

Group photo time!

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Check out Scruffy giving his best over the shoulder, red carpet pose. Too funny.

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Todd and I feel so blessed to have the friends we do.We arrived at the brunch at 11am and got home just before midnight. It's so great to have people in our lives that we want to spend the entire day with, and could do it all over again the next day. They have made Nashville home for us. We continue to have amazing people come into our lives and we really have to pinch ourselves sometimes. We are loved very well.

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It has been so great getting to know our small group friends better too. Mary, Nichole, Jamie & Bethany - you have been warned. My camera might be making an appearance very soon!

Happy weekend! Hope you get to enjoy the sunshine.

I Love Him

I often mention my husband on this little blog for obvious reasons, but today he deserves a full post. Let me tell you why...

He makes me laugh until I cry. Even when I don't want to laugh at his jokes, I can't help it. Sometimes he just makes funny faces (which he's really good at) and I lose it. He can put the biggest smile on my face.

He loves having me around. I don't think he has ever told me that he could use "alone" time. We always laugh about the fact that we live in a house that has more space than we need right now with a large sectional in our TV room, but when we're watching our favorite shows together, I have to sit right beside him. Like on half of his cushion close. It's my favorite spot in the house.

And he always feels the need to hug me when I'm folding laundry. Without fail he makes me stop what I'm doing to hug him. I act annoyed, but it only makes me fall more in love with him.

He cooks too. This past weekend he could not stop talking about how he craved corned-beef hash. Random, I know. He had what he said was the best corned-beef hash when we were in New York and decided he would try to make his own. I found a great recipe for him and he didn't even mind that it came from Martha Stewart.

As great as all of these things are, this post came out of something that happened this week.

I've been a little down lately. Because of situations mainly out of my control, things in my life that used to be really good haven't been so good. I've been crying to Todd (no, I've been sobbing...and complaining), and I'm sure he's just about tired of hearing me talk about it. But this week I hit a wall. The hurt and fears caught up with me and I couldn't keep it in. I was sitting at work, trying to respond to e-mails, but barely making out the words through my tears.

I sent Todd a message to tell him how I was feeling. He could have been annoyed. He could have said, "I'm busy." He could have said, "You need to get over this." He would have been right to do so.

Instead he said, "Give me 30 minutes. I'll meet you for coffee."

Thirty minutes later I sat across from him, chai latte in hand and gave him the same sob story I have given a hundred times. He listened and agreed and let me talk it out. I'm a talker. I have to verbalize every fear, worry, and what-if. He quietly listened and I knew he genuinely cared. I'm stronger because of him. It's moments like this, our spontaneous coffee dates, that remind me that I don't have to face this sometimes-scary world alone. I went back to work feeling like a new person. In mere minutes he completely changed the course of my day. I think that alone deserves its own blog post.

I love him. I really do.

S is for...

S is for Stepp.

I decided to get a little crafty today. We had a wall downstairs that was just a little too plain. I've gone back and forth over what to do with it. I had landed on adding more picture frames, but we already have several frames downstairs. Instead I decided to put a large "S" on the bare wall. Family friends of ours had an "R" in their kitchen and I always thought it looked so great in their home. I decided to copy the look and I think I'm pretty happy with the results. The good news is that I spent less than $10, so if I decide I don't like it, I won't feel too bad taking it down.

Pottery Barn confirmed my decision too. I was worried this trend was long gone, but it looks like this type of wall accent might stick around for awhile. I found inspiration here (they used numbers instead of letters), here and here.

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Our entryway is still pretty bare (and if you ask me, a little boring), but I'm just not the best at picking out accessories. I'm going to eventually add some large baskets under the console table and some other accents for on the table, but that is a work in progress.


S is for Small Group.

At the beginning of the year Todd and I joined a new small group. We had been talking to another couple at our church about how we felt a lack of community in our church among couples our age. We decided to start a meal group. Every other Wednesday we get together to share a meal and catch up on life. We all just hit it off immediately. I believe God has big plans for our little group. What originally started out as a humble group of three couples, will have nearly doubled by the next time we meet. Yes, twelve people (and all of their little ones) in one house! There was obviously a great need for this type of community in our church and it's so awesome to be right in the middle of it. We're really excited about what God is going to do through this group.

I don't have pictures yet. I've decided I'll ease into snapping photos of everyone!


S is for Seriously Good Book.

Okay, that might be a stretch, but I couldn't think of a good S word.

I am one chapter from finishing Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris. I never intended to read this book. The only reason I read it was because the day after Todd brought it home, I had a flight to North Carolina and didn't have anything to read. I put it in my bag, but I was planning on just buying a magazine at the airport. Fortunately for me I was running late the morning of my flight and my only option was this book. That was a blessing in disguise. Dug Down Deep is one of the best books I've read in a really long time.

I hate to admit it, but Todd and I were both feeling church burnout. We were constantly talking about looking for another church home, but never looked because we have so many great relationships where we're at. We were both praying for God to give us a clear sign on whether we should stay or go. He gave us that answer: stay. I believe this book and our small group were exactly what we needed to fall in love with our church all over again.

This passage from Harris in response to church burnout was a huge eye-opener:

"No doubt some are burned out or disillusioned by the corruption or poor leadership they've seen. Others feel that the church is cumbersome and that there are more effective ways to get things done.

But my guess is that a vast majority of Christians who have lost their vision for the church are like I was: they've never taken the time to study what the Bible says about God's purpose and plan for the church. Instead, they're living their lives guided by their feelings and experience. They're pragmatic, so they're focused more on what "works" than on what Scripture dictates. They're consumers who approach church asking, 'What's in it for me?'

But what if we saw that the church is more than a human program, more than what we disparagingly refer to as organized religion? What if we saw that it originated in the heart and mind of God himself and that his plan began before the dawn of human history and stretches into eternity? What if we learned that the church was so precious to Jesus that he was willing to shed his own blood to obtain it? What if the church is the means by which God has chosen to accomplish his purpose for us and the world? And what if it is irreplaceable?

If we could see this, then we'd realize that rejecting the church is rejecting God himself."

That last line should make anyone who reads it really think about how they view the church. If you don't think you need the church, you're really saying that you don't need God.

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Whew! This post has been more like a novel. It was a bit all over the place, but I had a lot to catch up on. Thanks for staying with me!

Have a wonderful weekend. It's going to be in the 60's in Nashville. If you're looking for me, I'll be outside!

10,000 Days and A Weekend Recap

Fun Fact: I am 10,000 days old today.

I know most people don't count the number of days they have been alive. I had never even thought about it until last week. Somehow Todd and I got in a conversation about the number of days old we were on our way into work. Todd had said he thought people reached 10,000 days during their 27th year. Since I'm 27 I thought it would be fun to check it out.

I found an online calculator and to my surprise, I was closer than I thought. So today I'm celebrating my 10,000th day at home with a warm cup of chai tea, watching the snow fall. How fortunate for me that this day fell on President's day so that I could enjoy the day off!

While I probably won't continue to track my life in days, it did get me thinking. I have been so blessed during my short time on this earth. This is the 10,000th day that God has graciously given me life and has filled it with so many good things. I hope I spend the next 10,000 glorifying Him. I pray that I would use the days he gives me for good and to love those around me well.

Todd turns 10,000 days old next January. Now that I can prepare in advance, I'm thinking we should have a big party!

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In other news, Todd and I had a great Valentine's Day weekend. We have never really celebrated Valentine's Day. No fancy dinners or expensive roses. The fact that we spend the day together is enough for us. Todd did make me an amazing steak dinner at home and I baked cookies (although I had plans to make two fun desserts, it was so cold that I didn't want to go buy the ingredients).

We didn't need more sugar anyway. My Aunt Terry sent us the best Valentine's Day package, so we had plenty of goodies to snack on. She always spoils us on Valentine's Day. I hope we don't get too old for this tradition anytime soon!

We did buy one gift for each other. It might have just changed our lives. It's a head massager. Have you tried these? They're fabulous! Unless you're extra ticklish, then you should stay far away.

It's nice to be inside watching the snow fall, but I'm so ready for Spring I can barely stand it. I'm ready to get outside and start my herb garden once and for all. I never got to it last year, but I'm determined this year. This tutorial from Martha Stewart looks easy enough. I just need the temperature to get above freezing!

Here's to hoping warm weather comes sooner than later...

Super Bowl 2010

This year marked the third annual Stepp Super Bowl Extravaganza. Todd's parents bought us a big screen TV when we moved into our house, so we thought, what better use for it than to have them out to watch the biggest sporting event at our house with some of our closest friends?

We had the perfect mix of guests: huge sports fans and foodies.

Speaking of the food...

We made The Pioneer Woman's "Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies." Really, that's what she calls them. But they are wonderful! I used the recipe in her cookbook instead of her website. Her book calls for half a cup of cheddar cheese added to the cream cheese, but either version would be great I'm sure.

I say "we," but really, Todd's mom did ALL of the cooking. I just stayed close to the kitchen so that I could be the first to try everything!

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Because you can never get enough bacon, we made bacon-wrapped chicken bites too. Yum.

We even made homemade sangria.

To make things a bit more interesting this year (especially for us that aren't experts on football), we created our own Super Bowl Bingo game. With phrases ranging from Offensive Pass Interference to Kim Kardashian Sighting to Commercial with a Monkey, it was so fun hearing everyone shout when they could mark a space on their board. I'm sure this isn't the last we've seen of SB Bingo!

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We had so much fun with our friends and family. It's weekends like these that I wish we lived closer to our parents, but living out of town makes the time with them really special. What's great is that they love our little "Nashville family," so we really have the best of both worlds.

Our house is pretty quiet tonight. We're going to lounge on the couch and catch up on some of our favorite shows. It's the perfect night to be lazy at home because this is what is happening outside:

Let it snow!

Life In A Bubble

I didn't grow up in a bubble. I actually grew up in the very opposite of a bubble. My parents divorced when I was six. I didn't go to church regularly. My relationship with my high school boyfriend (who now, praise the Lord is my husband) got serious way too fast and we were way too young. The consequences of sin were very real to me. They were in my face daily. And although I was forced to deal with the consequences of my own actions and of those around me, I didn't know Jesus. I had a great childhood, but definitely not a sheltered one.

Flash forward to 2010. I now know Jesus. I love Him. I'm in love with Him. I couldn't take my next breath without Him. But somewhere along the way I packed my things and made a cozy little life inside the "Christian Bubble."

I have a husband who loves God with his whole heart. I attend an amazing church and am involved in a small group with other members of that church. Our best friends were introduced to us because of my old job at said church. I work in Christian music. I spend my days at work thinking of ways to market worship songs to other lovers of Jesus. I rarely, if ever spend time around people who don't know God. Sounds pretty great, right?


Yes, but something is missing.


Carlos Whitaker, a worship leader and an amazing communicator (who also has one of the best blogs - Ragamuffin Soul - I've ever stumbled on made a statement a few months back that hasn't left me.


"If all of your friends go to church, you need to make new friends."


His point wasn't that we need to leave the group of friends we currently have to make new ones; he strongly believes that community inside the church is pivotal to our growth as believers. What he is saying is that we weren't put on earth to spend all of our time with other Christians. Yes, iron sharpens iron, but how many people are not hearing the Gospel because we never leave the boundaries of our little bubble?

I practiced my best evangelism in college. Although I started my journey at Belmont, I quickly moved back home to attend a state school. I worked at the mall and other "secular" establishments. I met people every day who had known Jesus at one time or had never known Him at all. I was broken for my friends who were hurting and didn't realize they had help - a help nobody but their Heavenly Father could give. And I would tell them that. I was bold, people. Old friends from high school said I had "become weird." I was a Jesus Freak. I was proud of it. And it wasn't that I would just share Jesus with people I didn't think would judge me. I was telling everyone I could find about Him.

Those were the days...

Now I don't even really know people who have never heard of Him. The people I know do know Him, and sometimes that just makes things harder. When Christian friends let you down, it's much more personal. "They know better."

I posted a few days ago about needing change, and I think God is really tugging on my heart to get outside of my bubble. I don't know if that means a drastic change. I like the way things are for the most part and hope they will stay put. But I do think God wants me to dust off my boldness I sat on the shelf to reach His people. There is no better time than right now. It will be challenging for sure, but I'm ready to stretch myself.

So thanks to Carlos, I want to find new friends. And thanks to Bean (who just wrote one of the most honest, genuine, beautiful posts I've ever read: Jesus Is My Facebook Friend), I want to know Jesus even more so that I am equipped to tell others about Him.

How about you?