Dracula & a wedding

first off I must apologize for my last post. As I was re-reading it today I noticed ALOT of typos(more than usual). I told you I was a little under the weather but I guess I was worse off then I thought. opps. Hopefully this one will be a little easier to read.

Friday night I raced home after practice, changed clothes and Nathan and I headed out the door to meet our friends Kelly & Tim @ Actor Theater to see the play Dracula. WOW. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Kelly & I were like little girls screaming out as Dracula would scare us or as the gun shots would fire. The acting was very good and we had a great time. I can't say that I would recommend it to everyone but it was cool considering the time of year. It was fun getting dressed up and doing something not house or volleyball related! We got home, hit the sack and were up early to start the day yesterday. I was up getting things ready for 721 & the Montgomery Farms open house and Nathan was working on his Masters work.  I must say that I was a little nervous how it would all turn out. I was offering mini-sessions for the fall to try and promote 721. As the day went on I was VERY happy & excited. I reached my goal of bookings and can not wait for next weekend to see how the photo shoots go!! God is good!
Thankfully I had a girl that offered to stay and keep booking sessions while Nathan & I, Gavin & Sara and Mom went to a wedding in Indy. It was a beautiful(quick) wedding and a really fun reception. We got to hang out with Gavin's new girlfriend. She is soo beautiful and really sweet!! We had a great time getting to know her a little, hopefully we didn't scare her too much! ha I always love seeing all of the FH guys together too. I just really think the bond those guys have is so cool. The night went by fast and we went back to mom's to crash.I have some good pictures to post too....but the camera is still in the car and I am too lazy to go get it! haha
 Today I am trying to get things done around the house- you know, the fun stuff....laundry, cleaning, putting things away. LOVIN IT!
 We have a VERY busy week. Monday Nathan's parents are coming down to visit for a few days and then we have volleyball games on Tues., Wed., & Thurs. Friday we are heading up to watch Marek be the kiddie homecoming king & see Morgan play soccer. I CAN"T WAIT, I sure have missed those kids!!!
 I hope everyone has a very blessed week.

is it really the end of september?

Someone mentined that this week that it the first day of Fall....well from what I remember 99degrees is not FALL!! I am so ready to pull out the jeans & sweatshirts! I keep telling myself that I should enjoy the hot weather while I can but man o man- its hot! And I do miss the cool breeze, smell of leaves burning and camp-fires going!
 On a fun note we won our second volleyball game on Monday! IT was a very stressful game and went 5 sets but the girls kept fighting and walked about with the W, I must say it felt pretty sweet. Tuesday mom and Nathan did a geat job with 25th year celebration at the store, they went through about 300 hot dogs!
 The last couple of days I have been laying low, I haven't been feeling the best but hopefully tomorrow I will be back to normal(well as normal as I can be)!
 This weekend we are heading north to go to a wedding of Nathan & Gavins so that should be fun and I will have time to get the camera out too!
 Happy Thursday everyone.

and another week flys by!

This week was another week that just flew by and before I knew it, its Sunday afternoon and time to cook dinner.
We had a volleyball game on Tuesday and I had a special cheerleader guest! My grandma Railing came and sat through the VERY long game. She was a trooper- thanks for coming Grandma, it mean alot to me! Maybe next time we will get a win for ya. :)
 Wednesday was a loooong day. I don't even remember everything that happened that day but it was long! Then Thursday we had another game away and we didn't get home till around 11. It was a long night too. Friday night was our volleyball team bonding night. After school we took the girls out to dinner and then went to watch PU vs UofL volleyball game. It was awesome! I had such a good time and I think the girls really did too. I have decided that if Nathan and I are ever blessed with girl, I am going to be putting a volleyball in her hand from day one! Those girls are athletes, wow and I might have found my new favorite girls sport to watch. Notice, I said girls- not to be confused with NCAA mens basketball! Overall, the night spent with 27 hs girls wasnt so bad after all!
 Friday Nathan was busy stocking groceries again!! Yep, thats correct- he ordered groceries for the pharmacy. It looks great and I am so proud of him! So now Austin Pharmacy not only has drugs, but they have groceries too! 
 Then yesterday I hosted a volleyball clinic all day for the little kids. It was fun but I was beat by the end of the day. I got home and Nathan 'suggested' I take a nap. I must have looked pretty bad! While I was napping he was busy cutting down a tree for some bon fire wood. After our 'work' we got dressed up and Mom took us to dinner. It was a great way to end the week. The food was delicious and the company was perfect.
 Today has been an emotional day- its my dads birthday. Gosh I miss him so. We also had to go to a funeral of a very dear man. I will miss Mr. Mumford a great deal. He was a wonderful man, follower of God and a great husband to his beautiful wife. He will be missed by many.
We just got home and now I have my Colts shirt on and am ready to relax and watch the game tonight(if I can stay awake that long)!
 We have another full week ahead of us. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

Happy Birthday Daddy! I love you and miss you more and more everyday.

productive weekend

It was a very productive weekend here at the 'new' Taulman house! We pulled weeds, did laundry, unpacked boxes, cleaned out closets, cut up trees, went on a walk, went to church, visited Lowes, edited pictures, got mums to plant, watched the Colts & Boilers and had friends over for dinner on Friday! It was packed full but we enjoyed it.
 Friday night our friends Evan & Christa and their little guy Mason came over for dinner. It turned out being a great night to grill out so we enjoyed dinner out on the porch with great conversation. Mason was a little cuddle bug and was as cute as can be. I always enjoy having people over for dinner and now that we have the backyard to enjoy its even better!
 Yesterday we were outside all day and it was so nice. The weather is starting to break here...fall is just around the corner! yippeee We got ALOT done outside and then came inside and finished up a few projects in here too. Slowly but surely we are making progress.
 Today we went to church and then made a few stops before heading out to Montgomery Farms to pick up some mums. They are big and beautiful I can't wait to plant them! On a side note, I am super excited...721photography is going to be pairing up with MF to do Fall photo shoots. I can't wait! It is so beautiful out there that I think it will be perfect!

If these pictures don't make you want to go pick a few pumpkin's I don't know what will!!

Nathan is relaxin on the couch watching the Colts game while I edit more pictures and finishing up a few things on the computer. I hope you have had a wonderfully beautiful day for 'this is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! '

 

an email

Today in the middle of my teaching day I received an email from a very dear friend. It was nicest, most genuine email I have gotten in a very long time. I am sure when she sat down to write the email she had no idea how much of an impact it would have on me, but it sure did. It didn't say anything that she hasn't said a million times before and it didn't say anything mind boggling- it simply said,  PRAY, PRAY, PRAY.
thanks my dear friend- your email meant the world to me.

frustrated

Tonight I am frustrated. We had a volleyball game and it was not a pretty sight. Now, I knew going in that there was ALOT of work to be done with this team. They have had 7 different coaches in 7 years, and were 2-20 last year. I have tried VERY VERY hard to remain positive and optimist, throughout the season so far, they need alot of positive reinforcement and encouraging.  I am well aware that we have a long way to go before we will be really competitive but we have worked very hard and I have seen ALOT of improvement, so for the most part I have been pretty happy with the season, despite the losses.  However, tonight we took 2 steps back. As I watched the girls play I became VERY frustrated in what I was watching. I know how much better than that they are and it is so discouraging watching them give points to the other team because of their silly mistakes, lack of effort, and lack of focus. We have alot to work on tomorrow, its a good thing we have 3 days of practice without a game. We need it. I am certain they will gain those two steps back and hopefully after the next 3 days they will more 2 more steps forward. Its just might not be too pretty for the next few days.
 thanks for letting me vent. I am off to try to get some sleep....

Labor Day weekend

I love three day weekends. I REALLY believe that it should be like this everyday. You get to spend extra time with family, get things done around the house, and are energized for the week. I have to figure out who I can take this matter up with! :) haha

We have had a great weekend. On Saturday we enjoyed a few extra hours of shut-eye and then headed up to our good friends Sara & Shads to go dove hunting. Yes, that is correct we went dove hunting. Well, I should say the guys went dove hunting, the wives/kiddos stayed up at the house and enjoyed watching the activities. A little run down on how it works: Groups are assigned to bails of hay, the head out with their guns, amo and dog if they have one(Nathan & Mark were on their own to retrieve all of the doves they killed). Then they sit and wait, occasionally getting a shot off and hopefully taking down a dove. They were out for about 3 hrs and came in with 1, sounds fun huh. Here are a few pictures to tell the story a little better.

these are the bails that the hunters sat behind. as you can see they were numbered and they drew numbers out of the hat to see where they would be hunting from. (nathan & mark got #2)

my sweet niece Morgan and I went out to 'explore' and someone caught us! I love her to death! 

(thanks to sara for the pic!)

 nathan & coach kindrick getting their guns ready.

everyone heading out to their bails.

Nathan & Mark holding the 'bail' down. :) 

Nathan got one!!!! This was him going out to get the dove.

  I was one very proud wife! :)

the kiddies had fun while the hunt was going on...

 the host...cooking a delicious meal!

It was a wonderful Saturday with great friends and family. Doesn't get much better than that! 

After a great Saturday, yesterday we got up and went to church. It was just what the soul needed. It was all about prayer, something I have been do not nearly enough. God works in wonderful ways I must say. After church we did a little shopping and enjoyed lunch together at California Pizza Kitchen. It was delicious!  We got home in the early afternoon and had some visitors stop by. Mom & Dad Taulman, Aunt Ann, Uncle Thomas & Aunt Mary Sue. This was something that I will NEVER forget. Uncle Thomas & Aunt Mary are Nathans Great Aunt & Uncles, wow- talk about amazing. They were celebrating their 68th wedding anniversary!! 68 years! That is something very special. We asked alot of questions and they told us so many stories about their life. I wish I would have had a video camera to record them all. It was really a special couple of hours, I wish it could have been longer. You learn so much about life, love and faith from couples like that. I will cherish that time.

all of us together.

Last night after they left we enjoyed a walk and a great talk. Something that both of us really needed. I really have an amazing husband and I am so very blessed and thankful. I love him more and more everyday.

shootin a few hoops!

Today Nathan was up early while I got a few extra hours of sleep. He was busy studying for his classes that start tomorrow, spraying for weeds and cleaning out the garage. Once I got up I was busy at the computer working on pictures and getting caught up... I am almost there! Its a great feeling. Our good friends Heather & Stephen and their little guy Cooper stopped by today too. We enjoyed catching up and watching Cooper play. Once they left, we worked on unpacking more of the kitchen(a NEVER ending process) and dinner tonight was hot dogs that blew up on the grill! I wish I would have taken a picture of them. We sat outside and ate then layed in the hammock and enjoyed our ice-cream desert. A great way to finish of a great weekend. 

 We have another busy week with Nathan starting classes, volleyball games & more unpacking but I am looking forward to the short week! :)

a beatutiful september day

I am so excited that it is September! If I had to pick my favorite month Sept. would definitely be my pick. It has been VERY warm this week but today as I walked out of volleyball practice the weather took my breath away. It was sunny(check), there was a cool breeze(check), smelled like fall(check), and was about 72 degrees(double check). I must say it was perfect. I drove home with the windows down and sunroof open. As soon as I got home, I found a seat on one of the front porch rockers and soaked up every piece of Gods blessings that he was putting in-front of me.
As I told you a few posts ago I had been in a little funk. Well, I am sort-of out of it but for some reason I just cant shake it all the way. I couldn't seem to figure it out. Today it hit me like a ton of bricks as I sat outside and looked around. I have been doing a terrible job of putting God first in my life. We have not been going to church, I have not been spending enough time in prayer, I have not been thinking Godly thoughts nor have I been walking as a follower of Christ. Its hard to admit those things however, its the truth and I have to change. Part of the reason is that I miss our Suncrest Church so very much. We felt soooo welcomed there from the time we walked in, it just really felt right. We have found a new church, its just a matter of time before we feel like 'home' there too. I just really loved going on Sundays to Suncrest and HATED when we missed it. Another reason is that we don't have a small group here. I never realized what a difference that made in the week. I have made a promise to myself and to God that each day this week I will put him first. I have total faith that will make a HUGE difference. I have more blessings that I can even count and I am spending so much energy and time on things that I 'want' that I am missing out on what I have in-front of me.I will let you know how much it helps!!

Now onto the happenings of this week. I know it has been a while but it seems like the nights go by so fast that I don't have time to sit down and blog. I am a little behind in the photography area too so when I get a few minutes on the computer I try to get caught up on that.

 Life in Southern Indiana has been very enjoyable and its started to grow on me again. I think I might even be picking up a little bit of my ascent again(I am trying hard not to but sometimes I can't help it!). 

 Work has been keeping us plenty busy during the day and our nights have been filled with volleyball. My husband has been a real trooper and attended all of our games. This past weekend we had a tourney in Madison that might have been the longest sporting day of the year. We lost all three games and after the first game I asked the team if they wanted me to tell the tournament director that we were going home. That is how bad they played. I think that woke them up a little and they played much better the next few games. On Sunday we had our newlywed friends Shane and Jana over for dinner. It was a very enjoyable evening and we had a great time catching up with them. 

 Tuesday and Thursday we had two more volleyball games. We got our first W on Tuesday but lost again on Thursday. The girls are getting so much better. Today we had a 'fun day' a practice and I played a few of my elementary games with the girls, I think they really enjoyed it. 

 Tonight(after a long talk on the porch with myself) Nathan and I went for a walk and it was AWESOME. We took Hoss and a football and played all the way down the road(that tells you how many cars we see each day. It just really fun being out there and enjoying the evening together. 

  We don't have alot planned for the weekend and I am really glad. It will be so nice to have an extra day to enjoy with Nathan. I promise I will post some pictures soon too. I am thinkin a little 'life in southern indiana' post will be coming soon. 

 

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 

John 1:16 

---