A Taste of Indy (two for the price of one)

I hope you enjoyed the pics and i only had one comment about the Aaliyah reference... i thought it was clever... (thanks tatehall)

Well I'm gonna give a double post today... more pics and two funny videos that I'm sure that will get me in trouble with Amanda Kinney.... (see what happens when you dont call me back!)


On we go!

A few weeks ago the SFD (Spiritual Formation Department {where I work}) did our annual Spring Life mailer that goes out to all our churches... we packed over 2000 DV cases with promo material and the actual cirriculum.... it was a long intresting day...

This is the new Lucas Oil Stadium where the Colts will play next year... I took Scott to the airport a couple weeks ago at the butt crack of dawn and I got lost on the way back and ended up driving around the site... its so big!

This pic should need no explination... if it does then at some point on Dec 24th or 25th just spend some time watching TNT... This was available for purchase but it would be easier to talk D into letting me get a 57 in HDTV... wonder if it would look good on my desk....

That's a huge remote! (3yr old to show scale... thanks Brooke!) I need a bigger recliner in order to lose that.

Riddle me this... who in their right mind would come to a craft festival and pass by this booth and think... "hey hey! I've got a hundred extra buck and my pearly whites are more like dingy eggshell, I think I'll let and unliscenced professional with non-medical commercial equipment shoot the blinding light at my teeth to spruce them up for the holidays... I can trust her, she must know what shes doing, shes wearing scrubs." Okay put all that aside... Who would have "dental" proceedure done whilst people were walking about... people are weird

to those of you who are wondering what I was doing at a craft fair... things change when you get married... Scott was there too, make fun of him... in fact he called me and asked if we wanted to go

Deb and I went to the Colts/Cheifs game... a lot of fun!

Blurry

OK... I'll admit that am oddly particular about my pooping space but I feel like this would make anyone uncomfortable. I mean really its either really poor design or a really cheap builder... I mean you know they had a meeting about this at some point and "outside the box thinker guy" was like: "hey! I got it... We'll just half doors on the poop stalls... yea, half doors! You're telling me theres not a guy in that meeting that says "whoa guys, half doors? really? So when I walk in to do my business I've gotta watch Joe Pooper doing his..." Listen I'm not comfortable with any strangers seeing my poop face.

What? You're not a stranger... ha ha this is @ my desk.

I don't care what anyone says this is one of the funniest things I've ever seem... Still kicking myself that I didn't buy it. It's a zip-up hoodie with Wyle E. Coyote (google it... thats how you spell it) Jacob found it @ TJ Maxx and put it on... priceless! Gotta love the eye holes... Kind of reminds me of a Looney Tunes KKK costume...


So we decorated the office for the holidays and this nativity set is in front of my desk (i've kicked the angel and the tallest wise man over numerous time) and Scott put baby Jesus on my desk... So I decided to make sure he was in the Christmas spirit and return the favor....

Well those are the pics for the Taste of Indy posts....

now for part duex.... (sorry Amandapants)

Poor kids.... it was so bad

This is prob my favorite Amanda thing ever... In front of Scott's house... yea thats hos Concord... the grocery getter

Its been a long time, shouldn'ta left you, without a dope beat to step to, step to step to...

So its been eons since I've done a real blog post and if Heath Mullikn can blog pretty much everyday I can get back into the habit.

First of all let me begin by saying that I miss all of you back home. Life in Indy is great but at the risk of sounding cliche... there's no place like home. There is so much I could tell you about our time here so far but its a lot. I can sum it all up by saying that God has been super faithful to us and provided so much more than we need. We certainly aren't going hungry (although I haven't had Joe"s or Zaxby's in 2 months, does that not qualify as some type of hunger) and my boss and his wife (Scott and Kelsie) have been awesome to us. So were good to go. At the same time we are mucho excited to be coming home in a little over a week!

So for my re-entry into the blog world I want to give a:

"Taste of Out Time in Indy"For those of you who get this I hope you find it as funny I did... I made Scott Simmons walk half a block in the rain just to talk this pic. For you E1

This is Scott and Kelsie's middle child Emily... I just thought this was funny. We kept them for a few days while Simms and Kels were in Canada for a funeral... makes you want em and makes you want to leave em.... We had a great time

Deb And I were driving down to the mall and I saw this guy sleeping and it again made me laugh... it really has nothing to do with Indy other than the fact that we were in Indy when I snapped it.

this was in the window at the Sharper Image store at the mall. C'mon its a life size Superman... wait, can it really be life size? He not real... oh well, it made me think of Heath and thus home

Call me a dork or whatever you want to... I went to my first apple store and it was awesome... Made a few calls on a iphone... played with the new ipod touch (still thinking about it) and found the mouse i want for the mac mini... it was a cool store

Well the image upload app has locked up so I guess I'm done for the day.... Have tons more... guess it'll be a part duex... much love

Wanna see how totally awesome my mom is?

http://www.newhopenc.org/2006/videos.asp?vidTitle=MattRhodes.wmv

this is a video that newhope Church put together for a series they did

MY MOM IS AWESOME!!!!

Quick update

this are going really well up here and we're just trying to settle into a new life...

two post are coming as soon as i can get to them
1. pics of the new place and some Indy stuff
2. Ode to E1

Cleaning out the inbox...

I was cleaning out the 600 emails that I have left in my inbox this morning and I found a few pics that made me laugh...

my boys nick and evan on a dare when and took some pics with random girls @ Falls Park in g-ville... these pics one them some ice cream sandwhiches... I love you guys.

This vid was taken at camp this year when on a dare Whitney Hayes ate a huge LIVE bug...

This was vid is from "The Great Handcuff Fiasco of 2007"
This is when I got them cut off in the Easley Sonic parking lot

I hope this brings laughter to your day...

I'm working on an Ode to E1 for next week

today is an emotional day... my mind is whirling

people have been asking me how i feel about whats been going on the last few weeks and I have to say :bittersweet

BITTER
This is home... always has been (im actually typing through tears)
My mom is here.... and most of you know how awesome she is...
All my family (that i like) is close by
TABLE ROCK... and the SCWY... huge part of who i am
Joes.... downtown easley.... yummy
david, tj, jason, brian, and a cast of hundreds of people that i love seeing all the time.
plus a million other things


SWEET
God has made this clear that its what He wants us to do... and to be in the center... its good
I love indy...
To live in a new area excites me ... new possiblities new people.... yay!
To be working for someone who vision i can get behind and sink my teeth into and with someone that will encourage me to stretch and will allow me to use my gifts.... fun fun
to attend a church of my choosing... I LOVE E1!!! but its always nice to change things up a bit
D and I having our own place!!!!!!
and plus anywhere I can be with D is sweet!!!
I think the thing that excites me the most is this ministry is wide open.... so many options, so many choices.... im getting all jacked up

I know that this is a spastic post full of typos and misspellings but its where my heart is... its sputtering with anticipation of leaving behind things that WILL create a void and the anticipation of filling it back up again.... not replacing anything or anybody just making more room...

love you all!!!

"In God We Trust"

So our lives have been a whirlwind the last two weeks... God has done some major things in our lives and sent us on a incedible journey that in three weeks will lead is here...

Deb and i are moving to Noblesville, Indiana (about 15 miles north of Indianapolis). The Lord has seen fit for me to have a position at Wesleyan World Headquarters in Fishers. Oh yeah, read it again I can hardly believe it myself. When I was in Orlando two weeks ago for convention steering meetings and FUEL Scott Simmons (see below) approached me about the position (Assistant to the Director of Youth Ministries) I was floored and humbled. I talked to D about it and all of sudden God flung open all the doors and next thing I know I'm in a rented Ford Tarus heading north to go meet with Scott and find an apartment.

And there it is... two bed room two bath with screened in porch and they will let us paint and HAVE A DOG!!!! (thats another post altogether.)

This is D with our check for the security deposit.... why is this moment so important? Because up until this point the only thing we had committed is time and prayer, writing that check was the point of no return, at that point we were all in. And we are very excited!!! (isn't my wife beautiful!!!)

Scott Simmons, Director of Youth Ministries for The Wesleyan Church

So thats my boss, a man known by many names... none of which i will mention here (you don't bite the hand that feeds you) but he is a leader of vision and leader that I am excited to get behind and support with what little gifts and talents I have to offer. I can truly say that my goal for however long God leaves me @ HQ is to fade into the background and make Scott and his ministry as successful as I can and that excites me. I believe in this guy... I have since I met him and count it a blessing to be involved in what God is doing in the youth of the Wesleyan Church... thanks Scott.

Anyways, I know thats a lot of info in a short blog and that may leave a lot of questions with some of you so just ask and I'll do what I can.... I'm sure that I'll be blogging about this a lot over the next few weeks since it will consume my life (i hate packing) for the next few weeks. Here's a question for ya... what kind of dog should D and I get?

I love you all!