Ridiculousness

Kevin and I spent the day in Chattanooga the other day....it was Date Day. We get so busy around here that we try to make it a point to spend some QT (quality time) with each other occasionally. We went to see the movie Valentine's Day (two thumbs up), had lunch at Olive Garden, bought some new bedroom furniture (its lovely by the way) and strolled around Hamilton Place Mall. Lucky for all of you I had my camera handy.....

Kevin rocking the sweater vest....I had no idea four years ago that I was marrying Mr. Rogers. Don't worry, I made him put it back on the rack. I'm no fashionista but I'm pretty sure button-up sweaters aren't allowed for at least another 30 years.

I was shocked to discover that there is such a thing as a store dedicated solely (pun definately intended) to the proliferation of ridiculous rubber shoes. I know some of you out there LOVE crocs. I have to give them at least one brownie point for being the only completely recycleable shoe out there. And I'm sure they're comfortable, yada yada yada but I am not a fan....never have been...they come in riculous colors and patterns, are made entirely out of rubber, and people everywhere seem to think its okay to wear them with socks and shorts in the summer. Once again I'm no fashion expert but something about these shoes makes my left eye start to twitch. You'd expect to be openly mocked if you wore wooden clogs in public but somehow if its made of rubber its suddenly okay. Do I wear my blue, furry slippers with the pink hearts on them (thanks sister in law Nat :) out in public?? No, of course not - that would be silly, right? I argue that a croc is nothing more than a naked, furless slipper (same shape - admit it); therefore, if it must be worn, it should remain in the house.

I may stand alone, but I must stand against the ever popular croc. Sorry folks.

Expecting 43 pairs on my next birthday from disgruntled croc enthusiasts everywhere,

Mandy

Construction Progress

Our plan for discouraging construction site visitors. It works about as well as it looks like it would.

Carpet gone....Its wall-framing time.

You are looking through the wall to what will be the youth area.

Drywall is up! This is the chilren's church side.

Front wall in youth center (soon to be covered in drywall)...the stage has been cut down by 2/3 and a TV will hang in the center.

Newly constructed wall on youth side. A couch will sit in the middle. The door on the right will connect the two new rooms because we needed a second exit in case of fire....it should be closed 95% of the time.

We have been under construction for about 3 weeks now and the transformation is great! All the old carpet has been ripped out, the new wall is framed, all electrical is run, and drywall is going up like crazy. The only way this could be more dramatic for our teens and children is if we got to smash something with a bulldozer first (Ty does have us beat there)! We hit some minor electical hiccups because this is an older building but our genius electrician Bill (also our project supervisor) found a way to make everything work...or he'd send Susan and I back to Lowe's and tell us to pick out something else. The way I see it as long as we end up with a functional youth space, the rest is negotiable. I'm flexible.

The teens voted and the main wall behind the stage (where the flatscreen TV will hang) will be Garden Gate Green. The three other walls will be Celery Root Green and the flooring is a cherry/walnut color. The furniture will be chocolate brown, tangerine, red, and chrome (yep, that's right...metal can be an accent color). :) They'll have a new couch with chrome accents, a bar (for Capri Sun and snacks...no alcoholic beverages....promise) made from metal sheeting, stools, stage, game tables (foosball, pool, and air hockey), and lounging areas. We hope this will be a space where they can be comfortable, have fun, and grow closer to Jesus and one another.

The other half of the former sanctuary is being remodeled into a children's church. It will have light maple floors with light yellow, terra cotta, and blue or green on the walls....they also get a big mural on the new wall and miniature sized furniture for the teeny tinys (Wes....I know what you're thinking...its not for me...it really is for the actual kids). We're including a stage for story time and cubby's for storage. We're hoping that an area that's designed specifically for them will give them the tools they need to learn the basics about following Jesus. Its all going to look fantastic when its done!

This space was the church sanctuary until 2004 so it holds a lot of memories for most of our people here. After the new sanctuary was built it was used for storage, children's church, and vbs, but only the front 1/3 of the room was usable. They have been very graceful and excited about taking a space that means so much and re-purposing it to be used on a regular basis by our teens and kids.

More to come soon!
Mandy and Kevin