Fall Memories

I have about ten minutes to write. Ten precious quiet minutes before I begin to scurry about the grocery store on a last minute search for Thanksgiving items. It has been a beautiful fall. Beautiful in the fact that we live in the Blue Ridge Mountains and you just can’t help but lose your breath at sight of the glowing leaves and the hues from the sun crossing over the horizon. Beautiful in our friendships with nights of laughter and dinners and sharing life together. Beautiful because God is teaching me more every day to be content in the here and now and enjoy the moments.

I did a Media Fast with my tenth grade girls at LCA in October. Basically that means no movies, no TV, no social media. We unplugged from technology and plugged into reading and enjoying spending time with those around us. It was amazing to hear the things these girls (and me too!) learned from this break. Some quotes: “I felt like my brain could think more clearly.” “I realized that I was focusing on more positive things than negative ones.” “I spent more time praying and reading my Bible.” “I realized I can survive without Twitter and Facebook. I don’t have to know what is going on in everyone’s lives.” These girls stunned me. 21 days of no media for a teenager in 2013 is like punching them in the stomach and knocking the wind out of them. I am so proud of their willingness to try something new and so happy to be able to meet with them every Friday.

Tyler and I ran a race called the Freedom 4/24 race in October too. The proceeds went to help stop human trafficking around the globe. You can learn more at http://www.freedom424.org.

I also finished my FIRST half marathon on November 16^th! My favorite part: When my husband was there to cheer me on at Mile 9, then Mile 10, then Mile 11… and I suddenly realized- He is running super fast so that he can see me at every mile marker to the finish! When I finished the race, I said, “That is the most romantic thing you have ever done for me.”

Tyler also went hunting for the first time! I have a feeling he will be out there again soon…

Well, my ten minutes is up. Off to the store! Enjoy your Thanksgiving!!

XOXO- Mandi

Remembering Loved Ones and Embracing Life

This past week, Tyler and I experienced grief for one of the first times in our married lives together… the loss of a grandparent. A grandparent, Grandma Fenske, who told stories of a little boy who lost his tooth and played baseball and came to visit in the summertime. A grandparent who, through her loss, has brought a family together to embrace and love and comfort in this hard time, in a way I truly admire.

Tyler flew out to Seattle last week to be with the family and he comes home today (boy have I missed him).  This has allowed me a week, seven full days to sit still in the quiet and think about the life I am living… The life I have been given to live…

A good portion of my free time was spent running. Yes, you read correctly: running.  For those that know me well, you know that this used to be the activity I hated most in the athletic world. That is, until I married a runner :-). Now I find myself reading Runner’s World magazine for fun and training for a half marathon. I will be running my half marathon in a little over a month from now, November 16^th. And for the first time in my life I really have had to go through training- a regimented schedule someone else created for me in order to prepare me for race day. And if I am honest, most days, I don’t feel like lacing up my shoes and running 4 miles after work. But I do it anyways! I run up the hills and I run back down them and sometimes I can’t wait for it to end. Then other days I run and I literally feel like I am flying. I am lost in thought and floating on air and before I know it the run is over.

It is an up-and-down kind of process. Sometimes the wind carries me and sometimes I have to struggle and push to the finish line. This up-and-down process… it goes beyond running. It’s those days at work and those days in our marriage and those days with family members and friends and the future…

As I have been thinking about my life this last week, I realize both the ups and the downs have been good for me in the long run (no pun intended). In training, my body becomes disciplined and I can do things I never thought I could do before. I think in life, these bumps in the road can do the same thing. The hurts can be transformed to help others, the waiting can develop patience, the arguments can turn around to strengthen relationships.

There is a grace, a beautiful mess that is going to emerge and prove itself good in time. Maybe we will see it here on earth or maybe it will come after us…

But not matter what, run hard. Don’t give up, especially on the hills. And hold onto friends and loved ones with sweet embraces and shared meals and spend life together. Enjoy life together.

And spend time getting to know our Maker… watch His sunsets and feel the fall breeze and breathe deep.

 

“I lift my eyes up to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, who made the heaven and the earth.”

Psalm 121:1-2

<3 Mandi

Sweet Summertime

Summer was here and left and now school is starting on Tuesday. TUESDAY! The amazing thing is: This summer was one our favorites so far. So, since my husband is working on his Fantasy Football Team Draft, I have decided to recap our travels from coast to coast…

Florida Adventures.

My dear friend Maggie got married in Florida in June. Her wedding was beautiful and I loved having some girl time in my hometown of Sebring. It felt like high school again, full of sleepovers, coffee, and giggles. I am so thankful to have these close friends in my life that you can meet with after not seeing each other for a year and never miss a beat. My grandma always told me when I was growing up that this friendship was a rare treasure. At 26 years old, I now understand what that means.

Tyler flew down to Florida the weekend after the wedding for our Disney vacation with the Sommers family. Water slides, Space Mountain, Tinker Bell flying from the castle… I wouldn’t be lying if I said I cried during the fireworks show. There is something about Disney, standing there with your family hearing Peter Pan say, “Let’s never grow up!” that makes you want to stay at the park forever. Needless to say, we made many memories, including Tyler experiencing dinner at the Melting Pot for the first time!

Virginia Adventures.

We were blessed with the wonderful gift of a timeshare in Massanutten, VA for one week in July. My mom and Grandma Doty were able to visit that week as well! We spent time in the mountains hiking and even Geocaching! Grandma was a true sport at 75 years old. She kept up with no problem. I hope I inherited those genes. (Special thanks to Bill and Jenny for this adventure!)

Idaho/Washington Adventures.

At the end of July, we flew out to Idaho to visit the Harris family. We visited the historic town of Idaho City, ID, induldged in my favorite coffee in the world (Dutch Bros), and enjoyed a weekend long camping adventure. Tyler’s brother, Ben, won not only the District Baseball Tournament while we were there, but State as well! The timing worked out perfectly and Tyler was so pumped to see his brother play. And I loved not only watching baseball, but working on my tan as well. :)

After the baseball tournament, we traveled to Seattle, WA to visit Tyler’s aunts and grandparents. It was beautiful weather, perfect for a convertible ride that we couldn’t turn down. We stayed up late playing Settlers of Catan and just catching up on life. It was a blast!

And now we are back to home sweet home! After our travels from coast to coast, we have spent the last week watching TV and eating dinner on the couch.  Maybe we will move to the table this week. :) 

We so enjoyed every minute we spent with our families this summer. We love you and miss you all very much! Please come visit soon. 

From the Burg, 

Mandi 

Update from the Harris Home!

They say time flies… I am pretty sure our time flew like a rocket ship at the Kennedy Space Center. From Spring Break to today, I feel like I blinked and we are here! The great thing is that in the middle of the blink, we have had some good times. No, great times. So I will summarize life with pictures. Enjoy!

 We literally packed our bags in minutes and met the Doty family (Mandi’s Mom’s side of the family) in Georgia for Easter weekend. Tyler and I enjoyed a run on the beach and later we played family volleyball. So much fun. And awesome weather, compared to the snow we encountered the beginning of April in Virginia!

 

 One of my favorite things about living in Virginia- Apple Festivals! We went to the Apple Blossom Festival with Marly (Tyler’s sister) in April in Bedford, VA. Drank apple cider and enjoyed the spring weather and some bluegrass music.

 The Sommers family (Mandi’s Dad’s side of the family) came for a surprise adventure on my birthday! We had a picnic in the park and had an delicious dinner at a restaurant called Jimmy on the James. It is right on the James River, complete with a piano playing restaurant manager. 

Graduation Time! I went to Florida to see my little sister, Kati, graduate from Palm Beach Atlantic University! We also helped move Marly out her dorm here at Liberty. Next year she will be a senior- So crazy! I am telling you… Time flies.

Currently, we are finishing up another school year at the high school! Exams are this week and graduation is on Saturday. As I am thinking about these seniors I love so dearly, embarking on a new adventure, I can’t help but think of the song by Trace Adkins, “You’re Gonna Miss This.” Listen to it if you get a chance (click the link below) and be reminded to live in the moment and smile.

 

<3 Mandi

"You're Gonna Miss This" Music Video

Waiting for Spring

I don’t want to hold my breath, but I think its here.  The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and I am sitting on the new balcony at a warm 72 degrees. I have been waiting for this day since we moved into our new place in November. The balcony was one of the things that confirmed my love for our new abode, but I knew I would have to wait for Spring to test it out.

It’s funny how it happened, finding our new place. Actually, it found us. Tyler and I lived in our townhouse, our first place as newlyweds for almost two years. And as much as I enjoyed making it our home, we started to have some issues. Like spiders. Big huge spiders that I can remember Tyler beating off our walls with a broom while I stood on the couch screaming. Scary moments, funny memories. :) And then there was the neighbor who I am pretty sure answered his door naked when we came over to welcome him to the neighborhood when he moved in. Sure, we loved the Canadians with the cute kids and our awesome wall-sharing neighbor Lori who never made a peep. But it was time for a move. And it was confirmed when Tyler’s boss came up to him and said, “There is a place that is opening up near Liberty. There is a waiting list but I can move you up. If you want it, it’s yours.” The best part: Our drive to work is about three minutes long.

And so, I introduce you to our home… 

Living Room

Piano from Grandma Doty

Kitchen/Dining Room. I call it the breakfast nook. It is my favorite part of the house!

Bedroom

Laundry Room. Tyler and I went to the Laundrymat for almost two years and now we have our own washer and dryer! :)

Just a few pics to give you a tour. For the complete tour, come visit us! :) We do have a guest room, I just didn't take a picture because it is currently covered in scrapbook paper. :)

"Updates for our Real Food Adventure"

We are on week 10 of trying to eat mainly natural foods (and still loving it!). For great recipe ideas, visit www.100daysofrealfood.com. 

I went to the farmer's market Saturday. Beautiful weather and great buys!

Downtown Lynchburg

Goodies!

Soaking up the sun, 

Mandi

Life in the Burg

Sometimes I wonder just how I ended up in this town. When I talked to my dad this week, he reminded me that it has been 7 YEARS since I packed my bags in my little green Altima and hit the road for Liberty University. Both Tyler and I can get frustrated with this fact: We are still here. Why haven’t we moved on to something better than this?

But who is to say what is better? Thinking back on our time here, I am grinning from ear to ear. I have friends, a church I love being a part of, a job with kids I care so much about, and an amazing husband who loves me even through my emotional girl breakdowns. (I am so glad he married me :)) So in those times we feel frustrated, we have been clinging on to this scripture, this truth from God’s word:

"And we know that for those who love God ALL THINGS work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

It is all going to work out. Everything, every step, will work together for GOOD.

And so, straight from the Burg, here are a few of our awesome adventures the last few weeks:

Adventure #1- Cody Turner’s Wedding. We had our first experience going to an Anglican wedding. People must have been laughing as Tyler and I tried to keep up with the kneeling and full-length hymns. But it was a beautiful to see such a happy couple be united as husband and wife!

Adventure #2- A Meservy Roadtrip. Two of our good friends, Matt and Jo Meservy, invited us to travel to West Virginia for Matt’s birthday weekend. So the four of us, along with Matt’s brother, hit the road for Charles Town, WV (not to be confused with Charleston), for a weekend of slot machines, black jack, and horse races. Note: We lost. But not too much :)

Adventure #3- Tim Tebow speaks at Liberty University. TIM TEBOW! I may or may not have decided to strategically take a long jog towards areas where I knew he would be touring campus that day. But alas, we did not meet. It still was a great message! You can watch the video too! Just click here: http://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=18495&MID=82127.

Posts soon to come… Pictures of our new place and more natural food recipes!

Enjoying Spring Break this week!!

Mandi

Food, Languages, and More!

This year I cannot complain about the amount of ice/snow that has come down in the Blue Ridge. I mean, the frigid temperatures and windy days sometimes end in hot showers, fuzzy socks, and extra blankets on the couch. But I can’t complain because today… is a snow day! So even though I want to break out in my own rendition of “Where Are You Christmas?” and entitle it “Where Are You Spring?” I will instead get to rest, read, and remember the events of the week.

Since my last blog on our new menu, I am happy to say that we are on track to begin Week 4 of our real food challenge next week! I love being able to share this adventure through blogging and personal stories with friends. Here are two of my favorite meals we have made lately:


Greek Fajitas. With homemade tzatziki sauce (made from yogurt), tomatoes, cucumbers, chicken, and feta cheese on whole wheat pitas. Yum!

Whole wheat chicken and mushroom pizza! So delicious it beat takeout hands down.

In other non-food related news, Tyler and I decided to branch out and try a few new things this week:

#1- Enrolled in a conversational Spanish class that started Tuesday. I have not been a student in a classroom in two years, so my hands were sweating and my voice was shaking with the teacher asked me in Spanish what month my birthday was in. As I answered timidly, “Abril?” a spike of adrenaline shot through my body. Because it doesn’t matter your age or your prior experience, learning is fun. Tyler and I are working on how to introduce ourselves in front of the class for homework this week. I will let you know how it goes!

#2- Went to a Neighborhood Watch class. It was all I could do not to giggle through the whole thing. Because I thought to myself, man I feel like a grownup here! And also because our new neighborhood is about as safe as they can get. But I guess it is good to keep it that way :) I really do love the area we live in. The meeting was a good way to meet our neighbors as well!

Lately, we have really been missing our family and friends in far off places, too. Know that we love you all! And we do have a two bedroom place if anyone wants to come visit... hint hint.

Please feel free to post any comments/thoughts :)

Con mucho amor,

Amanda

A Whole New Menu

Happy Weekend to Everyone!

This week in the Harris home we embarked on a new adventure in life, part of our 2013 bucket list. And it started in the kitchen. Actually, it started with my husband’s monthly subscriptions to Runner’s World and an innate interest in nutrition and exercise.

Tyler has been interested in nutrition for as long as I have known him and even took a few classes during his Master’s program at Liberty University. I, on the other hand, have a slight addition to Dr. Pepper and peanut butter MnM’s. And until about a month ago, I didn’t plan on changing that. Then Tyler came across a website: www.100daysofrealfood.com. Lisa, (the owner of this site), along with her husband and two girls, decided to go for 100 days eating only whole, natural foods. Her pledge included eating whole-wheat products, taking trips to the farmer’s market, and cutting out processed foods. After reading Lisa’s story, for the first time in my life, I got excited about nutrition! Her plan didn’t include a diet to lose weight or giving up junk food (thank goodness!). It simply cut out processed foods. So with the help of Lisa’s meal plan and grocery list, we started our own real food pledge!

Last Saturday was day #1- preparation. The day began at the farmer’s market downtown where we purchased our fruits, vegetables, and homemade bread from the bakery.

I had been to the farmer’s market before, but never to grocery shop like this. I learned a few lessons in that first trip, like you need to bring a bag to put your food in or it may end up on the floor.  Then we finished grocery shopping at Kroger, where I got pretty well acquainted with the natural foods section.

Because we were babysitting for Super Bowl Sunday, we decided to begin our natural meal plan on Monday. And I am happy to say, we completed week 1! Here are some pictures from the meals that we made:

Tilapia with roasted sweet potatoes.

Fajitas! We wrapped these in whole-wheat homemade tortillas.

Jambalaya. Our first time and we liked it!

We also made whole-wheat chocolate chip cookies for a treat on Friday :)

More updates to come! Enjoy your Sunday night!

Mandi

The Work Week

Hello fellow readers!

It’s a Wednesday afternoon, 4:16 p.m., and the air has stopped working in my building at work. Thankfully, Tyler will be getting off of work in a few minutes, which leaves me just enough time to write but not enough time to break out in a sweat at the end of January.

This last week was somewhat like a whirlwind. The kind that leaves you feeling productive but at the same time, you can’t quite remember what exactly you did. It’s a happy kind of exhaustion. :)

Our guidance office at school has been gearing up for the 2013-2014 school year, which brings excitement, new faces, and lots of work to do. A big part of that is course registration for students entering grades 9-12. For two weeks, on Tuesday and Thursday, the other guidance counselor and I present all of the information regarding courses, SAT/ACT, etc. to our 700+ students and families at nightly meetings. Three of these meetings are now complete (yay!) and I just have one left tomorrow. Believe it or not, I actually enjoy these times of public speaking and connecting with families. I do not like not seeing my husband until 9pm at night.

During my long work days, Tyler has put back on his running shoes and hit the road again! It amazes me how he comes home from a run and says, “I didn’t go too far today. Only 7 miles.” ONLY 7 miles?? Yep, that’s my husband. :)

Hopefully I can write about more than just work after Thursday night is over. In the meantime, in the busyness, when the world is spinning and I can’t catch a breath, I remember to count.

“When you are a believer — and you stop counting blessings? It’s like blindfolding yourself and wondering why everything’s black.” – Ann Voskamp

And so tonight, I count the gifts God has given me and I smile. :)

Snow Day!

We are fully recovered from our case of the flu and the sniffles. Tyler and I returned home from vacation to a rough week of fighting sickness, but we’re back to good health now, with the exception of a few cough drops and shots of DayQuil to help.

This week Lynchburg was finally covered in a blanket of white resulting in the first official snow day of the school year! It had been raining buckets the entire week and eventually transformed into beautiful snowflakes by Thursday night. The snow started falling as I was brainstorming what to make for dinner and Tyler was on his way home from work. Even though I was alone, that didn’t stop this Florida girl from running outside and shameless catching snowflakes on my tongue. Our new neighbors probably think I am nut. Tyler on the other hand, made it up the mountain where our new apartment is located in four-wheel drive fashion, suddenly having flashbacks from climbing the North Carolina Mountains in the blizzard on our honeymoon. He made it home safely and we enjoyed a night filled with homemade chocolate chip cookies and the Chronicles of Narnia. 

Side note: We made cookies using my NEW KitchenAid Tyler got me for Christmas! I am in love.

Mandi

Happy New Year!

It’s a new year. A time for fresh starts, new beginnings, and the turning of a page. And so I am turning the page and turning to technology and starting a blog. It’s part of my new year, 2013, a year to stay connected and build and keep relationships going strong. This is a way to share our story, the story of Tyler and me and our adventures in life. And boy is it an adventure! We are married, living in Virginia, eagerly looking for how we can serve God today and in the future. How we can make a difference in the lives of others. Living day by day, learning how to be content in the here and now. We are grasping the adventure! This week we are recovering from our exciting travels over Christmas break. Two weeks of family fun from Florida to Idaho then back to the Blue Ridge Mountains we call home. This is the first time we decided to fit both states into one holiday since married life began. It was filled with fun, laughter, and many tears as we said goodbye. Here are some memories in photos from Christmas break:

Our Virginia Christmas tree!

Dinner with the Sommers siblings at Bern's steakhouse in Florida

We went sledding in the mountains in Idaho. So much fun!

Bringing in the New Year in the cabin in Cascade, ID

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Mandi