Work, work, work!

Monday, August 10th, was my first day back in full-time ministry! I am officially on staff with DownLine Ministries here in Memphis, serving as their Event Coordinator and Kennon Vaughan's, the Director, scheduler. DownLine is a nine month Bibilical training and discipleship institute. August 24th is the first day of classes and we currently have accepted 117 students from ages 21 to 75, across different races and ethnicities! It is an incredible dynamic! We are launching our first ever discipleship conferences this year as well...A huge part of my job! The men's conference is in October, featuring Tom Nelson, Dr. Robert Coleman, and Voddie Baucham and many others, and the women's conference is February, featuring KAY ARTHUR and NICOLE C. MULLEN!! I can't believe I get to plan conferences on this level with some of the most influential teachers of our time!! I feel so privileged!

Three days in and I couldn't be more excited!! Craig and I have completely embraced the mission and vision of DownLine and I am so blessed to be a part of such an incredible ministry! Please pray for DownLine and the new endeavors that we are taking on!

Craig is still with Memphis Athletic Ministries, aka MAM, an inner city sports ministry. After directing their big summer day camp/academy over the last few months, he is transitioning back into the school year schedule where he helps oversee one of the facilities, all of their leagues, and coaches a basketball team. He has built some deep relationships with a handful of guys that have played on his basketball team over the last year and half and is excited to continue to pour into them this year! God is truly working their lives and is using Craig to impact them for eternity!

The websites to our ministries and the DownLine conferences are posted at the bottom of this page. Please visit them to check out more about what we are doing!

A few days with Steph and Blake!

As summer brings transition in our lives, we had the opportunity to take a little vacation. One of my best friends, Stephanie Konny, and her husband Blake live in Wilmington, NC so we decided it was time for a visit. Wilmington is home to the original Dawson's Creek series, A Slice of Life Pizza, and one of the prettiest beaches on the east coast. It was so much fun visiting a new place, relaxing on the beach, and spending time with two of our closest friends. The food was AMAZING and I can finally say Craig actually got a tan! I promise you that it won't be our last visit to Wilmington! Visiting long time friends + cute town + amazing food = GREAT VACATION! Thanks Steph and Blake for being such wonderful hosts!

Our New Home...Well, Rental!

After living in a small apartment for the first seven months of our marriage, we have finally upgraded and are spoiled beyond imagination. Just as we were about to sign a lease on a different apartment, I was approached by my boss about a possible living situation. After weeks of working out the details, we are now living in the "guest house" of couple we know from DownLine. It was cheaper, bigger, and has incredible amenities!! It's an 1800sqft home in the most central, best location possible! We have an immaculate back yard and swimming pool, which is technically our neighbor's, and more space than we could ever dream of! They gave us the go ahead to paint and make whatever changes we'd like. So when Annie, the interior decorator of the family, and Derek came to visit, we went to town on the kitchen! Still some improvements and updates to make, but we are so blessed to have a home that we are now able to share with others! Come visit Memphis! We now have a guest bedroom!!

My Last Day as a Nanny...

For those of you that don't know, I spent my last year working as a nanny for two boys, Takis (6 yrs) and Demetri (3 yrs) Patikas. On August 10th I will be starting a new job working with DownLine ministries so Friday was my last day working with the boys. Craig and I wanted to do something special for them, so I planned a scavenger hunt all over Memphis! They had to solve some riddles that led to all the places we had been over the last year. It was so much fun! The grand finale was Incredible Pizza Company, a supersized version of Chuckee Cheese. Here are some pictures from Friday's events!