tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83623296866488632702024-02-07T03:05:54.394-08:00The Altman FamilyOur Crazy Life in Vegas...Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.comBlogger132125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-5652202312834767102011-03-09T13:41:00.000-08:002011-03-09T13:43:57.232-08:00VERVE Happs<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;font-size:6;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 22px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(34, 34, 34); line-height: 16px; font-family:Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;font-size:12px;"><div class="post-header" style="line-height: 1.6; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 11px; "><div class="post-header-line-1"></div></div><div class="post-body entry-content" style="width: 600px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; "><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuv0s8pvN3sPaG1r28-W_go0bZThMhHFQ0gQ6h4fmYhv9eUxKdBqqF7-2QW2YQIz1k0Uz_KKp9iT1BWSP98KojLCuZxLGRW5c-PGfNJIFAgtw-zhijeUzPkUzUQMk-jgNXE2KpODdF1FPu/s1600/Verve+V+SAMPLE1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(255, 0, 0); clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; "><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuv0s8pvN3sPaG1r28-W_go0bZThMhHFQ0gQ6h4fmYhv9eUxKdBqqF7-2QW2YQIz1k0Uz_KKp9iT1BWSP98KojLCuZxLGRW5c-PGfNJIFAgtw-zhijeUzPkUzUQMk-jgNXE2KpODdF1FPu/s320/Verve+V+SAMPLE1.jpg" width="310" style="border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; position: relative; padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-color: transparent; border-right-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-left-color: transparent; -webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976562) 1px 1px 5px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; " /></a></div><br /><b>Eleven people were baptized</b>. It was awesome hearing each of their stories and, for most, knowing even more than they had time to share. God is doing amazing things in people's lives at Verve, and it's exciting to have a front row seat.<br /><br /><b>One of the best and most important services we've done</b>. We talked about being <i>grace wholesalers</i>. If you missed it, you can listen to the message <a href="http://www.vivalaverve.org/#/media/verve-messages" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(255, 0, 0); ">here</a>. Loved the songs the band played and how it all weaved together. Poetry.</div></span>Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-5018281275695793752011-02-15T11:02:00.000-08:002011-03-09T13:40:45.324-08:00Cupcake updateA few weeks ago, I, with the help of a couple awesome ladies, baked 30 dozen cupcakes. That's right, 360 cupcakes. You read in my previous post about us selling these to help provide cupcakes for us to take into the strip clubs and love on the girls. We sold all of them and some! So a huge THANK YOU to those of you who helped support this ministry. This is something you can always donate to, if you have questions just email me at tkaltman0805@yahoo.com. :)Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-6438067296475802002011-02-10T09:00:00.000-08:002011-02-11T11:32:53.453-08:00The Cupcake Girls<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-C38i7DAW36tXxl1-1VuYHG3WvsdxlZy38bcbr_sBhcHFbKMi9VysJjn1EZUbBXSVQnqdRbjhLYFVNfTvRP4e0ytm_Sq03CRAOLN12crEvAhkYbrxIC7sCiN8KY3-OIVCSS2eTq8O0okK/s1600/cupcakes+pic.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-C38i7DAW36tXxl1-1VuYHG3WvsdxlZy38bcbr_sBhcHFbKMi9VysJjn1EZUbBXSVQnqdRbjhLYFVNfTvRP4e0ytm_Sq03CRAOLN12crEvAhkYbrxIC7sCiN8KY3-OIVCSS2eTq8O0okK/s400/cupcakes+pic.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572511403350365394" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Times; line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; font-family:arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">One cool thing happening this </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; font-family:arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">week is that you have the opportunity to buy some delicious cupcakes, and support an awesome ministry. One of the new ministries at Verve is </span><i style="color: red; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The Cupcake Girls</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, some women and I who go each week to some strip clubs, bringing cupcakes, loving on the girls, and (when the opportunity is right) inviting them to Verve. So ... we're going to have the same (awesome) cupcakes for sale on Sunday morning and Monday evening. The deal is that you pay $20, which gets you a dozen cupcakes </span><i color="initial" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">and</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> pays for a dozen cupcakes to be brought to a Strip Club. </span><span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; color:#ff0000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">You get to eat well, and support a great ministry! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">If you don't live in Vegas and still want to support the ministry and help provide cupcakes for these girls, you can email me at tkaltman0805@yahoo.com for more infomation. Thanks for your support!! :-)</span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Times; line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: Times; line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; "><span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#ff00ff;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Krystal</span></i></span></span></span></span></p></span></span>Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-56917312386066187412011-02-06T08:17:00.000-08:002011-02-06T08:17:00.184-08:001 year Bible reading planIt's not too late! Tommy is writing a one-year Bible reading plan for Verve and you can join us and follow it daily on <a href="http://www.vervecatalysts.org">www.vervecatalysts.org</a> or <a href="http://www.tommyaltman.com">www.tommyaltman.com</a>. :) It will take you through the New Testament and Psalms and Proverbs (2 other books of the Bible).Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-65430471333732150672011-02-04T13:42:00.000-08:002011-02-04T15:18:11.401-08:00Future Rock Stars<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxjaZV7JCesu4GPHRv0sadY73TRLy-eCQJgkGHcnCSovSZl5XyhcLOZziPf9SDgdit67V3_uRyJL1NlihGTKQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><div><br /></div><div>I was uploading old pics and videos from my phone to my computer and thought I would share this one with you. I was making dinner and had to come up with something to entertain the boys as they joined me in the kitchen. Enjoy :)</div>Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-22400345268454682412011-02-01T12:09:00.000-08:002011-02-01T12:09:00.849-08:00Dog-tagsSo Brodie is working with Daddy in the garage and just ran into me holding something....Daddy's military dog-tags. For those of you who do not know what dog tags are, they are silver tags that hang around the neck of a soldier. They have vital information pertaining to the soldier. As I took the dog tags in my hand, I read the information engraved on them. Name, security number, blood type, and religion. I thought, hmm . . . religion? It struck a cord with me. <div><br /></div><div>So if a soldier is at war and something happens to them, their dog tags have the top 4 of vital information another soldier would need to know about them...name, social, blood type, and religion. It made me think if I were to die, do the people around me know these "important things" about me? No, I don't have dog tags around my neck, but they should know by the way I live my life. What would they say about me? Would my relationship with God be in with the top 4 important things they say about me? </div><div><br /></div><div>So, what's on your dog tag? Name, social, blood type . . . ? I can't think of anything more important than a person knowing what's going to happen to them when this life ends. </div><div><br /></div><div>Soldiers know they may face death when going to war, so they think about it, just look at the 4th thing on their dog tag. I hope you've thought about what happens when your heart stops beating. If you haven't I hope you will soon. </div><div><br /></div><div>I hope that you know that there's a God who loves you. Who loves you more than you can ever imagine and who wants you to spend forever with Him in heaven. If there's one thing I've been reminded of lately it's that life is fragile and shouldn't be taken for granted. We're not promised tomorrow. If you have questions, I'm here. If you're not sure that you even believe there is a God, ask him to show you if He's real. Know that I share this with you because I care. I don't want someone to one day ask me "why didn't you tell me?"</div>Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-11235258842945269442011-01-28T12:45:00.000-08:002011-01-28T22:49:03.948-08:00Big deal<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjdBBgd-8Xd3XvwPmpntgM3RJVL6N7R4mfh9ecJCamQC93l1ga7axUiFOw-TGX1g66lqBbcbShrlb5Pjec9lgSaTEsUAAjDXQu_yUsa_ZIOlBPVswX8mDQwLmRUGvbdrPvqfe3oXSRU-8/s1600/Tristan_1.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyNOHPxdntbgRC5uvUxEJR_QBuKavV6DAJLA2i9v1z4fpo3MC_U4ehWM6jT-82rPyC9xNLPoSgtbnJcvgo5xuFZsHytru5tc5k5-pa9OcL-7fPsVfGJVWeN-2PpUrQ3pw-B0ltBCGEljo/s1600/Tristan_5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyNOHPxdntbgRC5uvUxEJR_QBuKavV6DAJLA2i9v1z4fpo3MC_U4ehWM6jT-82rPyC9xNLPoSgtbnJcvgo5xuFZsHytru5tc5k5-pa9OcL-7fPsVfGJVWeN-2PpUrQ3pw-B0ltBCGEljo/s400/Tristan_5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567495218390355522" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Be forewarned...this is going to be a "mom post".</div><div>So, after 15 months, I am finished breast-feeding Tristan. It's bittersweet. It's bitter because I realize he is probably my last and that I will probably never breast-feed again and it also means my baby is becoming a big boy :(. A little sweet because between being pregnant with Brodie, breast-feeding for a year, being pregnant with our 2nd, then pregnant with Tristan and breast-feeding for 15 months...I feel like my body has not been my own in a long time. I'm finally getting my body back. Not 'getting my body back' as in the way it was before kids because I realize that will probably never happen, lol. It hit me the other day when a friend handed me excedrine for a headache and my natural reaction was "I can only take tylenol"...because for so long, that's how it was. I'm thankful for the good habits it helped create for me, like drinking lots of water, limit coffee and soft drinks to hardly any, trying my best to limit stress and stay rested, and thinking twice about everything and how it would effect my little one. It's tough to see our babies grow up and move on from things; especially something so close and "attached', literally. lol. During our trip in Virginia and Tristan having to be away from me overnight, he did well and didn't seem to mind not being nursed. I had been slowly weaning him over the last couple months but he had put up a fight. He will now drink his milk from a cup, and not throw it across the room...which is what he did when I first attempted it. When it came down to it though, it was easy and kind of happened naturally. So, I guess we were both ready. Kinda. lol. Yes, this was a big deal. </div><div><br /></div><div>I keep asking myself...didn't I just have a baby? Where did the time go??</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjdBBgd-8Xd3XvwPmpntgM3RJVL6N7R4mfh9ecJCamQC93l1ga7axUiFOw-TGX1g66lqBbcbShrlb5Pjec9lgSaTEsUAAjDXQu_yUsa_ZIOlBPVswX8mDQwLmRUGvbdrPvqfe3oXSRU-8/s400/Tristan_1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567496091581199746" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">Love him! :)</span></span></div>Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-65951020393157532362011-01-22T10:17:00.001-08:002011-02-04T13:05:35.319-08:00Virginia trip<div style="text-align: left;">So we just got back from our trip to Virginia for my sisters wedding and all of the festivities. The wedding was absolutely amazing. My baby sister was a stunning bride and I couldn't be more thrilled about the husband she chose. It was fantastic to get to see all of the many friends and family that came for her special day. Of course my sister did an amazing job with all of the wedding planning and details that I can't imagine anything more beautiful. It truly was like a fairy tale wedding. The trip was great and we had a couple days to visit and spend time with some friends, which we always cherish. It's always hard to leave but I'm thankful for each and every one of our family and friends there and for the times we do get to have together. Tommy spends most of his time in Virginia at Trinity Tattoo, learning the ropes from Dave Lukeson. What an awesome opportunity this is for him to learn from one of the best! The boys did great on the trip home, sleeping most of the way. So now, to get back settled into life here in Vegas. We're excited to see the close friends here we've missed so much and excited to get back to Verve! Oh, and we're excited about the 68 degree weather here! So...now you all need to plan your trips to come visit!! :)</div><div><br /></div><div>So I know I'm aweful at this blogging stuff but I've decided to try to post atleast 1 blog a week. I'll try to keep you posted on whatever current happenings we have going on with family stuff here. Tommy and I will also be blogging atleast once a week on <a href="http://www.tommyaltman.com/">www.tommyaltman.com</a> with current happenings with ministry and life here in Vegas. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin662Ixy_z-NnkT3deuHbuOCn3OImDMGxAs1KqyoqG-Y3JFPi81hG4fXmMDzzXD5f3FMqf3ulbYY5DvrSQdmRA1CNVh-YmEh0eXpfYU5QX-pek-VkUlowCL_Ir1aIJYstcOiFmXsUJ_bQH/s400/IMG_1711.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567489410967269506" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIYYT1r6WqUR3C0RqxG8HBMkmC01bx1qLcsqglRodZ1YOAthoAlZ-k90Idjl5E6bIb4OEG0j0veC1tc2VjGYx_kmO3Ljk60IKL7qtQ44vjQPrznonU7muTY1ZIPkEMPosnf5HQR4ZpvFl/s400/IMG_1594.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567489410523196994" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ10axr-ej-3R8ipWRgQeR9r7-ugQh55KXo7RFbbk3e2WzSCqhb4IdJKG_XmeFo1K1TLtMGAybfRKCqLHgqPYBRm-0etDhPs8z_X1ZdaCJuGEs5F1ZbwOJL8Fif1taO0F89-W9HM9YIeVc/s400/IMG_1613_2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567489416144677458" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 340px; " /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div>Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-41657456577898829362010-10-21T11:42:00.000-07:002010-10-21T12:10:48.091-07:00Blogposts coming soon....<div><div>Sorry I'm lacking in the blog world. I have so much to post about but it's been so crazy busy that it's hard to find the time and energy! One of my lasts posts was about SerVegas day and it has been non stop since! Following SerVegas we took a family trip to California for some much needed family time. We returned to jump right into Verve University, which I will explain more of later. We then had one of my best friends come visit with her husband and stay with us for a week. They left and we had a week of birthdays for our 2 boys including their birthday bash at the park. Then we started our Vault Conference followed by Stadia bootcamp for church planters, which I will explain more. I've also had the opportunity to take cupcakes strippers in local strip clubs. So..I have lots to share with you and hope to get it all out here very soon. :).</div><div><br /></div><div>Blog posts coming soon...</div><ul><li>California</li><li>Verve University</li><li>Courtney and DJ's visit</li><li>Birthdays</li><li>Grandma's visit</li><li>Vault Conference</li><li>Stadia Bootcamp Conference</li><li>Strip Club Cupcakes</li></ul></div>Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-78892452425839819442010-10-06T00:43:00.000-07:002010-10-06T00:44:48.804-07:00Check it out...I haven't had time to update yet but check out Tommy's blog.... www.tommyaltman.blogspot.com<div><br /></div>Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-33408419159162022712010-09-29T12:56:00.000-07:002010-09-29T13:35:24.365-07:00CWeeds Adopt<div style="text-align: left;">I'm so excited to share this news with you. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law have decided to adopt a little boy, from Africa. We will have a new nephew! You can follow their story and even help support them to bring him home....www.cweedsadopt.blogspot.com. So thankful they have said yes to bring this little boy into their home and family and surround him with God's love. Please join us in praying for them through this long but exciting process. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYU8l1neY5uu3tTCUoAen6vt9c1fP_GsA2Y3_yGau8PJ0embVr78Y3ydUqazf9x5w2QhjjVDakf3jF4jtpmSkFply-JGotsCEorhdXxQftLi4DcWvqDGjgZr9ejIyufQA6hF8XkCP-7CB/s400/6532_256921195330_582200330_8441482_8077566_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522430253518267666" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div>Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-64787039064127926472010-09-29T12:38:00.000-07:002010-09-29T13:35:39.238-07:00Guerilla LoversSo one of the sayings for our church is "Love God, Love People, Turn the World Upside Down". Vince Antonucci, our lead pastor, wrote a book called "Guerilla Lovers". He gets this term from guerilla warfare and uses it as a way to love people. We want to ambush people with God's love, in practical ways. This week he challenged each of us to make cookies for our garbage man. I know, it may sound silly...but some of the stories have been amazing. Seriously. They're like "You did this for ME?? Why?? No-one does this!". Try it! You may be surprised at the impact it has on you, your garbage man, and those around you!Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-74923426806140633172010-09-29T11:34:00.001-07:002010-09-29T13:35:58.493-07:00SerVegasSo...over the last several weeks you heard and saw us talking a lot about "SerVegas". This was a day that Tommy has been working on and planning since we moved to Vegas. The idea was to reach out and serve our community but rather than start a new project in only one area we decided to serve non profit organizations who are already serving here. We had a team of volunteers were in on the planning and organizing of the event. We lined up projects with non-religious, non-profit organizations for us to serve all on the same day. The organizations included Shade Tree (a shelter for abused women and children), Street Teens, NV Partnership for Homeless Youth, Family Promise, St. Vincent Thrift Store. We also had volunteers serve at "Neon Reverb" which was a music festival that same weekend and we had our youth do a "Free Car Wash" for the community. We had atleast 60 volunteers show up and it was an amazing day. The organizations were blown away and very grateful and the volunteers were grateful to be apart of something where they could "give back" and serve. We also had an after party that evening with catered h'orderves, a live band, and a comedian/magician, for the volunteers and the organizations we served. A great time was had by all and this is definitely something we all look forward to doing again in the future!<div>(I tried adding pictures to this post but it keeps giving me some sort of error...I will try to add them again later!)<br /><div><br /></div></div>Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-23596265751501006112010-09-15T23:23:00.000-07:002010-09-15T23:24:37.348-07:00I want to make these...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 14px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 22px; "><div style="border-bottom-width: medium; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-left-width: medium; border-left-style: none; border-left-color: initial; border-right-width: medium; border-right-style: none; border-right-color: initial; border-top-width: medium; border-top-style: none; border-top-color: initial; clear: both; text-align: left; "><strong><span style="font-size: x-large; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinSJkXYo_IoLCIxDH8yg3oc7jStqnh7HoIpljBgKWQvVQxFiLgUmufx1SebVPBDVEa5UKFQ-3pUyF9NOMRyJwmrPZ65UxLHaYCjqOKRyOr9WT8HnNXocCL45835uIGSjbyuzVt35WBpQ/s1600/chicken-spinach-stuffed-shells-23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); text-decoration: underline; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; "><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinSJkXYo_IoLCIxDH8yg3oc7jStqnh7HoIpljBgKWQvVQxFiLgUmufx1SebVPBDVEa5UKFQ-3pUyF9NOMRyJwmrPZ65UxLHaYCjqOKRyOr9WT8HnNXocCL45835uIGSjbyuzVt35WBpQ/s400/chicken-spinach-stuffed-shells-23.jpg" width="400" style="border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; padding-top: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-right-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-left-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); " /></a></span></span></strong></div><div style="border-bottom-width: medium; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-left-width: medium; border-left-style: none; border-left-color: initial; border-right-width: medium; border-right-style: none; border-right-color: initial; border-top-width: medium; border-top-style: none; border-top-color: initial; clear: both; text-align: left; "><strong><span style="font-size: x-large; ">Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells</span></strong></div><div style="border-bottom-width: medium; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-left-width: medium; border-left-style: none; border-left-color: initial; border-right-width: medium; border-right-style: none; border-right-color: initial; border-top-width: medium; border-top-style: none; border-top-color: initial; clear: both; text-align: left; ">1 (12-ounce) box uncooked jumbo pasta shells (if all of yours survive the boil this is enough, to be safe you may want 1 1/2 boxes)</div><div style="border-bottom-width: medium; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-left-width: medium; border-left-style: none; border-left-color: initial; border-right-width: medium; border-right-style: none; border-right-color: initial; border-top-width: medium; border-top-style: none; border-top-color: initial; ">2 cups chopped cooked chicken</div><div style="border-bottom-width: medium; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-left-width: medium; border-left-style: none; border-left-color: initial; border-right-width: medium; border-right-style: none; border-right-color: initial; border-top-width: medium; border-top-style: none; border-top-color: initial; ">2 cups fresh chopped spinach</div><div style="border-bottom-width: medium; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-left-width: medium; border-left-style: none; border-left-color: initial; border-right-width: medium; border-right-style: none; border-right-color: initial; border-top-width: medium; border-top-style: none; border-top-color: initial; ">1 onion, chopped</div><div style="border-bottom-width: medium; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-left-width: medium; border-left-style: none; border-left-color: initial; border-right-width: medium; border-right-style: none; border-right-color: initial; border-top-width: medium; border-top-style: none; border-top-color: initial; ">2 cloves garlic, minced</div><div style="border-bottom-width: medium; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-left-width: medium; border-left-style: none; border-left-color: initial; border-right-width: medium; border-right-style: none; border-right-color: initial; border-top-width: medium; border-top-style: none; border-top-color: initial; ">1 (15oz) container ricotta cheese</div><div style="border-bottom-width: medium; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-left-width: medium; border-left-style: none; border-left-color: initial; border-right-width: medium; border-right-style: none; border-right-color: initial; border-top-width: medium; border-top-style: none; border-top-color: initial; ">2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened (I think you could get away with one package)</div>1 (5oz) package shredded Parmesan cheese (about 1 2/3 cups)<br />1 large egg, lightly beaten<br />1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes<br />1 teaspoon Italian seasoning<br />1/2 teaspoon salt<br />1/2 teaspoon pepper<br />2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided<br />1 (26oz) jar prepared spaghetti sauce<br /><br />1. Cook shells according to package directions. Be careful not to overcook them or they will tear easily when trying to fill them. Drain and set aside.<br /><br />2. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease two 9x13 baking dishes.<br /><br />3. In a large bowl, combine chicken and all the rest of the ingredients except mozzarella and spaghetti sauce. Stir in 1 cup mozzarella. Spoon into shells.<br /><br />4. Spread half of spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dishes. Arrange shells over sauce; top with remaining sauce. Cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. If you are freezing one of the 9x13 prepared pans, freeze it after this step. Include a baggy of the remaining mozzarella for when you cook it.<br /><br />5. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Bake for 5 to 10 more minutes.<br /><br />Makes 8-10 servings. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 14px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 22px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 14px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 22px; ">http://thegirlwhoateeverything.blogspot.com/</span></div>Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-32569335516940627242010-09-09T21:00:00.000-07:002010-09-09T21:00:01.339-07:0010 things I love about you...I am one blessed wife and mommy. There are so many things I see everyday that you don't get to see and I want to share them with you. <div>10 things I love about you...</div><div>1-I love Brodie's heart. It's like no other I've ever known. Just a few examples...</div><div>The other night, I was cooking dinner and Brodie comes up to me and says "Mom, we need to go check on John." My response "I know honey, we want to..we've just been so busy lately." Brodie "We can't just leave him out there." You probably don't know about John but he is a homeless man we've tried to help and stay in contact with. It's been weeks since we've gone by to see him or take him anything and Brodie said this out of nowhere. Tommy wrote about how we met John, on his blog at www.tommyaltman.blogspot.com. Another occasion recently, Brodie asked for ice cream. I told him there was only a little bit left but probably enough for him. He immediately turned to Daddy and said "you can have it Daddy." When Daddy told him that he didn't want it and it was ok for him to have it, he turned to me and said "You can have it mommy." I again told him no, he could have it. He responds with "yall can have it later!." Really? I ended up fixing it for him and he ate it, but sometimes I wish my heart and attitude was more like he showed here. I could give you more examples but I'll move on now.</div><div>2-I love Tristan's scrunched up grin. It's tough to catch on camera but it makes me smile every time. Actually, Tommy and I usually find ourselves cracking up together when he does it. He will scrunch up his nose and grin at the same time. It's even more adorable with his 2 little teeth on the bottom. I love it. </div><div>3-I love how Tommy loves me like no other. Seriously. This man of mine has shown me love like I've never known or seen. Here's a small example from just the other day. We were on a date and were walking down the strip and through a few casinos. Of course I had on high heels. Well, If you know me you know that I walk pretty fast, so Tommy knew something was wrong when I was hardly keeping up with him. He asked what was wrong and I showed him the blister that was from my shoes. Soon after, I went into the bathroom in one of the casinos...I came out and he has a box of bandaids. My response "Seriously...we're in a casino! How much did those things cost?!!" "$7.00." Oh my. Smart or not...it didn't matter to him. He didn't want me to be in pain and would do whatever it took. I took my shoes off in the parking garage (I know, gross...but it hurt that bad), and he picked me up and carried me all the way to the car. I remember a conversation I had with my mom when I knew that Tommy was the man I wanted to marry. I remember her telling me "You'll never find someone who loves you the way he does". How very very true mom. He loves me even when I'm unlovable. </div><div>4-I love Brodie's warrior spirit. I know you've all seen the sword...but have you seen him use it? He's becoming a warrior. He's in a stage where he loves to pretend. He will tell me "Mom, pretend the bad guys are coming and tell me to come save you." So he comes to my rescue. </div><div>5-I love that Tristan is learning to do new things and will turn around to see if you're watching. I love his rasberries. I love his laugh. I love his arms and legs wrapped around me grasp, like he'll never let go. I love his arms stretched up, "pick me up" look. I love when I bring him down stairs in the morning he looks at Sugie and says "dog-dog". </div><div>6-I love that I still think Tommy is the most handsome man I've ever layed eyes on and that I would chose him again in a heart beat. I love that I get to go to bed and wake up with him next to me every morning.</div><div>7-I love hearing Brodie walk around or in the car, singing songs he heard our band sing at church.</div><div>8-I love to watch my babies sleeping. I love to rock and cuddle and scratch their backs as they fall alseep. And I love to check on them and stare at them while they look so peaceful and innocent and adorable, sleeping.</div><div>9-I love that Tommy is so sincere and passionate about God and leads our family in learning how to love God and love people.</div><div>10-I love my family and I love feeling like the luckiest girl in the world with 3 amazing guys in my life, who bring me undescribable joy every day. Thanks God.</div>Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-52566301273259958782010-08-11T22:01:00.000-07:002010-08-11T22:40:57.517-07:00Sleep over!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000066;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">So tonight is the first time Brodie has had a friend spend the night. Crazy to me, but I love it. I can't believe he's that big. What a fun night. :) Actually they've been together all day. We went to the free Regal movie for kids, </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000066;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">"</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000066;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Tale Of Despereaux</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000066;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">", this morning and had lunch and playtime at "DelTaco" with his family. After lunch, I brought the boys back to our house to play. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000066;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">The boys played and played...they played toy story, mr. potato head, scooter races, sword fights, transformers, you name it. Come time for dinner I wanted something kid friendly, so I made homemade mac n cheese and then did some bbq chicken and green beans. The boys cleared their plates so we had ice cream for dessert. :) We even got to go outside and play for a little bit. They came in, got baths and put their pjs on. I let them watch Nemo for a bit to wind down before bed. They were just too cute. I loved hearing their conversations. They are two sweet boys and are already best buds.:) </span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000066;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">I'm also thankful for his momma, who has become a good friend of mine and is getting baptized on Monday! :) :)</span></span></span></div>Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-29317199160775684372010-08-08T21:17:00.000-07:002010-08-10T23:10:26.853-07:00Happy Anniversary!What a great night! Tommy and I didn't do gifts or anything for our anniversary but we wanted to plan a nice night out for us to have together. Since getting to Vegas it's been pretty crazy around here and of course being away from family, we don't get a sitter very often. So...after we put the kids to bed we had a friend from church come over and stay with the boys while we got to go out for a little bit. The first exciting part of the night for me was that we got to ride the Harley. Seriously...it's been like 2 years since I've been able to ride, due to being pregnant and all. So this was a treat. The weather couldn't have been better either. <div><br /></div><div>We wanted to go to a nice romantic restaurant so we went to the "Eiffel Tower Restaurant", in Paris. (Yes, when you live in Vegas you can go anywhere in the world and it's only 10 minutes away) lol. The restaurant is like 1/2 way up the tower and our view was of the strip and the Bellagio fountains, which was perfect. Tommy ordered duck and I ordered the veal and we shared the asparagus. Wow, everything was sooo good. We finished with a chocolate soufle which was also amazing. Let me tell you...this was THE BEST meal I've ever had in my life. I could go on, but I think you get the point. lol. </div><div><br /></div><div>We were going to go on the "ride" up to the top of the eiffel tower but we decided to wait until we had our camera with us so we could take pictures of the view. We did take the time to walk around and just hang out a bit and we walked through one of the casinos we hadn't been in yet. We went to do one of the gondola rides but it was closed when we got there. I was thankful for the time we had together and it was a great night. I loved the closeness and the night sky we enjoyed riding home on the Harley. </div><div><br /></div><div>It was cool to celebrate our 9th anniversary here in Vegas, it's one I'll never forget. ;)</div>Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-40642578212073355122010-08-06T20:49:00.000-07:002010-08-06T20:53:09.595-07:00Taco Soup<div>I'll be trying this recipe this week. It sounds like something we would like...and I love the idea of using my crockpot more! :)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarDI8UfAZLzHcanlVxVF8E9S7pDyGe8widyd8lhCwX0CqV6grJ6o7W_ngrF31TnTGE7zUcUwSJMZgfg7OCcTu9H0a094Gcg0fUbqATgBSDZ_VhO7PSf_UV1GjrxaVt1nKBdTMYPgWIyU/s1600-h/IMG_0057.JPG" style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0); text-decoration: underline; "><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169992426208571106" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarDI8UfAZLzHcanlVxVF8E9S7pDyGe8widyd8lhCwX0CqV6grJ6o7W_ngrF31TnTGE7zUcUwSJMZgfg7OCcTu9H0a094Gcg0fUbqATgBSDZ_VhO7PSf_UV1GjrxaVt1nKBdTMYPgWIyU/s320/IMG_0057.JPG" border="0" style="border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; padding-top: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; display: block; text-align: center; " /></a></span></div><div>Taco Soup</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><div><span style="font-family: arial; ">--2 cans of kindey beans</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; ">--2 cans of pinto beans</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; ">--2 cans of corn</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; ">--1 large can of diced tomatoes (I have no idea why the can wasn't in this picture. I know I put it in. This is a mystery.)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; ">--1 can tomatoes and chiles</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; ">--1 packet taco seasoning </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; ">--1 packet ranch dressing mix</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; ">--1 lb browned ground turkey or hamburger (optional.)</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; ">--shredded cheese and sour cream for embelishment<br /></span><br /></div><div><strong><span style="font-family: arial; ">The Directions:</span></strong></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; "></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; ">--brown meat if you are going to use it</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; ">--drain fat and add to crockpot stoneware insert (the meat. not the fat.)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; ">--sprinkle seasoning packets on top of meat</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; ">--drain and rinse the beans and add</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; ">--add the ENTIRE contents of the corn and tomato cans<br />--stir.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; "></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; ">Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5. I think the longer you cook soup, the better, so if you have the time, opt for cooking on low. Stir well, and serve with a handful of shredded cheese and a </span><span style="font-family: arial; ">dollop of sour cream.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; "><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; "><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; ">(This recipe came from http://crockpot365.blogspot.com)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; "><br /></span></div></span></div>Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-11341123934836277162010-08-06T10:16:00.000-07:002010-08-06T12:03:30.860-07:009 YearsYesterday, August 5, Tommy and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary. I have to say, it's been a wild ride, but I wouldn't change a thing. I was telling Tommy last night that it's funny when people say, "so where do you see yourself in 5/10 years?" If you know me, you know I'm indecisive anyway and that I am a realist so I'm focused on the here and now so I'm always like "I have no idea". Tommy, on the other hand, being the dreamer always has a huge vision of where he wants to be. So..that being said, I was thinking over the past 9 years and I'm blown away. I'm blown away at the experiences we've had together and the life changes that have happened in our lives and marriage. <div><br /></div><div>So, 9 years ago we said "I do" and I moved from VA to TN, (Tommy was in the Air Force and stationed at Fort Cambell, KY) to be with the man of my dreams and start our life together. I just found a picture the other day of Tommy carrying me over the "threshold" to our new 1 bedroom apartment (after driving the 12 hours to get there). We started with nothing, but we had each other and we had God, so we felt like we had everything. I have to say, our years there were crucial and life changing for us and for our marriage. We were married in August 2001...and then September 11th happened...which changed everything. Tommy, being in the military, was soon deployed to Afghanistan that February. Whoa. Here I was, 19 years old, newly married, and now alone in a new place. I had a job and I was going to school, but that wasn't enough to keep me there. I decided to go home and be with my family while Tommy would be deployed for an unknown number of months. It ended up being 3, instead of the 6 they had anticipated. I remember those times of deployments and at times it was torturous and at the same time it also seemed to help create a foundation for our marriage that "if we can make it through this, we can make it through anything". In our time there, we found a great church, where our friends became like family and we bought our first home there, in KY, and we got our first dog, Sugar (which we still have today :) ). Tommy deployed again a year later to Iraq. This time, I stayed since we had established roots and relationships there and it had become "home". Tommy came home and bought his first Harley. (He took of advantage of the deployment situation...He came home and of course I was like "you can have anything you want!" lol). We joined a motorcycle club, which we miss to this day the experiences and relationships we had. So, we spent our first 4 1/2 years married there, at Fort Campbell (KY/TN). I had no idea how crucial this time would be for establishing the foundation for our marriage. It's amazing how close we became, having only each other, to depend on, run to, and experience life with. We made relationships there that we would have for a lifetime. What a time of learning for us! </div><div><br /></div><div>When Tommy was discharged from the Air Force in December of 2004, we made the move back to Virginia (a U-haul, car-in tow, a truck, a motorcycle, and a dog) :). We moved back to Virginia to be apart of a church plant that our previous youth pastor was launching there. In our time there we were close to family and were able to establish relationships with old and new friends. We bought our second house, and started our family. In December 2005, I finished my bachelors degree in Business Management, from Austin Peay State University. We had our first son, Brodie, in October of 2006. In February 2007, I quit my job in banking to be a stay at home mom. Tommy changed jobs 3 times, but all in the area of training military in some area of combatives or shooting. In July, 2008, God told us to move to Las Vegas, to be apart of a church plant, to reach people far from Him. We experienced a loss like none other when we experienced the loss of our 2nd child mid pregnancy, at 17 weeks along, in November 2008. We then had our son, Tristan, in October of 2009. In May 2010 Tommy graduated from Regent University with his bachelors degree in Religious Studies and we moved our family across the country to Las Vegas to help start Verve and do a church planting "residency" for approximately 2 years. </div><div><br /></div><div>As I look back I never could have tried to imagine all that we would have experienced and where we would be 9 years into our marriage. I'm so thankful that God blessed me with Tommy to go through this journey of life with. I can't imagine not having him by my side. He knows me like no other and loves me anyway. He loves me in ways that I feel I don't deserve. I respect and admire him more than any other man I've ever known. I'm a better me because of him. Our boys our so blessed to have a real man of God as an example to follow and to raise them to be warriors for Him. I love you Tommy and I'm thankful beyond words that for the years I've had with you and I'm excited about the years we have ahead of us, as we grow old together. :) </div><div><br /></div><div>Man, I started this post to tell you about our night our for our anniversary, now I have to do another post to tell you about that! lol :)</div>Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-38264038663631123372010-08-04T21:37:00.000-07:002010-08-04T22:14:55.303-07:00My new hobby :)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Cooking! Yes...I'm currently obsessed with finding and trying new recipes. I've been scouring the internet...in the little bit of time I have here and there and you'll see I've found a few baking blogs to follow as well. I cooked dry beans for the first time the other day and they were a success. So..I got another kind to do again. I enjoy cooking and baking but it's soo hard to find the time and money to do it! Anyway, I did a few easy ones today. I made a homemade coffee cake this morning and that turned out yummy. I made a chicken quesadilla casserole for dinner (thanks Gina ;), which we liked. And then made sweet potato cookies for dessert...which didn't seem to turn out all that great. I hope to here and there post some new recipes to share with you. And don't worry, I'm a simple kind of gal with 2 little ones, so they will be easy, with not crazy ingredients, and I especially love the ones that I already have the stuff for! lol. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Here's the few I tried today!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 20px; font-family:Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Breakfast Cake</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1/4 cup veg oil</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 beaten egg</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1/2 cup milk</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 1/2 cup flour</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">3/4 cup white sugar</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">2 tsp baking powder</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1/2 tsp salt</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Combine wet, mix dry ingredients and then add to wet. Mix well. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan. Sprinkle with topping. Bake 350* 25 - 30 minutes.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Topping: combine 2 T melted butter, 2 tsp flour, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/3 cup brown sugar</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom-width: medium; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-left-width: medium; border-left-style: none; border-left-color: initial; border-right-width: medium; border-right-style: none; border-right-color: initial; border-top-width: medium; border-top-style: none; border-top- clear: both; text-align: center; color:initial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QZ9qftW6aVSUwRgqYdybijxDXtKCCM69sEIyC7uHGhvpR41Ar1OOYi6HLKp7J_J6WYGAqb8B5c0JL6s9mpWJbFzo4s2bEc7wIQbHay4PMnNG677ADSBRkf5QLV11gOFOn3FwTIgB-tWL/s1600/IMG_7501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="color: rgb(201, 64, 147); text-decoration: underline; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="240" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QZ9qftW6aVSUwRgqYdybijxDXtKCCM69sEIyC7uHGhvpR41Ar1OOYi6HLKp7J_J6WYGAqb8B5c0JL6s9mpWJbFzo4s2bEc7wIQbHay4PMnNG677ADSBRkf5QLV11gOFOn3FwTIgB-tWL/s320/IMG_7501.JPG" width="320" style="border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; padding-top: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); " /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom-width: medium; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-left-width: medium; border-left-style: none; border-left-color: initial; border-right-width: medium; border-right-style: none; border-right- border-top-width: medium; border-top-style: none; border-top- clear: both; text-align: center; color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This one came from www.naptimejournal.blogspot.com</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Chicken Quesadilla Casserole</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:12px;"><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; "><li class="" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 12px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(117, 117, 117); position: relative; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 1/2 lbs </span><a href="http://www.grouprecipes.com/23908/chicken-quesadilla-casserole.html#" class="ingredient" style="color: rgb(82, 162, 29); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">chicken</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, cooked and shredded</span></li><li class="" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 12px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(117, 117, 117); position: relative; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 </span><a href="http://www.grouprecipes.com/23908/chicken-quesadilla-casserole.html#" class="ingredient" style="color: rgb(82, 162, 29); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">green pepper</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, chopped</span></li><li class="" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 12px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(117, 117, 117); position: relative; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 Medium </span><a href="http://www.grouprecipes.com/23908/chicken-quesadilla-casserole.html#" class="ingredient" style="color: rgb(82, 162, 29); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">onion</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, chopped</span></li><li class="" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 12px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(117, 117, 117); position: relative; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 Package </span><a href="http://www.grouprecipes.com/23908/chicken-quesadilla-casserole.html#" class="ingredient" style="color: rgb(82, 162, 29); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">flour tortillas</span></a></li><li class="" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 12px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(117, 117, 117); position: relative; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1/2 tablespoon Crushed </span><a href="http://www.grouprecipes.com/23908/chicken-quesadilla-casserole.html#" class="ingredient" style="color: rgb(82, 162, 29); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">red pepper</span></a><a href="http://www.grouprecipes.com/23908/chicken-quesadilla-casserole.html#" class="to_shopping_list to_list " title="Add to shopping list" rel="1/2 tablespoon Crushed Red Pepper" style="text-align: center;color: rgb(166, 166, 166); background-image: url(http://s0.grouprecipes.com/css/v1280759311/images/_site/sprites/misc_icons.png); background-attachment: scroll; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; display: block; font: normal normal normal 10px/18px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 20px; left: -84px; padding-right: 27px; position: absolute; top: -2px; text-decoration: none; z-index: 2; background-position: 47px -1985px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">shopping list</span></a></li><li class="" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 12px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(117, 117, 117); position: relative; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 teaspoon </span><a href="http://www.grouprecipes.com/23908/chicken-quesadilla-casserole.html#" class="ingredient" style="color: rgb(82, 162, 29); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">paprika</span></a></li><li class="" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 12px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(117, 117, 117); position: relative; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1/2 tablespoon </span><a href="http://www.grouprecipes.com/23908/chicken-quesadilla-casserole.html#" class="ingredient" style="color: rgb(82, 162, 29); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">cumin</span></a></li><li class="" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 12px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(117, 117, 117); position: relative; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 teaspoon </span><a href="http://www.grouprecipes.com/23908/chicken-quesadilla-casserole.html#" class="ingredient" style="color: rgb(82, 162, 29); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">onion powder</span></a></li><li class="" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 12px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(117, 117, 117); position: relative; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">2 teaspoons </span><a href="http://www.grouprecipes.com/23908/chicken-quesadilla-casserole.html#" class="ingredient" style="color: rgb(82, 162, 29); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">garlic powder</span></a></li><li class="" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 12px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(117, 117, 117); position: relative; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 </span><a href="http://www.grouprecipes.com/23908/chicken-quesadilla-casserole.html#" class="ingredient" style="color: rgb(82, 162, 29); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">tomato</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, chopped</span></li><li class="" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 12px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(117, 117, 117); position: relative; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">3 Cups </span><a href="http://www.grouprecipes.com/23908/chicken-quesadilla-casserole.html#" class="ingredient" style="color: rgb(82, 162, 29); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">cheddar cheese</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, shredded</span></li><li class="" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 12px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(117, 117, 117); position: relative; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 teaspoon </span><a href="http://www.grouprecipes.com/23908/chicken-quesadilla-casserole.html#" class="ingredient" style="color: rgb(82, 162, 29); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">chili powder</span></a></li></ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#757575;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85); line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Cook and shred chicken. Mix spices and pour over chicken and toss until evenly coated. Rub the bottom side of tortillas with a little oil and place in a baking dish. Layer 1/3 of cheese on top of the tortillas, then 1/2 of the onion, 1/2 of the tomato, 1/2 of the green pepper, and 1/2 of the shredded chicken. Place another layer of tortillas, cheese, onion, tomatoes, green peppers and chicken. Place third layer of tortillas on top and rub top side with some oil, then sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Cover and backe at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes until cheese is melted and warmed through. May remove cover last few minutes to brown cheese slightly.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#757575;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85); line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#757575;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85); line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">(This came from www.grouprecipes.com, passed on from my friend Gina :) )</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Hope you enjoy them and please share any of your favorite or new recipes with me! :)</span></span></div></span></span></span></div></span></div></span></div></div>Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-58481661676073644462010-08-03T22:34:00.001-07:002010-08-03T22:35:04.443-07:00VERVE Happs<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Geneva, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Cool stuff happening at VERVE.<br /><br />- Continuing our new series </span><span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">The Me I Want To Be </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">where we're talking about HOW we grow spiritually. This week we talked about how making sacrifices plays into our spiritual growth.<br />- We have two Verve University courses: Verge and Verb running and people seem to be really getting a lot out of them.<br />- Lots of new volunteers are doing First Serves - a chance to kick the tires on a serving position in the church.<br />- Speaking of serving, we're getting ready for </span><span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Serve Vegas</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">, which is gonna be a cool day of serving those who serve.<br />- And we are getting excited for the return of our 11:35 service, August 22nd!</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Geneva, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Lucida Grande', Geneva, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#990000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px;">(From Vince's blog... www.vinceantonucci.com)</span></span></div>Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-10800978438075343782010-08-02T14:27:00.000-07:002010-08-02T15:18:25.110-07:00Behind the swordAny of you who have seen Brodie recently, like in the last 6 months, know that when you think of Brodie you think of......yes, his sword. You know that if you see Brodie, he most likely has his sword stuck in the back of his shirt and sometimes in the side of his shorts. Seriously. I know some of you are laughing, but it's true. I tell people, "some kids have security blankets...our son has a security sword". :) lol. You will very rarely catch him without it. We can go in a store, and when we go back they remember him as "the kid with the sword". When we were in VA for a couple weeks, Daddy built Brodie a weapon rack by his bed. So..when he goes to bed, the sword goes in the rack and when he wakes up...you guess it...it goes back in his shirt. (this was because of the marks on the wall from sleeping with the sword). The attachment to the sword started when Brodie found Daddy's ninja turtles from when he was a little boy. Brodie immediately fell in love with these "turtles and their weapons". He began getting some of the cartoon movies and weapons. For a little while, if you were to ask him his name he would tell you "I'm Leonardo". Like seriously...this is what he told kids in his new class at church. (Of course you know Leonardo is his favorite because he's the BLUE one, which is his favorite color). So, he carries the sword in his back because that's how the ninja turtles carry their weapons. If it's not in his back it will be stuck in the side of his shorts. Or, if he is in his underwear, as he likes to be around the house, it will be stuck through his underwear. I've told him they're getting stretched out from this. He also has a bruise on his side, from carrying it this way. He doesn't even notice and says it doesn't hurt...but this is how attached he is.<div>I have to say, I think it's kinda cute. I'm sure some people may think I'm crazy that I allow my 3 year old to carry this around. But..I love that right now, this is who he is. He's all boy and at times he's wild and crazy but he's also caring, loving and tender-hearted, which melts my heart. I can't imagine life any other way, I love my boys. :-) </div>Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-59734096080161844262010-07-31T22:36:00.000-07:002010-07-31T23:12:37.936-07:00Going, Going, Gone!Shortly after moving to Vegas Tristan began learning to crawl. Yes, we immediately began child proofing, having a baby on the move again. It didn't take long and he has now taken off...and quickly! He is soo on the move now! He crawls everywhere...he particularly loves to head for the dog dishes and the stairs! lol. He can go all the way up the entire stair case by himself! He also loves to follow Brodie around, and can get himself into the playroom on his own. He has recently began pulling or pushing himself up on things to stand. And just these last couple days he has been getting brave and letting go of those things to stand by himself. I think we will have a walker soon. I'm not sure Mommy and Daddy are ready for this!<div><br /></div><div>We also have a teether! Tristan's first tooth broke thru last week (on the 20th, yes, at 9 months old). He may have had no teeth, but that didn't stop him from eating a thing. Tristan now boycotts baby food and wants our food, food that he can pick up and feed himself. Yes, every meal is very messy. ;) He is starting to know what he wants but can't express it to us (other than squealing), so we are teaching him a few words in sign language, as we did with Brodie.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our little one is getting so big, right before our eyes. We are cherishing every moment...even the 5:45am wake up calls (Mommy's special snuggle time). ;) But, Mommy is thankful that he is now consistently sleeping fully through the night and can't really complain about 6am since the boys are in bed at 7:30pm. :) And...if you've been around Tristan lately you know he has become quite the Mommy's boy. He is very attached to Mommy...especially if she is in sight or reach. This sometimes makes things difficult but it also melts Mommy's heart.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's late now, but I will post next on our other little warrior, Brodie and then some of what's been happening here in Vegas. Love yall! ;)</div><div><br /></div>Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-88388305715761371142010-07-31T21:46:00.000-07:002010-07-31T22:35:45.609-07:00June 15thOk, so I've put off updating on here. On June 15th, one of my very best friends' dad passed away very unexpectedly. There are no words to express the pain this loss has brought their family and those around them. They are very near and dear to my heart and it pains deeply me to see them experience this. I immediately wanted to be there with them. I was able to go home, to Virginia, and spend a couple weeks and I'm thankful for the time I had with them. It was hard to leave them and come back to my new home so far away. Please continue to pray with me as they struggle daily with the realization of this loss of one they loved so dearly.Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8362329686648863270.post-72986433854524643812010-06-05T09:00:00.000-07:002010-06-05T09:00:02.090-07:00The UFC<div style="text-align: left;">One of Tommy's jobs as a church planting resident is to start a ministry from nothing in an area he is passionate about. After brainstorming, praying and discussing with other staff members, they decided the UFC would be a perfect fit for Tommy. Serving the UFC is something that it seems Tommy has been prepared for with his background of the military and training and teaching combatives for so many years. Once that was decided Tommy again was praying about ways to go about this. Well, it just so happened there was a UFC fan expo here in Vegas that coming weekend. He decided to go, not really sure what to expect. The whole family went the first day. It was a cool experience. Lots of people, lots of fighters, lots of everything. We got some cool pics and got to meet Tommy's <i>favorite</i> fighter, Randy Couture. Upon entering the expo, there was a sign, to "twitter" Dana White (the head of the UFC), that you want to win tickets in his VIP section and backstage passes for the fight that weekend. I stopped and told Tommy to do it, as he grumbled that he never wins anything, lol. What was cool about the expo was you got to meet the fighters...they're not these crazy violent animals...they're awesome guys who are thankful for their fans and worked hard to get where they are. Most of them are very gracious and don't mind stopping to take time with you. Tommy went back to the expo the next day. There were even more people and it was even more crazy. He got to meet up with a distant cousin of mine, UFC fighter Matt Brown. Shortly after, as he was ready to head home, he got a text from the UFC asking that he contact them. After being sent around the expo, he finally met up with the right people and was told that he had won the VIP tickets to sit with Dana White and backstage passes at the UCF114 fight that night. Seriously...there were over 125,000 people at the expo and thousandssss who entered to win these tickets. To say we were shocked is an understatement. We knew it was God. Seriously. Tommy was interviewed by Mike Munoz about winning the contest. We quickly set up sitters for the kids and headed to the event that night. It was insane. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience for us. We were very thankful for the opportunity to meet the fighters and people and had the opportunity to share a little bit about Verve and why we moved to Vegas. Wow, thanks God. Tommy and I were sitting with celebrities like Paris Hilton, Mike Tyson, Sam Worthington, Forrest Whitaker, Snoop Dogg, David Spade, and of course Dana White and the fighters, with Kenny Florian next to me. We were escorted back stage and shown all the behind the scenes details and got to meet with Rampage before his big fight. So...I am now a UFC fan...and look forward to opportunities to serve them in the future. :-)</div><div style="text-align: left;">A disclaimer on the pictures...we were not allowed to take our 'professional' camera in so the only pics we have are from our iphone.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpBCcdvZZwyJELjD1LeR45mEWP41e7j2TcdTA9zzACISL1bpKkK46Rg392XbvL1FwFMazwwZM0ESH660yzaie068C_hijt7a0jw5n-9_9gkiVo9EU4XBNUgYOE_kzXmXn_fRyPcUduDbC/s400/IMG_0626.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478657602206694306" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /><div style="text-align: center;">This was the view of the cage from our seats! 3rd row :)</div><div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_JCGEPEhFE5B5t9Z87abcyG_RuP_f_UlBWONFlOuuwX61a4H1-W-hf59aIuLHFAdx0wt3HEX8drjvMuKr9j8G6NgGVdTbe0W7gylqZ0ycfvman4l5DPciuzb1wmyVE1Uko_PThgqv9yu/s400/IMG_0620.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478657582894630802" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><div style="text-align: center;">Our family with Randy Couture...Tommy's favorite fighter. </div><div style="text-align: center;"> Brodie was upset we had to turn in our ticket to see him...he wanted his ticket back. :(</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY1giMj1MZtq9YrvGLO2zCq4sRPfntAmDJMCYCFHLUKwzfcBP0iX8DRmLoj0y5LLFHrSFHJTKKDdZcWarQzz9UmqBKjryFnHNbzfvruPeIkditC1BMijN1XwyevmVhHWCwm3l3rz7VbhKy/s1600/IMG_0629.jpg"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY1giMj1MZtq9YrvGLO2zCq4sRPfntAmDJMCYCFHLUKwzfcBP0iX8DRmLoj0y5LLFHrSFHJTKKDdZcWarQzz9UmqBKjryFnHNbzfvruPeIkditC1BMijN1XwyevmVhHWCwm3l3rz7VbhKy/s400/IMG_0629.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478659531917943138" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">Tommy and I with Dana White at UFC114</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzj7ihM83kMJIkGFxT7wrR9j-hOsDM7qTtonfhE24qBYseHVgJv2O5f_hR2w54NA3QaSef-T6BRWv5KIqE_VL2LCNfYhyrST2xZuHW7v3HvGdkE3yHiMY6qiY8cRixbdgErUKcVmduikj/s400/IMG_0623.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478657594853358130" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Me in a quick pic with fighter Tito Ortiz</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdC19QbE7yJAxDR1vtSlc679SLOdrVkD8Tx69qTqz2rT1TYSEkflAsVxhzbg2g0KGFVWKUVjFZhS1l5FhILcuSwdU5JPpyW8t43yCefHSfx2chWzvvB3m1__Om7Stm_BzewcOcY5_IMGCS/s400/IMG_0637.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478783262023172818" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Tommy and I backstage with Rampage right before the big fight!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCrnUwR8pS4hW4Mn0SPQmQiJ5ZKE05ykNXePRw4cg2t6RIxsJM-5dLibcpL6rnlUzUxhzQdE_r2qGZ8zyulS-ZpW9PMDBSxlyEdIv6L0dzzBNNLchoLgxsr6fMi8g_pJCv74rP1ppjcc1k/s400/IMG_0632.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478783274082606882" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">Tommy with fighter Kenny Florian</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhKXnUZwLnV5u-UF3XhbOQJ8Z1tBFaX389ElPmfimx3IEcegFZxB-XXYo8C9402N6vqQIasOJTs8uxXMvBgU61X7Fd2AVvL6Bsl-TJs-ye5K4ar0KO9xO3zkTKcl4jo-JJwC2Iow68yVc/s400/IMG_0638.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478657574294421586" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Tommy and I with "Tapout" owners, "Skyscrape and Punkass"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSJQYVQECEtsibo7b32i9ydbLd-clQMCpl3bVHa4OIjTl2bPwP_PNFAhEyWAPWmpDRpi7gO0Y6N7sHZP5o2xyukv8NmKaQZ1VqWZt2-Zx-D73iqKjqKO0oG2CWWx83az4qtuAodKi3Z6i/s400/IMG_0647.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478657566447152082" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Me with Sam Worthington (from Avatar and Clash of the Titans)</div></div>Krystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15984039954929559983noreply@blogger.com1