At Home with Heather

I love living in Mount Holly/Belmont. It is a great place to live.
The one complaint I did have though was the lake of coffee shops in the area. A few days ago, I decided to check out this independent coffee shop right by my house. I looked at the menu-not too bad (if you know me, you know I am a coffee snob!). So I proceeded to order and asked if they carried soy milk (b/c I am lactose intolerant) and to my dismay they were out! =(
So later on that morning some of us at work were talking about how Gastonia/Mount Holly needed a Starbucks or SOMETHING to caffeinate ourselves and get the energy flowing in our blood! One of the girls there, who is a master chef, told me about the coffee shop she helped open at Belmont Abby College, which happens to be literally 2 minutes from my house. So I decided to give it a shot. The place is called "Holy Grounds" really cool if you ask me. Not only do they make an acceptable iced, SOY caramel macchiato, this place also provides a great atmosphere to hang out or read/study. I think I still look young enough to blend in with the college students that inhabit the place!
I am a coffee shop nerd. My siblings used to make fun of me in high school saying I always went to coffee shops to "read poetry and sip coffee." What can I say?? It really IS something I like to do! So, today, on my day off, I chilled there for about an hour and a half reading (not poetry though=), writing in my journal and "sipping" coffee. It was very refreshing and I enjoyed it a lot.

I'm sure this is all to my husband's dismay, but this discovery may just help keep me sane while he is gone!

I think fall is officially here. All the kiddies are going back to school, and the weather is definitely cooler here in North Carolina. This morning when I went out side to go to the gym at 8 am there was definitely a bit of a chill in the air!
I love fall. It is my favorite season. I love wearing sweaters and hoodies, crunching through fallen leaves and seeing them change colors; having an excuse to start a fire and drink hot cocoa. =)

Yesterday, my family and I took another infamous trip to the mountains. We decided to go to Blowing Rock. We found the most pretty and quaint place. The weather was just right, sunshine with a bit of a cool, fall breeze. We explored a few trails and then ended our trip with yummy ice cream from Kilwin's. =) We are all looking forward to mid-October when the leaves will be bright orange, yellow and red.
I loved fall growing up in Michigan too. The leaves changed colors quite quickly there, because it is so much cooler.

I looked up the "official day fall starts" and it seems to be September 22nd. But can vary from the 21st to the 25th. I say whenever the air starts to get cool and brisk, fall is here. =)

What is your favorite thing about fall? =)

"If we are addicted to people's approval, we will always experience pain when that approval is withdrawn-as it always is, at one time or another. However, if we look to God for our approval we will never experience the pain of withdrawal because we have a constant, steady flow of His love and acceptance. It is always available for the taking. It is free and abundant. We suffer much agony because we try to get from people what only God can give us, which is a sense of worth and value. Look to God for what you need not people."
From the book, Approval Addiction By:Joyce Meyer

Always a self-professed, "people-pleaser" this is the story of my life. I really, honestly think that this is what this year of Sam being away is about for me. The Lord really wants me to depend and relay on Him for everything I need. I hope to finally learn this lesson, because so many people have come in and out of my life because I chose to seek their approval and acceptance instead of the Lord's. Which is known as, "fear of man." (attributing actions that keep us in our comfort zone or "approval pool" to avoid rejection from people). When really all that matters is what God thinks about us. This is going to be a hard one for me. Hope I can pass the test....

I was just commenting on Renee's blog and thought I would write my own on the topic.

When everything happened 6 years ago I was a senior in high school. I was in my government class and we turned on the television in the classroom right before the second planes hit. I remember everyone feeling so helpless and confused about what was going on. Later on that day, I was in my journalism class and we were reflecting on how we could write about this in the school newspaper and how we could look at it from a journalist perspective. Actually, the coverage from this event actually inspired me to go to school for journalism. A dream that was lost, due to mission work and deciding I wasn't cutthroat enough for the job.

I remember thinking of all my 18 year old guy friends and how they would be old enough to be drafted now, if the events from the day lead to a war. Which they did.

Now I am married to a man in the military and because of the events on that day he is now being deployed for a year. AND the ironic thing, is that he was deployed on September 11th six years later.

I participated in a moment of silence this morning with the rest of the nation. No matter what our political views on 9/11, the war, and the current situation in Iraq, I do believe we all feel for the lives that were lost that day.

(Yes, I stole pics from BA's blog for now, b/c our camera went to the bottom of the lake a few weeks back and I need to get pics from Sam's brother, David... =)

My dear husband Samuel Thomas Chandler is going to be leaving the country in less than 24 hours. His "big" send off was on Saturday at Fort Bragg. I am actually really glad that his unit did a send off for him because I know it meant a lot to him that everyone came to see him off. And it was actually really fun to have that time with him and all our close family and friends.

And SURPRISINGLY, he got an extra day. His Lt. told him he could spend the night off base and wear civilan clothes. YEAH!!! You have NO IDEA how that made my day and the whole trip. After everyone else headed home, we still had a whole day together. That last 24 hours with him was perfect. I wouldn't change anything about it and it made it a little bit easier to say goodbye on Sunday, ending on such a good note.

I am sooooooo, so appreciative of everyone that took such a long trip to come see Sam off. It meant SO much to him and us. So, thank you from both of us, you all are the best. =)

Please, continue to keep us in your prayers. Pray for Sam's safety and quick return. We love you all!

So here it is, my new PINK dyson. Target was having a sale on dyson's and we have been looking to buy one for awhile. So when I saw the add in Target on Sunday, we went straight to the store and bought it, b/c the PINK one is exclusive there. Plus the offer included a $100 Target gift card too. Yeah! More Target shopping. So I was pretty excited to get a pink vacuum cleaner. I used it today and it is great. It almost makes cleaning fun! =)

Sam has returned to Fort Bragg as of yesterday. I am very thankful I got to have about 5 days with him before he leaves on the 11th. We had a lot of fun just being together and enjoying each other's company. I will get to see him at least one more time at his "going away party" the Army is putting on for his team on Saturday. His brother David is probably going to come at the end of the week and we are going to try to spend a few extra days with him. As hard as it is to say goodbye over and over, I would never turn down the chance to see him even for a half a day. I know again someday we will be like normal married couples and be able to see each other every day. Absence DOES make the heart grow fonder for sure. It was nice to not have to sleep alone and I slept better the 5 nights I was with him than I have the last two months he has been gone. So as great as it was to see him for a few days I am anxious for the time he gets to finally come home for good.