Thank. You. Lord.

After exactly three weeks of w.a.i.t.i.n.g..................

Thomas got picked up by the New England Patriots on Monday! We are pretty stinkin' excited and encouraged. Even if this doesn't last longer than a few days or weeks, {hopefully it will last longer than his 24-hour contract with the Vikings} we needed this little encouragement for the time being. The past three weeks were long in some aspects but also fun and flew by in other ways.

Here are some of the things we are thankful for that happened in the last three weeks:

-We got to live in York with my parents and my brother and his family. All 9 of us lived together for quite some time and there was VERY little tension. And it was a BLAST!
-I got to go to the Indie Craft Fair with my sister-in-law Elizabeth while Thomas got contacts that are actually the correct prescription. It's the simple things, folks.
-We got to go to Franklin, NC with Thomas' sister Bekah and visit Uncle Robert and Aunt Kim's new town.
-Thomas flew to Boston and Seattle to workout. Both visits were less than 24 hours. But one of them ended up providing a JOB!
-We got to live with our agent and his family in the apartment over their garage for 5 days. What a sweet opportunity that we wouldn't have gotten otherwise.
-We got to go see Church Girl, which you can read about in my post below. :)
-And we got to be together every single day for a whole month!

Sweet Thomas kept saying "we wouldn't be able to do these things if I were still in Minnesota!" What a great attitude my dear husband has.

And I'll end this post with a hilarious story about how we found out Thomas had a job....

On rainy Monday morning, I was sitting in our little apartment at our agent's house feeling pretty sorry for myself. I emailed two of my dearest friends a stream of consciousness email that included things like "what am I doing with my life? How long is this waiting period going to last? Please pray for me to know what to do with my time. I am going crazy." It was raining so I was stuck in the apartment, couldn't go for a run, and couldn't drive anywhere because Thomas had the car. My phone rang and it was our agent. He was asking me if we'd gotten to swim in their pool the day before, and I said yes, the temperature was great and it wasn't too cold. He said "speaking of cold temperatures....." and I thought "oh my gosh we're moving back to Minnesota." Then he told me Thomas got signed to the Patriot's practice squad and I started yelling and sprinted down the stairs to tell Susan, his sweet wife. We were screaming and jumping and the dog was all over us. And then Susan looked at me and said "Margaret, Thomas doesn't even know! We have to let him know!"

So, I did the unthinkable and actually called Thomas at work. I have NEVER called Thomas at work. But this was time for the unthinkable and I called the front desk at the workout facility. I told the receptionist the situation and she ran to go get Thomas. And of course, when Thomas answered the phone, he said: "Why are you calling me here? Are you pregnant or something?"

And now, 48 hours later, Thomas is already in Foxboro practicing with the team and I am in Clemson going through every bit of our belongings that have been in storage for 3 months. After living in our car for this long, I don't want any of our stuff and I want SIMPLICITY. I am giving things away right and left and having a blast. We are going to look for a furnished apartment in the Foxboro area. After what happened in Minnesota, we aren't putting all our eggs in one basket! So, I'll pack what I can in the green mullet truck and go on my merry way.

Thanks for all the love and support everyone has shown over the past 3 weeks and 3 months. We are excited that the Patriots want Thomas, whether it is for 2 days, 2 months or 2 years. The Lord knows how to give us enough encouragement just for today.

Church Girl

We got to go to such a fun Broadway show called Church Girl at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta on Friday night. We've actually never been to the theatre together so it was a fun "first." It felt like watching a Tyler Perry movie on stage...and if you know us, you know that we LOVE Tyler Perry movies. The crowd was interactive and LOUD and we had such a blast. The music was phenomenal gospel music and it really felt like a little taste of heaven.

Afterwards we went to Baraonda with every intention of just getting drinks and ended up having the most delicious {real} pizza and an appetizer at 11:30 at night. It was such a fun treat!

In other news, {there isn't much lately} my mom and I made a delicious salad the night before Thomas and I left York.

My cousin is running a CSA through The Bush-N-Vine in York, and he gave us some of the leftover lettuce from this week's basket. It was some of the best lettuce I've ever tasted. And I'm not exaggerating. We also used fresh figs from my mom's garden. Delicious!

Here is an attempt at a recipe for our salad:

half a head of red leaf lettuce, torn
a few handfuls of arugula, torn
8 fresh figs, sliced lengthwise
1/2 of an apple, chopped
sprinkle of feta cheese, or goat cheese would be good too

dressing:
2 T each of white balsamic vinegar and olive oil
1 tsp each of honey and Dijon mustard

Whisk quickly and drizzle over salad. Add fresh cracked black pepper. Toss salad and serve immediately.

Happy Monday!

In the face of this chaos

Last night as I drove to pick Thomas up from the airport for what seemed like the millionth time, I listened to this song by Andrew Peterson on repeat. I laughed to myself thinking about how I never would've planned our life to look this way when I said "I do" 2 years and 3 months ago. Someone told me recently that they'd been to a wedding and it made them scared to think of what a commitment marriage is. I couldn't agree more, and I think it is right and good to be scared of marriage because we should view it as sacred and for a lifetime. But I also think that it is a terrifying place to ever be able to say "I'm ready for marriage. I know what it takes." I think it is encouraging when couples are able to simply say "we don't know what this will look like, and we know we'll never be 'ready' for the storms of life, but no matter what the future holds, we are laying our lives down for one another."

As we've been in this crazy period in our lives, I've been talking to older couples and I realized that each one of their stories is highlighted by the unexpected. Life never goes as we plan, and I think the most important thing I've learned is to be able to say "Lord, my life is totally and completely Your's. I trust that You know best and my job is to simply enjoy the days You have given me, no matter what they bring."

This song seems to encapsulate my thoughts, and I included my favorite lines here. I pray that whether you are single or married, you will be encouraged that our sweet Savior knows the future.

And that is enough to enable us to sail through the storms.

Dancing in the Minefields
Well ‘I do’ are the two most famous last words
The beginning of the end
But to lose your life for another I’ve heard is a good place to begin
Cause the only way to find your life is to lay your own life down
And I believe it’s an easy price for the Life that we have found
Cause we bear the light of the Son of man
So there’s nothing left to fear
So I’ll walk with you in the shadow lands
Till the shadows disappear
Cause He promised not to leave us
And His promises are true
So in the face of this chaos baby
I can dance with you

So lets go dancing in the minefields
Lets go sailing in the storms
Oh lets go dancing in the minefields
And kicking down the doors
Oh lets go dancing in the minefields
And sailing in the storms

Oh this is harder than we dreamed

But I believe that’s what the promise is for

That’s what the promise is for

Reality {horror} TV: your local fair

Fair. n.
1. A gathering held at a specified time and place for the buying and selling of goods.

2. An exhibition, as of farm products or manufactured goods, usually accompanied by various competitions and entertainments.

3. An exhibition intended to inform people about a product or business opportunity.
4. An event, usually for the benefit of a charity or public institution, including entertainment and the sale of goods.
 
I grew up going to many local fairs to show sheep as a kid. {Yes, we showed sheep at the local fair. It involved leading a sheep around a pen in front of a judge and then getting a ribbon. With braided pig-tails and cowboy boots with jeans tucked in. Laugh it up.}
 
Anyway, Thomas and I have been to two fairs in the past two weeks. Perhaps it is maturity, or maybe the Greenhouse Effect can be blamed, but I didn't realize until this year what a nasty place the fair is. The things available to eat are a nutritionists nightmare. Here is a photo tour for your viewing pleasure:
 
 

                                                  

Here you see my husband enjoying a bratwurst. {barf} This was on the day that he made the practice squad, so we went to the Minnesota State Fair to celebrate. Maybe eating a brat to celebrate was bad luck? Or perhaps it was the fact that Thomas hadn't trimmed his beard in weeks?

                                      

Fresh. Fried. Fruit. Oxymoron. What a nightmare. Needless to say, we did not stoop this low on the Food Pyramid and dine on the fresh fried fruit. But I had to take a photo for my JuicePlus representative, Maggie Grisham.

This past weekend we escaped to the mountains of Franklin, NC to visit Thomas' aunt and uncle with his sister Bekah. Here we are partaking in a classic funnel cake at the Macon County Fair. Bekah and I were covered in powdered sugar like 2 year-olds by the end of this fiasco. But a funnel cake once every 10 years is OK if you ask me. Just make sure you fast the next day. Or week.

How will YOU arrive at the cemetery? One can only hope to go out in style.

And last but certainly not least, here we are trying out the canvas chairs from Napa Auto Parts. Thomas is sitting in the one that will hold up to 1000 lbs. He feet are {unbelievably} not even touching the ground.

We encourage you to support your local fair, but please, do so with caution.

Adorable blog

My sister-in-law Elizabeth took me to the Indie Craft Parade in Greenville last Saturday. It was like a dream world for me. Every booth was like walking around Etsy. It was pretty much too good to be true and I fell in love with Paige Maitland's handmade garments and bags. As I was thumbing through her clothes, I realized one of the patterns was familiar to me because it looked exactly like a set of sheets I slept on as a child at my grandmothers. I asked Paige if some of her things were made from old sheets and they are!

I nearly fainted for joy. I am obsessed with old, worn, soft sheets. I despise new sheets that are stiff and I have the best memories of certain sets of sheets from my grandmother's house. And to find that there are CLOTHES made out of these very same fabrics...glory be!

Sadly, most of her adult clothes had all been snatched up but I did buy a little cosmetic bag. She made the sweetest dresses for little girls. Her prices are extraordinarily reasonable. Check out her blog or her Etsy store and see for yourself how great she is!

My 8 roomies

If you told me last week that today I would be living in York with my parents, my brother, his {very} pregnant wife, their 14 year-old, 4 year-old, 3 year-old and my jobless NFL player husband....

I would've scoffed at you.

Well, I would've said something to the effect of "it is a possibility, but highly unlikely." Silly me, who am I to think that I can plan my life? I'm reminded of the verses in Jeremiah that say "for I know the plans I have for you." Our current living situation definitely wasn't something that was in my plans, but it sure has ended up being fun.

In case you were wondering why 9 {10 if you include Baby Hall} of us are now living together in York, let me explain. My brother Daniel and his wife Kelly are currently building a house within walking distance from my parent's house, and they have been living with my parents throughout the building process. Their house is ALMOST complete and it is looking fabulous. Who knows, maybe we'll move in with them next! At any rate, we are all living under the same roof and it provides many hilarious situations. The witty remarks from my dad are endless, such as:

"Thomas and Margaret, don't feel bad. It says in scripture that 'the foxes have holes and the birds have their nests but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.' So really, your situation is Christ-like."

"If you'd told me 20 years ago that two of my grown children would be living with me including a pregnant lady, 3 kids, and an NFL player with no job, I would've called you crazy. I laid in bed last night and almost started crying."

Thomas has been a human jungle-gym all week for my two youngest nephews and has been such a good sport. He says he now understands what it is like to be a stay-at-home dad.

 And the adults have all been staying up late playing the Wii and getting quite competitive. My "Hunting Traditions" class at Clemson paid off and I beat Thomas in archery. Daniel and Thomas made our night by riding bikes tandem....

And Jackson and Evans fight off the invading dragons at the new house with their weapons:

And I've enjoyed all of the fresh flowers in my mom's garden. The flower arrangement options are endless and her garden is her full time job. Her hard work pays off in all the gorgeous flowers and fresh veggies we enjoy every day.

Although we wouldn't want to live here forever {nor would my father allow us} we are having fun for the time being. 8 roommates aren't that bad after all.

And so it goes

Dear Family and Friends,




We are so sorry to send this update via the Internet but it is the most efficient way right now! I like to think of email/the Internet as a helpful tool the Lord has given us to help us communicate with each other better, although it is impersonal and I apologize for that.
Who knew it was possible to get cut, signed to the practice squad, and get cut again within 48 hours?! Well, I'm here to personally say, it is VERY possible. Yesterday morning at this time I was frantically looking for a place to live in Eden Prairie, MN. Within minutes I was just as frantically looking for a flight to Charlotte to fly both of us home.
The best way to explain our situation is this: Life in the NFL is no different than life outside the NFL, and life brings about very unexpected things every day. Thomas made the practice squad on Sunday. But by Monday morning, the other lineman on the practice squad had been moved to the NY Jets. This meant that the Vikings needed to find a lineman to replace him, so they brought in 2 players to try out for his position. Therefore, Thomas got "released" to make room for those 2 linemen. The Vikings made it clear to him that they really liked him and were impressed with him, but they are a business just like any other and they have to do what is best for them. There is a possibility that they call Thomas to come back next week, but we don't count on that. So, his name is on the market throughout the NFL and we are currently in York waiting to see what happens next.
We were at church on Sunday night and I copied down the following verses. I had no idea that in 12 hours I would be called to truly live out these verses:
Deuteronomy 31:8
"The Lord is the One who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."

I re-read those verses this morning and was reminded that the Lord told us these things because He knew that we would be tempted to think "Where are you God? Are you with us? Have you failed us?" And He knew that we might be "dismayed" or else He wouldn't have told us this. It is so comforting that He goes before us. He knew all along that this would happen and we fully trust that He knows what will happen next. He "works all things together for the good of those who love Him," and we do not place our hope in football or the NFL but in a God who spoke the universe into existence.
Thank you so much for the prayers, phone calls, emails and texts. We apologize if we don't respond promptly as we are a little overwhelmed right now.



Resting in Grace and Peace,



Thomas and Margaret

A few of my favorite {cheap} things

I love clothes. I specifically love clothes that are affordable and can be bought with a $20 bill or less. I've been an avid reader of InStyle for many years {much to my mother's horror} but I love to use it to get ideas and then go buy the cheap version of what they suggest. I decided to dedicate a post to a few of the things I'm obsessed with lately, not only because they are trendy but because they are MAJORLY wallet friendly. And believe me, wallet friendly is important to us these days as we have no idea where/when our next paycheck will come.

 Don't judge me, but I own a pair of jeggings. I know you are probably judging me because I used to judge jegging-wearers too. But I realized that as long as they aren't worn in the wretched way they are worn on Clemson's campus {with Uggs or with a t-shirt that doesn't cover up the buttocks. Or worse: Uggs AND a buttocks-baring tee}they can really be cute. I have a great pair from Old Navy that I got on sale for $15. They aren't on sale right now but if you're patient and persistent, you too can enjoy the stretchy fabric but look like you're wearing skinny jeans. But please, only enjoy while wearing a shirt that touches mid-thigh or below.

My next favorite thing is this tee from Target. The Target across the street from our temporary home in Minnesota {aka hotel room} has them for $5 this week. I have one in grey and THREE in white. Yes, you read that right. Because you can wear this tee when you workout, when you sleep, when you cook, and you can easily dress it up. It is AMAZING. If you're like me and you regularly buy men's Hanes t-shirts, these are better. Softer. And stronger. They do run a little small though so I buy a size up from what I normally wear.

Just don't wear it with your jeggings.

Next on my list is the adorable jewelry from Forever21. I went recently with my sister and bought a great assorted charms necklace. I wear it almost every day. With my tee from Target.

And last on my favorites list is thanks to Mary Gene who posted some of her favorite sunscreens and face lotions a few months ago. It made me start looking for a good night cream and I started using this one from Oil of Olay. I found it for 50% off and it smells amazing and makes your skin feel so soft. And hopefully in 10 years I will see the results of the anti-wrinkle aspect.

Oh, and I can't forget my friend Kristin's earrings at Lydia Beaded designs. And she's having a sale right now too! Check her out.