Kettlebells Thursday, July 02, 2009

So, this week begins my kettlebell workout routine with a friend from work. Yes, I know what you're saying..."what happened to P90X?". It was a fantastic workout, but I stopped doing it when I got the flu at the end of last year. Then, the holidays were upon us and...well, I guess I'm just making excuses. Sorry Christopher!

Christopher was my accountability partner for P90X. We were so serious about making P90X work for us that we even created a blog to catalog our workouts and other random thoughts. We were about as consistent with that as we were with our workouts.

Now, I'm off to the next shiny new thing; Kettlebells. If you've never heard of a kettlebell, imagine a cannonball with a handle on it. Or, if imagining things is too hard for you, just look at the picture to the left. There are literally dozens (maybe even hundreds) of exercises you can do with a kettlebell. Right now, I'm only working on swings (goofy-looking, air-humping, arm swings between your legs) and getups (lie down, hold HEAVY weight above your head and try to stand up while not dropping it on your dome). Check out these videos if you want to see some actual examples of the workouts and techniques. Anybody out there got a workout program that they're doing and seems to be working for them?

Top Gear - Season 13 Monday, June 22, 2009

Tonight is the night I've been waiting for since last Fall. A tradition that Sony and I have been dragged into (actually, most willingly). I'm referring to a get-together we know as "Top Gear Night".

We have a great group of friends here in Knoxville. Most of which attend Christ Community Church with us. The tradition of Top Gear Night basically just involves all of us gathering around somebody's glowing picture box to watch the latest episode of the greatest show ever -- Top Gear. A beautifully produced program on the BBC 2 about cars, Top Gear spares no expense to make quality entertainment with exceptional production quality...and a bit of good ol' British humor.

Now, I'll probably catch a lot of flack from some of you hardcore peeps out there, but neither Sonya, nor I are really "car people". You know what I mean when I say that. Neither of us could talk to you about cars in any intelligent manner...unless we're talking about the Volvo or the Love Boat. What I can tell you is that this show is just fun and pretty to watch! The amount of effort they put into its production is definitely noticeable.

Watch this clip from last season and you'll see what I mean. Be sure to click the HQ (High Quality) button in order for it to play correctly. (If that doesn't work, just click here to watch the video on YouTube.) If you're not a fan of the show after watching this, I don't know what to say.

Atlanta Saturday, May 09, 2009

If you are ever in Atlanta, I highly recommend the Botanical Gardens. Of course, your experience will never be as awesome as ours was, because we were with two of the coolest people in the world. That's right, Brett and April Emerson were with us to experience this lush urban refuge and I doubt the experience would have been half as great without them.

I don't really have an explanation for these photos. I just picked the weirdest ones from this trip...wasn't hard to do! Seriously, the gardens were beautiful and we had a lovely weekend. Keep the Emersons in your prayers as they fly back to Africa this weekend.

April Fools Day Prank Wednesday, April 01, 2009

This afternoon, we had probably one of the best April Fool's Day pranks played on us EVER! Read this email thread first, then I'll explain what happened. (images will expand when clicked)

So, here's how it all went down. Sean creates a Gmail account of luchauer.sonya, which is flipped from what her actual account is. From that account, he sends the first message (disguised as Sonya) to himself about us being pregnant. He then replies to Sonya with what he says in the first email above and also CC's about 50 people (some we know, some we don't) to the email. ALL of these people get an email from Sean with what looks like a legitimate email from Sonya saying that we're pregnant.

After some time passes, and after my heart jumps back into my chest from thinking that Sonya told these friends of ours that we're pregnant before even telling ME, Sean follows up with the second email above saying that he was mistaken and that we're having twins.

Well, now I'm thinking "okay, okay...you got us good, Sean", but he follows up with a third email saying we're having triplets, but then goes on to smooth everything over, explaining that it was all an April Fool's joke. Phew! Sonya and I didn't know what was going on and I'm sure the people that were all copied on Sean's emails REALLY were wondering. I'm just glad he didn't have our parent's email addresses in his contact list!!

I talked to another friend who received one of these emails and he said that people were going to think one of three things after reading them:

1. Sonya and I are pregnant with 1 child
   
2. Sonya and I are pregnant with twins
3. Sean is a jerk

Hahah! Just know that NONE of the above things are true. This was, by far, the best prank that has ever been played on us. Props to you Sean for being so sly, but like Sonya said, you're still are a turd. I love you, man! Thanks for thinking we were "worthy" enough for this prank. LOL!

Knoxville Skateboarding Saturday, February 07, 2009

Today, I ventured out to the Knoxville Skate Park. The park is great and has a few bowls, some stairs, rails and hubbas. It's a perfect mix of street and vert! The temperature got up to 65 today and there were a TON of kids (and 2 old guys) rockin' it out. Check out my Flickr page for more!

After hitting up the skate park, I headed over to The Board Room in fabulous Knox-Vegas. Some good friends of ours opened the shop this past Fall and I'd be willing to put money on it being the best skate shop in Knoxville. Some of the kids that were at the skate park must have knew I was coming because they were playing on the Xbox 360 when I showed up. After teaching them a lesson in s.k.a.t.e, I had them give me lessons in kickflips. I was able to get my board to flip, but just couldn't land it. All in good time. Here are some pics of the kids hitting up a rail in front of The Board Room.

The rest of the photos from the skate session at The Board Room can also be found on my Flickr.

The Last of 2008 Thursday, January 15, 2009

Some of my favorite things about 2008:

1. New community and involvement with Christ Community Church
2. Our travels in EUROPE
3. Rootclip officially launched, and was featured in the Traverse City Film Festival
4. I officially started Grad School full-time, working toward my Nurse Practitioner Degree
5. Ran my 1st 1/2 Marathon
6. President-elect Barack Obama - hopeful future for our country
7. Many of our friends brought new little lives into this world in '08, plus a few via adoption!
8. Erik and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary

I'm sure there are many, many more awesome and amazing things that God allowed me to experience in 2008, but these were just the highlights.

The last few weeks of December were filled with visits from friends and family - much laughter and love all around. Here's a link to our photos chronicling all of the fun :)

The Board Room Monday, November 17, 2008

Our friends, Nathan and Regina Phillips, just opened up a new board sports store here in Knoxville. We're in awe of all of their hard work this past year - they have successfully opened the sweetest board shop in town. Skiers, snowboarders, skateboarders, Long boarders, and wake boarders, should be very excited! They've got loads of unique apparel as well as gear. If you live here (or even if you don't), you should check it out. Open Monday thru Saturday 10am-8pm on Kingston Pike on Bearden Hill, next to Calhouns.

Below, Erik and Nathan practicing their high-five.

Nursing Buddies 2008 Sunday, October 05, 2008

Last week, I went to Washington,D.C. for my annual "Nursing Buddies Reunion". These ladies are how I kept my sanity during nursing school, and we share a unique bond. It really made me think about this Masters program that I'm in now, and how I miss the camaraderie of fellow students. My virtual peers are great, and I'm learning a lot, but there is something to be said for the face to face interaction of classroom learning. Maybe it's just a reflection of what a social being I am. I love interacting with others. I crave it, in fact. Don't get me wrong, this program so far is absolutely great. I'm learning so much, and it's actually a lot more rigorous than I expected. BUT, there have been a few days where I thought I was going mad. Sitting here at my table, (sitting on a pillow so my butt doesn't go numb on this wooden chair), reading and typing ALL day. It's a TOTAL change of pace for me. The verdict: so far, so good. Here are some pics of my crazy weekend in D.C....

Capitol Hill

Jessicca and I on the train into the city.

Alisha's little girl, Aria, and I were tight. We hung out together at the Newseum. Which, btw, is the one of the most interesting museums I've been to in the United States. We spent a whole day here, looking at galleries dedicated to some of the greatest news stories in the world, and the reporters and journalists who broke the stories.

The Pulitzer prize photograph gallery was my fav.

A trip to the Newseum is not complete without the 4-D movie. I look way too excited about this.

Maurine and her sweet little boy, Monroe.

Jessicca feeding her baby :)

Wendi, Alisha, & Aria.

Suz and I at dinner one night.

House Full of Ladies Saturday, October 04, 2008

A few weeks ago, Ali and Shawna stayed the weekend with us. Shawna's little girl, Ana came too. Poor Erik, a house filled with ladies. For a whole weekend. It was great!

I don't think there could be anything cuter than this. Ana loved taking a bath in my sink!

Erik is wonderful with little ones. And big ones too :)

Mawage, sweet mawage! Thursday, April 17, 2008

I absolutely love this picture of Mark and Jess. This seriously gives you an idea of how much joy there was surrounding the entire event, as we watched Mark (Erik's brother) marry his best friend. It was amazing. Jessica is a precious person whom I have grown very fond of, and I have no doubt that she is the absolute perfect person for Mark. Their love for God and for each other is...just beautiful. The wedding took place in Fort Myers, FL this past weekend. We met up with family and friends we hadn't seen in ages, it was a wicked good time. Lots of dancing, eating, laughing, and it wouldn't be Florida without the torrential down pour thrown in for good measure. We'll spare you all of the crazy (and embarrassing) pictures of the bachelor and bachelorette parties, all you need to know is that the weekend ended with two lovers headed to Hawaii on their way to a fabulous honeymoon. Actually, they're STILL honeymooning as I write this. No fair.

I throw this picture in to remind us of the hilarious dueling sound systems at the park during pictures. These groomsmen are dancing to "Soulja Boy" courtesy of the people who were having a birthday party in the pavilion next to us! It was so loud, all we could do was laugh.

About 30 minutes before pictures started, Erik realized he forgot his PANTS. Kind of important. Yeah, if it weren't for Rob, he would have walked down the isle in jeans.

Good-Bye Aaron & Amy Monday, July 02, 2007

About 2 weeks ago our totally rad friends, the Etheridges, came to stay with us for a few days. Aaron & Amy are getting ready to move to Oregon for the rest of the summer, then they are on their way to Vancouver, BC. We were honored to be able to snag them for some quality time as they are touring the Southeast saying their goodbyes to family and friends. We are so excited about the work they will be doing in Canada, and we ask that you pray for them as they answer God’s call to work with University students at UBC. Click here to read more about what the Etheridges will be doing in Vancouver.

Our time with Aaron and Amy was shared with some other dear friends that we met up with in Jellico, TN. We headed up Last Thursday to be with Will and Shawna and their youth group, while they were there for Mission Camp as a part of GoodSoil Ministies. They worked so hard painting the church building and building a deck for a family in the community. We were so happy to meet the Meeks and hear about the amazing things that God is doing in the community of Jellico through GoodSoil Ministries. Steve and Donna were gracious enough to let us stay with them. It just so happened that another Missionary Famiy, Marty and Louise Koonce (and their 2 youngest boys), were staying with them as well! It was a full house, but we had an amazing time, drinking authentic African Chai, and listening to Marty and Steve tell stories about their time in Africa. We were just drinking in the richness of the evening! Erik and I could really identify with Steve and Donna’s stories of some of the things they see here in East Tennessee (Appalachian slang, if you will).

Above is a pic of some of us at the local coffee shop, Common Grounds. Below is a picture of the Meeks’ house. Steve and his 2 oldest sons built it with their own hands! (I just realized we never got a picture of Steve and Donna)

Saturday night, Erik and I introduced Aaron and Amy to...The Melting Pot! CRAZY good. We ate (or should I say grazed) for 3 solid hours! I had to unbutton the top of my pants(don’t worry, NOT pictured here).

We finished our time together by heading to Atlanta, where we watched David and Andrew Scharff compete against Ben and Aaron Etheridge in the Muddy Buddy race. It was a great time once we finally got there (the poor Volvo over-heated in the middle of a traffic jam right as we reached North Atlanta). Don’t let this photo fool you. We were actually dripping with sweat - 90 degrees Hot-lanta style! Sorry, I don’t have any pics of the muddy buddies, but take my word for it, they were dirty!

Summer, Summer, Summers Time Wednesday, June 13, 2007

You know you’ve got the old skool Will Smith song in your head now. “Here it is, a groove, slightly transformed. Just a bit of a break from the norm. Just a little sumthin’ to break the monotony of all that hardcore jam that has gotten to be a little bit out of control. It’s cool to dance, but what about a groove that soothes and moves romance...” You know the rest...leave it for us in a comment. This’ll be awesome. Go until you can’t remember, then somebody else can pick up where you left off. AND NO CHEATING!!! I did that from memory (and it’s probably a little wrong, but oh well).

Anyways, my REAL reason for posting is to share the awesome time that we had with our friends Curtis and Crystal Summers. We met this awesome couple in Michigan [Erik breathes a sigh and sheds a tear for his home state] after we moved back from Harding. They attended Grace Bible Church in Ann Arbor and were the first couple that befriended us when we visited there. And the rest...is history.

They now live in Texas. The only other state where a persons love of home rivals that of our fellow Michiganders. While here, we caught up on everything that’s happened since the last time we hung out...which was THREE years ago. We’ve kept in touch via phone, but it’s never the same as getting to be in someone’s presence. We went on a short hike through the Knoxville Arboretum, then went to see My Fair Lady at the Historic Tennessee Theatre. It was a wonderful weekend. Now, we just need to plan some time in Texas.

Chud, Shmon, and Shmal Monday, June 04, 2007

I was blessed to be able to spend a whole weekend with Shawna and Ali in Nashville over the last few days! I cannot begin to explain how precious this time was to me. We had so much fun laughing until our pits started sweating, staying up way too late, eating entirely too much cheesecake, and playing with Shawna’s son Gaines. We took him to the Nashville Zoo (which is actually a pretty cool zoo) and went swimming. It was a fabulous time with my girls!

Memorial Day Hike Monday, May 28, 2007

We spent Memorial Day hiking 10 miles on the Appalachian Trail to Charlie’s Bunion. In 1929, this hike was named after Charlie Conner who paused for a rest on the rocks, took off his boots and exposed a bunion or two that rivaled the surrounding stones! His friends promised to get the site named after him! We found Charlie’s Bunion to be one of the most beautiful hikes we’ve done this year.

When one gets a blister while hiking in the Smokies, whatever is one to do? Why, stuff a huge leaf in your shoe, of course! At least, that’s what Erik does...

Love For The Emersons Saturday, May 05, 2007

A few weeks ago, Erik and I took off for Alabama in search of our long lost friends, the Emerson’s. They were back in the states from Africa, and it was SO good to be with them again. They have committed the next few years of their lives to living with and ministering to the Kabiye people in Togo, West Africa. God’s spirit is moving and working through them, and it was such a beautiful thing to be able to share stories and hear about their work over there. We were thankful to nab some quality time with them amidst their busy schedule. They also have announced that they are expecting baby #2! Please remember Brett, April, Caden, and Baby #2 in your prayers.