objects in mirror are closer than they appear

fair weather fans...

Aaron's company is always getting us great tickets to Philadelphia sports, and Wednesday was no exception. Aaron got us tickets to the Phillies game behind home plate. They were in the first level right behind the diamond club. We were both excited to go and got there a little early to beat traffic. We were also a little nervous because the forecast had been calling for rain and we weren't under an awning. And, turned out we had a good reason to be nervous. We got into our seats in time for the national anthem and it started to pour. At that point we were already soaked so we just sat through it. It stopped raining in about the 3rd inning and we ended up just being cold and wet the rest of the game. haha BUT we just couldn't give up our great seats. They ended up losing 3-1, but at least they rallied toward the end. Jayson Werth hit a home run in the 9th to make it a little exciting! Either way, they were great seats and Phillies games are always fun. Hopefully we'll get those seats again... but next time without the rain!

Spring Break!

As a teacher in Eastern PA, every spring we get a week off of work. No complaints here. Last Friday, (our last day before break) I asked my students what they were doing over break and if they were going anywhere. I had lots of kids going to incredible places... Puerto Rico, Cali, Wales, Scotland, and the list goes on. One class asked, What are you doing Mrs. Windle? Much to my chagrin I said... Oh you know... getting my dog neutered. haha So yes, sadly, as my students will come back to school next week tan with lots of great stories, I will come back with a neutered dog. fun, fun. So since that's the only thing I have to report on ... here goes. Things went well with Kai's surgery. We just got him back home this afternoon and he's doing well. We also got a blood test on him as well (we did the same with Marley, only to find out he was an exotic mutt) So in a few weeks, we'll know what breeds our little guy is. Any guesses???

Prestigious Blog Award...

A friend from Pittsburgh nominated our blog for this (thanks Sarah!) and while our blog is just the randomness of our life, I thought it was fun! When you accept the award, you are supposed to list 5 things that you are addicted to. When I asked Aaron what he thought my #1 was he said, "football? sportscenter? sex? " haha. Here are my REAL answers...

1. My husband. Aaron is the best thing about my life, second only to Jesus. We are constantly laughing... which I love. He is funny and crazy and the most handsome man ever. I am so lucky!

2. My dogs. Marley and Kai currently run my life. haha No, I really love them. I'm constantly taking them on walks, teaching them new tricks, or reading Cesar Milan's books to try to figure them out more. My favorite time of day is right before bed when Aaron and I read in bed and Marley and Kai lay there with us.

3. My family. Aaron and I both have amazing families. We have incredible parents who loved us and taught us to love Jesus. I love having 2 brothers (Sethie and Luke) and there's nothing like sisters. Seriously- Erika and Kelsey are awesome and I love them dearly. And, one of the best things in the world is to be an aunt! I couldn't love my nephews more :)

4. My friends. I have the most amazing friends. My bests from high school are still my best friends now. Alysa, Amy, and Lauren have been with me through high school, college, been in my wedding, and watched me grow up. They are the kind of friends that everyone should be lucky enough to have. I have my college friends and roommates that loved me and taught me so much. Sara, Al, Nat, Becca, and Cait helped me grow, encouraged me to date Aaron "as Nat said.. because he's such a nicey" and often times knew me better than myself. My friends today are from church, my bible study, and work. They are women who truly seek Christ and his kingdom and their love for Him is contagious. They befriended me and have given me the ability to call Philadelphia home. Bef, Jess, Lucarella, Smagee, Ashleigh, Julie, Lisa and so many more... My friendships are what makes life fun and exciting, and bearable when it's unbearable.

***I realized that these are all relationships,which could technically be just 1, so here are a few other things that I'm addicted to...

5. The Office. This is seriously one of the funniest shows... ever! Aaron and I only started watching it after we got sick of Grey's Anatomy (so we missed the first 4 seasons). Aaron got me season 1 for Christmas and when that finished we promptly went out and bought season 2. and then season 3. and season 4. I'm pretty positive we spent the entire month of January in our basement watching that show. If you don't watch it... you should!

6. Pilates. It's my new obsession thanks to Ashleigh. Best workout EVER.

7. Bargain shopping. As my mom always says, "if there's a good deal, Kristen will find it" and I have to agree. I am addicted to good deals. Latest bargain- yellow mary janes at Goodwill, but actually brand new Target shoes.. $4. Seriously, call me next time you go shopping...

8. Chocolate and cherry coke. Not necessarily together. In fact, I am so addicted I had to give them up for lent. Seriously. My thighs will thank me later ;)

So there you go. More than you ever needed to know about me!

Aidan, the dog whisperer

Over Presidents Day weekend, we traveled out to Pittsburgh to hang out with my family. It was the first time that my family had met Kai. I had a feeling our nephews (aidan-6, ethan-almost 3) were going to really love Kai. Kai is pretty mellow- lets people pet him, licks instead of nips, and loves to cuddle, unlike Marley. Needless to say, they loved him! Ethan liked Kai and had fun with him, but it was Aidan that just couldn't get enough of Kai. They chased each other around the house, he petted him, held him and repeated them all over and over again. Kai even went down to my sisters house with us so that Aidan could play with him there. The other good thing was that Kai seems to be rubbing off on Marley. Marley has definitely been more calm and allows people to pet him without Marley chewing on their arms. Here are some pictures of the boys with the dogs and the newest dog whisperer, Aidan.

Aidan and Kai napping

Ethan and Kai... I'm pretty sure this was right after Ethan told Aidan "that's Kai's peepee" haha

the boys and I

Aidan, the dog whisperer with Kai and Marley

which obviously worked because these two were knocked out!

our wonder-dog

As most of you know, our older dog Marley is absolutely crazy! The lady who trained him said "I have NEVER seen a dog with this much energy, ever!" I have to agree. Marley is hyper... all the time. I have tried all kinds of things so that he can release all that energy: going on walks, going on runs, and even buying an attachment for my bike so that he can ride along with me. My latest attempt was to teach Marley how to run on our treadmill. It took a good month, but now Marley jumps on the treadmill and stays there until we stop it. I've had him on there running for an hour! We don't need to hold him there or have him on a leash- he just runs! It has been great to be able to exercise him without having to bundle up and go out in the cold. Sadly enough, I think Marley has put in more time on our treadmill than we have...

our newest family member

My friend Helene said it best when she blogged that "dogs are addicting." Apparently this is completely true since we are now the proud owners of a second rescue dog. It all started when we decided that Marley had outgrown his crate and needed a new one. It was at that point that Aaron said to me "well, I guess this means you'll want another one to fill the old crate." This wasn't what I had in mind, but it got me thinking anyway. A week later, I was bored and looking on petfinder.com at the dogs at Lamancha animal rescue where we got Marley. I had decided that if we were going to get a second dog, I wanted an older dog that was already trained. So, I found a cute hound/beagle mix who had been given to the shelter because of a divorce. I sent it to Aaron, but didn't really think anything would come of it. Well, I was wrong and Aaron wanted to go down and look at dogs that night. On the way to the rescue, I specifically told Aaron that I just wasn't sure that I wanted to come home with a dog that night. We went and looked at the grown dogs, but Aaron wasn't convinced. He insisted that we go look at the puppies. Well, at that point I knew it was over! We played with a number of puppies, until Aaron found one that he just couldn't say no to. He was a little guy with tan fur and a little pink birthmark on his nose. As soon as Aaron picked him up, the puppy started licking Aaron's face. Aaron looked over at me and said... Kristen- I really want this one. haha I just couldn't say no. So, we adopted the little guy at about 11 weeks old. Here are some new pictures of our new family member. We named him KAI (rhymes with Thai ... like the food) Aaron lays claim that Kai is "his dog" which has worked out wonderfully for me when he barks in the middle of the night :) haha Kai is really sweet and loveable dog, not to mention, much calmer than Marley. So without further adieu... here's our second little mutt, Kai

KAI!!!

don't be fooled... they're usually chewing on each other

matching tails!

seriously adorable :)

aaron and "his" dog

PITTSBURH'S GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL (AGAIN)!

I have been a die-hard Steelers fan ever since I can remember. Really, growing up in Pittsburgh, it's hard to be anything but. The Steelers 5th Super Bowl win is still fresh in my mind. We were seniors in college and there was a group of us that would have Steelers parties at my house on 7th ave. I'm pretty sure this was when the Steelers were solidified as Aaron's second team (sorry by the way to the Eagles fans... I was hoping for a PA Super Bowl!) In two weeks, we'll be celebrating with a different group of friends, but we're hoping for the same results.

GO STEELERS!!!

Snodgrass (my roommate) and I @ the Steelers/Bengals game in 2005

in the midst of converting Aaron

mom, kels, and I @ the beginning of the 2008 season

self explanitory... here we go!

Christmas time is here

Christmastime is one of my (Kristen's) favorite time of year. I love nothing more than to cuddle up by the fire (haha now that we have one!) and watch a good movie or read the Christmas story. We spent Christmas with my family this year and had a blast. Then, we celebrated with the Windles on Sunday. It is wonderful having families that love us and that love God even more. Here are some fun pictures from our wonderfully amazing Christmas break :)

our front door!

our tree

the mantle

obviously, the much needed Steelers ornament

and an Eagles one too, so Aaron didn't feel left out and/or take mine down... haha







our incredibly adorable puppy Marley






Marley being a good sport :)

Windle kids

Anderson cousins

It's a wonderful life...

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

Every year it seems like amidst all the gift buying-christmas partying-house decorating-christmas baking-movie watching bustle we forget the true reason for celebrating Christmas. This year Aaron and I really tried to focus on and remember what the birth of Christ means to us as children of God and what a tremendous sacrifice He made on our behalf. Our church, Providence, worked through something called "God in the Straw." It was an amazing study on Christ's birth and its' significance. Here is an excerpt:

"For many, Christmas is just a beautiful dream. It’s a world in which everyday reality goes a bit blurred. It’s nostalgic, cozy, and comforting. But real Christmas isn’t like that at all. It misses the point completely if all you see are decorated trees, carolers, and shiny presents. Christmas is not a reminder that the world really is a nice old place after all. It’s a reminder that the world is a shockingly bad old place where wickedness flourishes unchecked, where children are murdered, were civilized countries make a lot of money by selling weapons to uncivilized ones so they can blow each other apart. Christmas is God lighting a candle: and you don’t light a candle in a room that is already filled with sunlight. You light a candle in a room that’s so murky that the candle, when lit, reveals just how bad things really are. The Light shines in the darkness, as St John says, and the light did not overcome it."


While we love all that Christmas means to us through traditions and family, even more so, we love that it is symbolic of when Christ came to this world to free us. We pray that this year you would recognize along with us the need for Christians to be light in the dark places and to continue on the work of Christ.