Playing Catch-Up!

We're back! So we took a break from the blog this summer and fall, but our faithful reader Merissa may have only been the one person who noticed. (Thanks for reading, Merissa!)

Here's a quick recap from summer and fall 2010:

Our twin nephews were born July 1st! They were so tiny! They have been growing and learning so much. What an incredible joy they are to our entire family. Two babies at once. Wow. We got to fly up to see them early in the summer. It was an amazing time. We love them so much.

Jason had a great summer job at the forest running summer camps for kids. He got to spend every day doing what he loves - hiking and teaching! There were a few super hot days (in upper 90's and low 100's!), but he really enjoyed his job and the break from classes. He did, however, keep up with his reading and actually got to read a few books for fun.

We made a trip to Spartanburg in July for our dear friends' wedding (Mal and Shane). It was a joy and honor to be a a part of their wedding, and the event was so much fun! We got to see many sweet friends.

Thanks to all our summer and fall visitors who made the trek to Louisville to spend time with us! We were graced with visits from Johnny R, Jared and Anna Leigh (pre-engagement), Merissa and her kids, and both sets of our parents. We love hitting up the hot spots around town when our friends and family come to town. We took our visitors to Graeter's ice cream, downtown Louisville, the Creation Museum, Lynn's Paradise Cafe, Boom Boz's pizza, and more!

We love visits from friends!

The fall school and work schedule was much more hectic for us. Between Jason's classes, small group, my job, Jason's part time job, and some classes I've been taking, we didn't see each other a ton during the weeks. We lived for the weekends - especially Sundays when neither of us had to work and we got to spend the whole day together. We did manage to fit in a trip to Cincinnati with Jason's parents and his sister to cheer on the Reds in the playoffs!! Although our Reds didn't win, it was an outstanding experience cheering on our team surrounded by thousands of fans!

In October, we made an unexpected trip to SC when my sweet grandma went to be with Jesus. Grandma Hazel was the mother of ten children and twenty five grandchildren. She was a faithful wife, loving mother and grandmother and was devoted to her Savior. I'm so thankful for her life and will continue to remember wonderful memories. Most important, she has left an incredible legacy for our family. Thankfully, our whole family was able to be together for the week of her funeral. We got to spend precious time with our sweet twin nephews! It was a sad but happy time as we mourned her death and yet joyous as we celebrated her life.

My brother, his wife and our nephews

We spent Thanksgiving in Louisville this time with Jason's family. Jason's older sister hosted at her house, and it was an incredibly delicious feast! We also had our first experience at Churchill Downs, and the whole Read family spent the day after Thanksgiving at the race track cheering on the ponies!

Here's Lyla and me, warming up inside

Uncle Jason and John watch the horses race!

Uncle Jason loves his niece and nephew!

What a great summer and fall!

April Happenings

April flew by! This weekend Jason's been hitting the books hard, preparing for his final exams this week. I'm so proud of him! He's done an incredible job this semester. On top of excelling in his classes, he's fit in a part-time job, helped keep the house in order, and managed to catch every Reds' game on tv! (Did I mention we get the Reds' station?) He's really has done well in all his classes and has enjoyed learning so much. Here are a few pictures of the job he has at the seminary hotel. He drives the shuttle a few hours a week - takes professors and visitors to and from the airport. He's even received several tips!

You should see him back this shuttle into the parking space. It's impressive!

He wears a suit for each drive. Isn't he handsome!?

The Kentucky Derby festivities kicked off two weeks before the race (May 1), so we got to experience the excitement here. There are so many events and parties leading up to Derby. Our dear friend Jon and Leslie came one weekend to spend time with us, and we all went to the air show and fireworks at Thunder Over Louisville - the nation's biggest fireworks display. We are so thankful we got to spend time with Jon and Leslie!

Little Sluggers!

This past weekend we celebrated with friends and family and showered Megan with gifts for the twins. The theme was Minnesota Twins - which is the major league baseball team where David and Megan live. I have a feeling the Mathis family will stock up on Minnesota Twins gear over the years - it will never get old for us! Here are some pics from the weekend. I love my sister-in-law Megan so dearly. She has made our family so much better - and Jason has too! I already love our nephews so very much and look so forward to holding both of them!!

Last family picture before the twins!

Love this pic of Anna. This girl knows how to do showers! She's the queen.

I love my sister!

These boys are set for baseball!

March Madness!

The month of March has brought nicer weather, new jobs and lots of basketball for the Reads! We've spent several afternoons at the park a few miles from our house thanks to the warmer spring temps. We are perfectly fine with seeing no more snow until next year! Louisville is so beautiful and it's fun to be outside. There are several parks near us and it's so nice to walk the trails and paths.

I accepted a job in Admissions at the seminary last week!! The position is called Guest Services Coordinator, and I'll be work with prospective students, trying to make their experience visiting Southern first-class. I'll represent the seminary at conferences and events, and I'm excited about the staff I'll be working with. Since my temporary job isn't over yet (the lady is still out on maternity leave), starting tomorrow, I'll be spending half of my day in the Admissions office and the other half in the Operations office. Thankfully, both of these departments are willing to be flexible and split my time! I don't mind working in both areas for a few more weeks. I'm so thankful God has provided a full-time job in His perfect timing. Jason and I will still drive to work/school together each day, which is a huge plus!

We've been glued to our tv the past few weekends watching the NCAA tournament. We love cheering for the "under dogs," and probably our favorite game so far has been watching Butler beat Syracuse! We were hoping Wofford and Clemson would have made if farther than they did. Unfortunately, the Kentucky Wildcats were unable to beat West Virginia last night, so the bracket I filled out is toast. I had Kentucky winning it all!

Next weekend we are heading to Spartanburg to spend Easter with the entire Mathis fam and to host a shower for Megan, our sister-in-law, who is expecting twin boys! The boys are due late this summer, and we cannot wait to shower Meg with gifts and support for these two little guys!!

Happy First Birthday, John!

Today is our sweet nephew's first birthday! It has been so wonderful to live five minutes away from Jason's sister and brother-in-law and our nephew. We've only lived here two months and already we've shared many specials memories with them - Super Bowl party, watching 24, walks to the pizza place, book clubs, dinners, babysitting John, and so much more! We love them so much!

We are so blessed to have the most incredible nephew and neice in the world! Our neice is only two hours away - so much closer than when we lived in SC. Will post more about her later. Here's a picture of Jason and me with John this past Thanksgiving, and the second is of John helping his dad and Papa work on the shelves. He's such great a helper! This year would not have been as fun and exciting without his precious life. We love you, John, and look forward to many more years with you!! We could not be more delighted in you.

A Snowy Walk

The seminary was cancelled again this past Monday because of more snow so that left us with no classes and no job for the day. But we got reading and cleaning done, and later in the day we bundled up and walked with the Speidens to a local pizza place for dinner! (I think we've found the Louisville version of the Brick, all you Columbus, NC Brick-loving folk!)




Here's our adorable eskimo nephew. He was great and enjoyed the walk!

This is Where We Live - Part One

We are snowed in today - again! It was fun last week, but now it's a little frustrating because Jason is missing class and since I'm working an hourly job, I'm not getting paid when the office is closed! It is beautiful though! And it's been fun to stay in

side and watch the Olympics.

I figured I would take this time to post and share some pictures of what our place looks like. First, I'll post pictures of the kitchen because this is where I spend all my time! Okay, not really, but I have been cooking more! Here's a shot from when you first walk in the kitchen door from the dining room. We love the wooden floors! The back door goes out to the little deck we have.

This is our breakfast nook in the back corner of the kitchen. There's not much counter space, but the microwave fits perfectly on the cart.

Sink and dish washer!

We're quite the magnet collectors. We started buying a magnet in each state we traveled to when we worked for Upward. Thankfully we're not going anywhere anytime soon because we don't have any room for more magnets...

Hope you enjoyed the quick peak of our kitchen! We will post pictures from the other rooms soon!

Gettin' in the Groove of Things

Three of the five weekends we've been in Louisville have been snowy! The school kids must be frustrated around here because the only time it's been snowing has been Friday - Saturday. So most schools haven't missed a day. But it's been peaceful and beautiful, and we've been staying in anyways as Jason's been studying hard and we are still getting our place settled.

Jason started classes two weeks ago, and my temporary job started the day after. I took a job as an Administrative Assistant for the VP of Operations at the seminary, and I am absolutely loving it. I'm filling in for a lady who just had a baby. Thankfully I was able to train with her for three days, but her baby came early, so I've been on my own for a week now. She's planning to come back in three months, so I'm still on the hunt for a permanent full-time job. Jason and I are both ready for the job searching to be over. It will be a relief when I've got a good-paying job, because right now we're not sure if he needs to be looking for one too. Our preference is that school can be his full-time job.

The temp job been such a blessing - we ride to the seminary in the morning - I go to work, Jason goes to class. When he's not in class, he's studying, and then we ride home together after work!! Also, we've been taking advantage of the workout room at the seminary, and are loving the indoor track!

Jason really loves his classes, especially Greek! He had the alphabet down before the first day of class, and has been teaching me some words. He's learning so much in all of his classes, and I'm enjoying hearing him talk about everything. I'm taking a class too - well, it's not for seminary credit, but it's with the Seminary Wives Institute. It's really cool! Well known professors at the seminary and their wives volunteer to teach class every Thursday night for two hours for wives of seminary students to help prepare them to serve alongside their husbands. I'm taking "Redeeming the Time," which basically helps you manage your time and your household!! Our homework the first week was to buy a planner! So I'm not spending quite as much time as Jason studying for my class...

So far, we've spent every other two weekends with one set of our parents - I'm not sure how it's worked out that way. My parents came three weekends ago, and Jason's parents came in from Indiana yesterday. Beth, Jason's sister who lives here, bought Beatles Rock Band and we rocked it way into the night last night. Even my in-laws were jamming! We're looking forward to spending more time with them today and tomorrow.

Our church in Spartanburg (Hope Point) has been sponsoring an orphanage in Haiti for several years. Jason and I sponsor a child at the orphanage - Stevenson. Two men from the church (good friends of ours) are going to Haiti this next week to help find a new home for the orphanage and help out with many other things. Please pray for their safety and that they are able to help so many hurting there.

A few shout-outs to friends of ours who have just had or are about to have babies: Congrats to Jamie and Brandon on the birth of James Bradford, Congrats to Shane and Kristin on the birth of Halle, and we are praying for Kelley and Jonathan as their TWIN boys are due this coming week!!

Louisville Slugger Pics

Here are more pictures from this past weekend.

Jason and me posing with one of the bats Mickey Mantle used at some point.

My parents and Babe Ruth!

Love this! Wish we had room for this in the living room.

Two Weeks Goes by Fast!

My parents came to visit this weekend! It was a last minute trip, and obviously they had forgotten about the treacherous trip up two weeks earlier, or they probably wouldn't have attempted it again!! Thankfully there was no snow on the roads. It was so great to spend time with them and show them the city.

If you know my parents, you know that working out is an important routine they have - no matter where they are (vacation, out of town, etc). I really admire this. So they went with us to check out the gym at the seminary. I WISH I had pictures of the exercises my dad was doing. At one point, I looked over and he was lying on his back on the workout bench, doing reverse crunches!! My mom is a pro too. I really think they'll become certified trainers once my dad retires from dentistry. They are incredibly fit!!

After recovering from the intense work out (I tried keeping up with them), we took them to the Louisville Slugger museum and factory. It's amazing! There's so much baseball history and memorabilia from current famous players. We saw bats that were being made for famous baseball players like Jay Bruce (the Reds), Ken Griffey Jr (Mariners) and Brian McCann (Braves).

We love living in Louisville! So thankful my parents came to visit!

Backing Up, Just a Bit...

I wanted to share some pictures of events that happened right before and during our move to Louisville. We had an incredible time with good friends at our favorite pizza place - the Brick!! - the Sunday night before we left Spartanburg. Even Rick and Jane came too! Props to Josh for ordering a salad!! Jason finally let me order feta cheese on the pizza, which has become a joke because apparently no one we go with ever thinks feta is a good topping. But it was delicious! Our trips back to Spartanburg will definitely include a stop at the Brick with friends! We went back to the Ramantanins afterward for the Wii tournament that lasted late into the night. If you're looking to spice up a gathering, pull out Wii Bowling and require that everyone only wear socks on the hardwood floors....right, JP? We will make sure we've got the video camera rolling next time.




Jason's wonderful Bible Study guys and their wives got together for a dinner in our honor. Even the Iluzadas were in town from Texas and were able to make it! Mattie Joy and Savannah were so much fun! We enjoyed spending time with these dear friends, and are so thankful for the times we share with them. These guys have been a huge encouragement to Jason the past few years, and we will both miss his Tuesday nights at the Zions.




You've probably already heard from me or my parents, but the snow was crazy as we drove through Tennessee and on to Kentucky! At one point in our trip, we were driving about 30 miles an hour on the interstate, and you can imagine I was gripping on to the wheel for dear life! I've never been so thankful for 18-wheelers! I tried to stay behind one as long as possible because it was really hard to see the ground! We were relieved to make it to the hotel in Knoxville and park the moving truck for the night.





Our first morning in Louisville, after a long night of moving our stuff in through the snow, Jason's car of course wouldn't start. Thanks for my parents for donating a new car battery! That afternoon, we took my parents on a brief tour of the seminary. Here they are soaking it all in. It was so beautiful with the snow!


That night we had Christmas with the Reads! Matt, Sara, and our niece Lyla surprised everyone by coming. Lyla had been sick, so we didn't think they would be able to make it. We love our precious niece Lyla and nephew John so very much! It was so much fun to watch them open up gifts. I miss living near my family, but it is so wonderful to live closer to Jason's.


Hopefully soon we'll post pictures of our place!

First Week Recap

This first week has been fun and challenging! It was very hard to say goodbye to both my parents and Jason's parents after they helped us move in - through the snow! - and help us start to get settled. We've still got boxes to go through, but for the most part, have our new home put together. We're lucky to have great upstairs neighbors - Hannah and Tyler. They've been living here for two years and we hope to become good friends with them.

Jason's sister and brother-in-law and our adorable nephew live five minutes away from us! It was so fun to go over there Monday night and be able to hang out and watch a basketball game. In the past, we've only been able to spend limited time with them at holidays, but now we live in the same city! Above is a picture of the duplex we're living in. We've got the downstairs and love it!

I'm so thankful for the part time job I have right now, as it is the only job either of us have right now! I did have an interview this past Monday, but after praying with Jason and thinking through our finances, I didn't take it as we wouldn't be able to afford our rent and Jason's tuition from the income. The part time job is giving us a bit of a cushion as I continue hard searching for a full-time job, and trust that God will provide!

We've laughed and cried this week alot! Since Jason hasn't started classes yet, we've spent alot of time together, which has been great, but we're also looking so forward to meeting new friends. Hopefully that will happen soon as he starts classes and I join the SWI (Seminary Wives Insitute) at the end of the month. Also, my sister-in-law, has invited me to join the book club she's in, and I'm really excited about that!

We've already become huge Skype fans! We've loved our conversations with Anna, Mary, my parents, Jason's parents and the Ramantanins! Especially Johnny showing off his muscles from all the new working out he's been doing with Josh. We are so thankful to get to talk to friends and family over the internet. If you've got an account, let us know!!

New City, New Blog!

Thanks to the encouragement from friends, we've decided to start a blog to keep our friends and family updated with our life in Louisville! Hope you enjoy reading about the Reads!