Saying goodbye to a friend.

This is a picture of Amber, Ellie and Isaac.

The past two weeks have been full reflection. For those who are not aware, I lost a dear friend, Amber Mathenia, in a car accident at the end of January. She was twenty-eight years old, a wife, and a mother of two. She and her husband, Anthony, were missionaries in Ethiopia and were in the states on furlow until the adoption of their second child, Isaac, was complete. It seemed that she and Anthony were starting a new season of life together with the addition of Isaac, and yet the Lord had different plans. It has been a startling reminder of the futility of life, and the urgency of the gospel. Amber was a passionate follower of Christ. There was never a time when we were together that she didn't challenge me to treasure Christ more and pursue Him with my whole heart. She loved others very well - she loved me very well. She loved me with the truth. She was always willing to encourage me in the areas of weakness in my life with a passage of scripture or a great book. As a result, I have a collection of books that mark the various seasons of my walk with the Lord. The last time that I spent a significant amount of time with Amber was a few years ago when she and April came to visit Justin and I in North Carolina. She found out that I was going through a difficult time, and insisted that she and April come to encourage me. We spent the weekend catching up, shopping, eating, sharing recipes, etc. But, mingled in it all were sweet conversations about the Lord. It was such a refreshment to my soul. Now she is face to face with Christ, whom she loved and we spoke of so often. It is still so hard to fathom. I rejoice and mourn at the same time. I am so grateful to all who have prayed for Amber's family. They are like my family. I can't imagine the loss they must feel.

Better late than never.

Thought we would share some of the captured moments of Abigail's first Christmas.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Well, I didn’t make good on my promise. It has been almost a month since I have posted an update. I have a lot of good excuses, but I won’t go to the trouble of listing them. I pray that you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. This Christmas was unique for Justin and I in a lot of ways. For starters, it was Abigail’s first Christmas. As followers of Christ, Christmas is such a special holiday for us. We were so excited to share it with our little girl. Even though she is too young to understand, we still took every opportunity to explain to Abigail what Christmas is about and why we celebrate it the way we do. On Christmas Day, she indulged us by pulling the wrapping paper to help us “unwrap” her gifts. (I think she was more interested in the wrapping paper and bows than she was the gift. But, whatever brings her joy, right.) She didn’t partake of the traditional turkey and dressing with the rest of us, but she did enjoy a bowl of rice cereal. (It’s tough being a baby, isn’t it?) By the end of the day, she was exhausted. But, oh what fun we had. Secondly, Justin, Abigail and I celebrated our first Christmas in North Carolina. Typically, we travel to Tennessee for the holidays, but Justin was unable to get off work. As a result, my parents came to North Carolina to spend Christmas with us. We enjoyed all of our usual holiday traditions in a slightly smaller space. Christmas morning began with coffee and cinnamon rolls. Next, we opened gifts. And finally, we shared a delicious Christmas dinner. In the past, we would end the day with a trip to the movie theatre to catch the latest flick. Obviously that didn’t happen this year. Could you imagine a five month old at the movies after a day full of wrapping paper, bows and toys? To share in the festivities, my Nana joined us for the afternoon, and our landlords, Indrek and Barbara stopped by for dessert. It was a day filled with family and friends as we celebrated the birth of our Savior.

On New Years Eve Justin, Abigail and I left for a tour of West Tennessee. In 11 days we visited Asheville, NC, Crocket Mills, Eads, Jackson and Knoxville, TN. I am tired just thinking about it. It was a whirlwind, but so worth it. We were able to see all of our immediate family, almost all of our extended family, our pastor (Bro. Danny) and our friends Daniel and Katie Banks. Now we are back and settling back into everyday life.

What new with us? Well…

As I mentioned before, Abigail has started eating solid food. It’s not really “solid” if you ask me. Her cereal pours right off of the spoon. But, she loves it! She found her feet, and they are her new best friends. When given the opportunity, she proudly shows them off. With her new found foot fetish, she is now sitting up. Well, almost sitting up. In effort to reach her feet she figured out how to brace herself in a sitting position. I say “almost” because if she leans a little too far in any direction…down she goes. She has also learned to say “dada.” It comes out sounding more like “dadadadadadadadada,” but to us it’s all the same. Her growth continues to amaze us. The last time we checked (which was about three weeks ago) she was 19.2 pounds and 28 ¼ inches long. Praise the Lord!

Justin will start is final semester of seminary at the end of January. Until then, he is enjoying some much needed down time.

I am trying to get the house back in order after being gone for two weeks while also trying to get Abigail back in a routine.

Happy Thanksgiving.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Okay, so we're a little late. In fact, I should go ahead and wish you a Merry Christmas - but, better late than never, right? Justin, Abigail and I took our traditional trip to Gatlinburg, TN for Thanksgiving. This tradition started three years ago after my parents made the trek from Memphis to celebrate our first Thanksgiving with us in Wake Forest. After more than 24 hours in the car for a short 3-4 day visit they vowed to never do that again. So, we decided to meet half-way in Gatlinburg, TN. The first year we brought all of the ingredients needed to make a traditional, home-made Thanksgiving dinner. Needless to say, we haven't done it since. It took three or four trips to Wal-Mart, including one on Thanksgiving Day, to get everything we needed. And then... the cabin didn't have a microwave, so we had to heat the leftovers in the stove. Yuck! Since then, Thanksgiving dinner has been at the Apple Barn. It is a farmhouse restaurant that serves their meals family style. Although it pales in comparison to my mom's homemade turkey and dressing, they do serve a delicious Thanksgiving meal. Not to mention there is no clean up. Last year, while we were in Gatlinburg, Justin and I were able to surprise my parents with the news that they were going to be grandparents. This year, of course, we had the joy of celebrating Abigail's first Thanksgiving. As we went around the table and shared what we were thankful for, Abigail made everyone's list. It's amazing how such a little person can bring so much joy to the lives of those around her. We also shared that we were thankful for the gift of family and friends and the privilege of being children of God. What a blessing it is to have the promise of eternal life through the blood of Jesus Christ, but also to have abundant life filled with family and friends that love us and support us. Praise the Lord for His countless blessings. This year, Justin's family was able to join us on Friday. It was so much fun to watch Abigail enjoy time with our families. She just laughed and laughed at my mom. I am posting a video of her laughing, squealing and snorting at Justin and her Mimi. It is too cute! While we were there, Abigail learned to laugh "like a big girl", reach and grab and last but not least, she learned how to catch a cold. A few days before we left for Tennessee she had the sniffles, but by the time we got home it had turned into a full fledged cold. It was pitiful. After a few days of congestion and coughing, we went to the doctor and found out it turned into an ear infection. As a result, Abigail and I were on quarantine for about a week. The bad news is, even after 10 days of antibiotics, we are back in the same boat two weeks later. The Monday after Thanksgiving, I was at home taking care of Abigail when I get a phone call from Justin. Rarely do I hear from him at work, so I thought it was a little out of the ordinary to be getting a phone call from him. When I asked him how his night had been he replied, "I got hurt." He fell while loading crates onto his dolly and bit through his bottom lip. Thankfully the cut wasn't large enough to need stitches. He just had to wear a butterfly stitch for a couple of days and he was fine. Justin just finished the fall semester, and I am proud to say that despite being a full-time worker, dad and husband he did very well in school. Only one semester left and he will be a seminary graduate. WOW! So, that is the latest with the Perry's. I apologize for the long post. I will try to keep the blog updated more regularly so you don't get a book next time.

The latest.

This is a picture that was taken at our friends Hugh & Hollie Carson's house. It appeared on their blog recently, but it was so good I wanted to share it with all of you. Hugh works at Wal-Mart with Justin, so Hollie and I get together on Monday nights. She and Hugh have a little girl Laney. I can't wait for Abigail to be mobile so that she and Laney can be playmates. Right now that are just really interested in each other.





Abigail and daddy love to watch Sunday afternoon football before Justin leaves for work. This girl is already a fan. Now we just have to teach her to say "Go Vols."









Jen Grady, a friend of mine and my replacement at in the Admissions office, made Abigail several hair bows as a baby gift. Since Abigail doesn't have any hair, we had to come up with another idea - a headband. Abigail decided to model it for us. HOW CUTE!




There are two toys that Abigail has taken to, a pink snuggle blanket and this pink baby doll. She was cuddling with her on the changing table and we just had to get a picture.






So sweet!









We didn't dress Abigail up for Halloween, but wanted her to wear this cute outfit. However, when I put it on her the pants were way too short for her. I had to take at least one picture of her in it. She matches her room decor.





I feel like it has been a while since I have posted an update, so I am not sure where to begin.

Abigail continues to amaze us each day as she grows and develops. She is such a big girl in more ways than one. We went to the doctor last week, and she is approaching 17 pounds - what a big girl! (By the way, she isn't even 4 months old. WOW!) She is getting so strong. She loves to sit up. She can sit on her own, but just for a moment. However, give her your fingers to hold on to and she will sit for ten minutes. She is so curious. She loves to look around. She will lean forward in the car seat and in the stroller to see what is passing by. She also loves to find Justin when he calls her name from across the room. Her eyes get really big and she will turn her head to find him. We love to make her laugh. I will give her lots of kisses on her neck and she will laugh until she has the hiccups. Justin will do anything, and I do mean anything, to get her to laugh. It is so fun to watch the two of them together. He loves her so much! We just graduated her into size 3 diapers, size 6-9 month clothes, and size 2 shoes. She is certainly a daddy's girl. I can't believe she is almost 4 months old! What a joy the last 4 months have been.

Justin has enjoyed the last couple of weeks with minimal responsibility at school. It has been great to get to spend the evenings with him. It has also provided the oppertunity to catch up with some friends. We are still pursuing church planting oppertunties. Please pray for us in this regard. The options seem endless. But, we know that direction will come in the Lord's timing. Right now we are looking forward to the end of the semester and time to visit family and friends in Tennessee. I know Justin is looking forward to a break from work and school. Speaking of work, he has done so well. He earned his first bonus for efficiency at work. I am so thankful for a husband that is willing to do whatever it takes to provide for his family.

This weekend was Mistletoe Market, the craft show that Tara (my former co-worker) and I were making wreaths for. We had a great time, but were a little disappointed in the turnout. We are planning to participate in the seminary craft show the first weekend in December to hopefully sell all of the wreaths that we made. I am including a couple of pictures of the wreaths that we made to give you an idea of what I have been up to.

Say Cheese...

We took Abigail to have a professional portrait taken on Friday. We think that she is an extremely photogenic baby just from the pictures we have taken ourselves. Well, it was only confirmed on Friday that she is a sucker for the camera. The photographer bragged about her big, beautiful smiles. She also loved the pictures so much she ordered a copy for the studio. I think Abigail could be following in her mom and dad's footsteps - the next Little Miss Tennessee. (Can you say proud parent?)

Abigail will be fifteen weeks old this Wednesday. I can't believe it. In addition, she now weighs over 16 pounds and is at least 25 inches long (if not longer). She continues to amaze us as she learns and develops more each day. She is now "gooing" all day - especially in the car. She will "talk" to us the entire time. What can you say, "she is all girl!"

You have all heard about the precious smiles that Abigail gives us that just melt our hearts. Well, now you get to see what all of the fuss is about.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

An update on Justin.

He just finished his last big project for the semester. I know he is thankful this semester is coming to an end. While it has continued to be such a blessing to be in seminary, I can tell he is exhausted from wearing so many hats. I have to brag on him - dispite all of the respondsibility that he has taken on, he is still doing well at being a student, a worker, a dad and a husband. I am so thankful to have such an amazing husband.

An update on Jackey.

Tara and I are still working hard to finish all of our wreaths for the big craft fair the second weekend in November. I can't tell you how different it looks compared to last year. Tara was pregnant with Eden and we didn't even know Abigail was on the way. In fact, the joke was if Justin and I found out that we were pregnant during the month of November (which was not our plan) then we knew the Lord had plans for us to start a wreath making business. Well, one year later and were at it again. Our business name is "First Impressions." We pray that all of our effort won't be in vain, and that our wreaths are just as big of hit this year as they were last year. We are making 50 wreaths. Please pray that we sell out!

The sweetest sound...