The McCallum Files

not a fighting chance.

2011-02-09T19:23:00.000-08:00

i have come to the realization

that i am out numbered.

husband. cat. and baby.

all. boys.

oh boy.

so what's new?

2011-01-26T20:55:00.000-08:00

went to Mexico this summer with the hubs.

having a little boy this May.

these two events are not related.

in my dreams

2009-10-19T13:55:00.000-07:00

in my dreams
i'm this chick.
i play guitar.
i sing.
i have curly hair.
i look like Olive Oyl.
i speak french.

wasn't that french?

St. Vincent. love it.

Her.

2009-09-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

her laugh.
her smile.
her hogging the bathroom.
her crooked pinkies.
her dancing.
her innocence.
her hugs.
her singing out of tune.
her beautiful singing out of tune.
her love for her "favorite" sister.
her only sister.
her stubbornness.
her love for the Monkees.
her living for today.
her love for strangers.
her love of "cute boys".
her child-like faith.
her life.
her grin.
that grin.
missing her.
her.

Prom.

2009-09-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

This past May I had my 2nd prom photo session with a few of our senior girls. I had a really great time and the girls rocked some photos... I hope, if anything, that the girls felt as beautiful as they looked - correction: as they always look.

Christiana. sometimes "Tiana". Quite the looker.

Minoka. a Sri Lankan beauty.

Stephanie. stunning rocker chick. tats and all.

Kelly. timeless beauty.

Speaking of proms... At our big youth event, DNow, we had a Nerd Prom. Let me just say... it was the sweetest dance event I have ever been at. Limbo. 80's rock. nerd prom queen and king. prince and princess. meatloaf. the worm and a dance-off.

jump on it.

king & queen.

prince & princess. sweet headgear.

Luau "photo-booth"

my "handsome" date.
so much better than the real prom.

Rayne

2009-08-07T08:52:00.001-07:00

See more funny videos and Music Videos at Today's Big Thing.

I like the name Rayne.

I once told Darryl I thought it would be a cute name for a girl.
He's response; "Do you want our child to be a stripper?!"

Maybe just as a middle name?

The PENStory

2009-07-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

50 years.
I can't wait.

:)

Beards.

2009-06-18T06:52:00.000-07:00

Beardsong / Ode to Beard

a friend and I have a saying...
"it only takes one bearded man to be the right bearded man."

i love darryl's scruffy scottish beard.

it's red.

Stop.

2009-02-06T08:33:00.000-08:00

pretty incredible stop motion video by photographer Eyal Landesman.

Everest again

2009-02-05T10:19:00.000-08:00

I feel sorry for my future children... if I take as many pictures of them as I do my cats... well... you get the picture.

though he may look like a sweet little kitty cat...

he is nothing more than a vicious animal!

She's a real girl!

2009-02-05T09:37:00.000-08:00

We received a bread machine as a wedding gift and for two years it sat in our townhome's attic collecting dust. With the move to our new house... this was one of the many kitchen gadgets I have been waiting to try out! (the Fondue pot is next!) I made some Cranberry Honey Whole Wheat bread for my first loaf and it was wonderful! Darryl and I ate the whole loaf in about 2 days! yikes! Just add a little butter and honey and it was the perfect breakfast! The recipe was pretty healthy too... it was sweetened only with honey and i used whole wheat flour rather than white. I'm in love with this little machine... you just dump everything in, push start, and the machine does everything for you(only in America folks)! Well...that's about the extent of my domesticity. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-27T21:19:00.000-08:00

I guess it isn't "Christmas" anymore but it stills feel like it's Christmas to me! It may have to do with we just celebrated at the Hinkle's (my mamaw's) and we still haven't even seen my mom yet. We're 5 family Christmas "gatherings" down (yes I said 5!)... 1 more to go!

You know I wish it was socially acceptable to keep Christmas lights up all year long (and to drape yourself in velvet)... wouldn't that be wonderful... minus the electricity bill!

Happy Halloween!!

2008-10-30T06:16:00.000-07:00

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays... I'm not too sure why but it has been since I was a little kid. Darryl and I are really looking forward to giving out candy for the first time at our new house! I hope we have lots of little princesses, scary monsters, brave super-heros and tiny witches come to visit our house! I hope you have a fun and scary Halloween wherever you may be!

FoamHenge

2008-09-29T08:25:00.000-07:00

Foamhenge... our own replica of Stonehenge in our small town American backyard.

the educational value was priceless.

Apparently one of the theories of Stonehenge was that it was created by magic! This impeccable representation of Merlin creating Stonehenge was amazing. It was created by a "death mask" of a 60 year old man. Read the sign for details.

This WARNING sign was very helpful...

it certainly kept us from being tempted to mess with the "art work".

I was a little nervous though and kept a lookout on our car. There was also a moment there where I thought I may have lost Darryl! Luckily he hadn't gone too far off... he was just so overcome by the beauty of the landscape that he had to take a moment to himself.

it certainly was a magical place.... we were overcome by the romantic setting and couldn't help but take a special kiss in such a special place.

what a great little tourist trap...

be sure to check it out on your way to The Natural Bridge

nothing like a sweet slice of Americana...

The 8th wonder of the world...

2008-09-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Darryl took me on a surprise trip to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary. He wouldn't tell me where we were going until well... we got where we were going. I have always wanted to go to the Natural Bridge... it's one of those places you always pass the signs for on a trip to somewhere else but never get to stop. Think "South of the Border" on your way to Myrtle Beach-- but without the politically incorrect representation of Hispanic men -- and the creepy signs that go on for 50 miles before you get there--and the whole fact that no one in their right mind would want to stop there-- and then you have The Natural Bridge - sorta.

Anyway, ever since my freshman year of college my best friend Karly and I have wanted to visit the Natural Bridge... but our day never came... so... finally 6 years later the day came when I finally made it to the Natural Bridge...

one of the seven natural wonders of the world!
the pictures certainly do not do the place justice. Crazy to think Thomas Jefferson bought this huge plot of land for, what would be today $2.40 from the King of England.
We also got to visit a replica of a Native American village.. .
I was excited to see they had several modern amenities...

such as electricity!

We sat down for a picture at the end of the trail only to find we almost sat on top of...

a baby snake...yikes! I tried to touch it (with a stick) but Darryl yell at me before I could do it.

There was a lovely Tolkien quote along our path that day...

still round the corner
there may wait
a new road or
a secret gate;
and though i oft
have passed them by,
a day will come
at last when i
shall take the hidden
paths that run
west of the moon,
east of the sun.

We also stopped at the Natural Bridge Caverns...

there is always something a bit mysterious and creepy about going in caverns... I know I'd never want to go in one alone without a tour guide! We also made a stop at a local tourist trap but I'll have to blog about that later... it deserves a blog of it's own.

We stayed at a beautiful bed & breakfast
(another one of my favorite things)

in our own little cottage with a beautiful view
(the little blue 1 story on the right)

we went out to eat at a fancy little place in downtown Lexington...

if you know me at all you know I have a weakness of anything "old timey"... historic little downtowns and buildings are some of my favorite things to explore and photograph.

I woke up early Saturday morning and watched the sun rise... it was a beautiful site watching the sun come over the mountains and deer and rabbits running all over the field in front of our cottage. I tried to wake sleeping beauty up but he wouldn't budge.

it was a wonderful weekend that already feels like a dream.

I certainly do have a sweet husband... thought he'd never want you to know it.

Everest

2008-08-23T17:20:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce you to the newest member of our family....

Everest Salt McCallum. Why Everest, do you ask? Well Darryl wanted to name him "Snowball"... yes a grown man wanted to name him Snowball so we compromised on Everest. Salt... well because it is only fitting since we have another kitty named Pepper!

He fits right in with his blue eyes.

Everest needed a bath since he stepped in his own poop...

gross, I know.

Darryl and "his little boy." Too bad he is getting so big...

they grow up so fast.

The Cascades

2008-07-18T12:58:00.001-07:00

Venturing out to the Cascades a couple weeks ago.

How better to end the day... than stopping at the local corner store for a cold rootbeer and sunkist. They taste better in a glass bottle.

Holy Ground - "Jump on it"

2008-04-08T06:46:00.000-07:00

"...One of my favorite men in Scripture is Moses. I love that God called someone who didn’t really want to be called, who fought God so much of the time only to be used greatly. I love the verse in Exodus that says, “Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."

The only thing I can think of that made the ground holy was that God was there, speaking to His servant. I believe that God speaks to His people wherever they are, making any ground where a believer steps holy...

I have encountered God in parks. I have met Him at coffee shops. I have seen His reflection in a dark movie theater. I have felt Him while driving my car. I have known His presence by turning the pages of a novel. God is everywhere beauty is, and beauty makes things holy.

God appears as often in churches as he does in elevators and hospitals. He is in the faces of people I love just as much as He is in the faces of people I don’t. He is in the art of believers just as much as He is in the art of those who don’t know Him at all.

Might we take off our sandals more often and take a look around us. May we kneel, in the midst of a confused, broken world and rejoice in the beauty and holiness our Creator allows us. " --Andrea Bass Hope in Unexpected Places

This past weekend I found myself standing on holy ground... Our DNow 2008 - Disciple Now - was a sweet sweet reminder of where and how Christ can (and will) show up. I found God in my small group of 11 8th grade girls... I stood on holy ground during our big group sessions (all 100+ of us) and even felt His holy presence as we walked all over Blacksburg on our (hilarious) video scavenger hunt.

The craziest thing is that I felt God and saw a glimpse of heaven during the strangest moment... On our last night, after a moving message and worship experience, Darryl and Craig (our speaker - Darryl's best friend) got up on stage and began to introduce a new "game" to end the night. Well this "game" turned out to be them lip syncking and dancing along to "Jump On It." I don't know if you've ever heard this dance so I'll include the Fresh Prince of Bell Air rendition(ours was right on point) to give you an idea.

So maybe you might be asking me where was it that God showed up during our "dance party"... let me just say this... I can't tell you what its like to see 85+ kids -- from seniors in high school -- to the littlest 7th grader (she looks as old as a 6 yr. old) dancing and singing and jumping (and sweating) around together. Seriously, have you seen a typical middle/high school dance lately? There are boys on one side and girls on another -- and you're LUCKY if you see anyone dancing... I mean REALLY dancing.

I saw the shyest guy, out of the whole crowd, dancing around without an ounce of fear. I saw the "loner" who rarely smiles, throwing his hands in the air without an ounce of self doubt... I saw that little 7th grader (barely 4 ft. tall) laughing without an ounce of embarrassment.

Oh it was beautiful -- no cares -- no worries -- no embarrassment -- no doubt of self worth -- all the typical "ugliness" of those teenage years (of all our earthly years!) just seemed to fall away.

Can you see God yet?

God in the faces of youth, who for a single moment, could care less what others... what "the world"... thought of them. Dancing and laughing together. God's most precious creations finding themselves beautiful enough.. and brave enough... to just dance.

it was hilarious...
it was crazy...
it was beautiful...
it was holy.

What holy ground have you found yourself standing on recently?

Dear God

2008-02-18T07:19:00.000-08:00

oh but to have faith like this...

You know what he did?

2008-02-14T10:35:00.000-08:00

one of my all time favorites

Lent and Laundry

2008-02-07T13:14:00.000-08:00

I wasn't too sure if I was going to give anything up for Lent this year. It would probably be accurate to say I haven't given something up since my last semester in college ('06). I'm excited, and a bit apprehensive, about jumping back into Lent this year. I certainly don't believe it's some kind of requirement I need to participate in... but rather I feel a need to make a few small sacrifices for the sake of readying my heart for Christ's death and resurrection. For the past couple of weeks… well maybe even months… I’ve felt on the cusp of something big…. God big. I’m not sure what He has in store but I’m excited to see and am hoping my small “sacrifices” (and I mean small) will help prepare my heart for what He has waiting for me.

I have been attempting for the past 4 years to purge myself of all the crap I have been lugging around – from house to house – from one attic to another (there are currently about 5 “reasonably” small boxes being stored in my old room at my dad’s… I told you I’m trying!)

Since moving to Blacksburg I have attempted to downsize my closet. When I was in college I had a tiny closet but would switch between my summer and winter clothes by keeping one season’s wardrobe at my mom’s and the other with me at college. When I moved to Blacksburg and got married I brought all of it with me… and am now sharing a closet with Darryl, bless his heart.

I have SO MUCH when others have SO LITTLE! I need to be ready to chase after Jesus at the drop of a hat... or shirt.. or skirt... so... an article of clothing a day (and socks don't count!) gone! 40 peices of clothing... its so sad that this is going to be harder than giving up meat or some kind of food!

so.... here goes nothing… literally

1 grain at a time...

2008-02-01T13:31:00.000-08:00

expand your vocabulary

fill-up hungry little bellies

www.freerice.com

West Coast or Bust

2007-12-20T11:53:00.000-08:00

So Darryl and I were given the opportunity to go to San Diego to attend the Youth Specialities convention this past October. It was a wonderful trip that involved me leaving the East Coast for the first time in my life! This trip also became our replacement 1st wedding anniversary celebration. Yes I know we got married in September but if you want to know where we went the weekend of our real wedding anniversary then stay tuned.. I'll be posting some pictures for that sooner or later. Lets just say it involved a rented RV.. the Bibbins family.... football.... and Baton Rouge. enough said.

We were so blessed to get away from "working" at church for 5 days in sunny California (until the fires broke out!). We learned so much from all the wonderful speakers and couldn't get enough of the worship sessions. How could we not when David Crowder Band, Phil Wickham, Shane and Shane, The Desperation Band, Lost and Found... and so many other talented artists where there leading us in worship? It felt like it had been way too long since I'd sang my heart out to God like that. I certainly miss being in a town where churches have a place in their heart for young adults and college students... I'm afraid that's one thing Blacksburg is dearly missing. Anyway I won't go down that road and ramble :) Back to music... So this CRAZY insane band played a few songs.... I'd never seen so much energy and crazy antics on stage. This band, "Family Force 5" is some strange Punk- Beastie Boys-ish type group... They said it best at the end when the lead singer (screamer/rapper most the time) said... "don't let anyone say you can't party for Jesus, cause that's what we just did"... I'm pretty sure they left to go play their crazy hyped-up energy-packed Jesus party at a bar after that... awesome!

We stayed in a lovely hotel right outside of San Diego... nice digs huh?Ok not really this was a historic house in Old Town but I can dream can't I?
Ok so this is where we really stayed... our room was sweeeeet... and our hotel was far enough away from the crazy city that we could relax. - workout room, gym, pool and hot tub included! -- I suppose the only bad part involved being close enough to the wildfires that the pool turned black with ash and our hotel was evacuated -- thankfully they never reached that far and we had already checked out of the hotel and hung around downtown the rest of the day until our red-eye flight home.

Earlier in the week we went to the San Diego Zoo.. which was fun and sad. Every animal was listed as endangered or close to it. I was a little depressed after the hot trip around the huge zoo and knowing most of the animals there close to being gone from the face of our planet. I cheered up a little knowing the San Diego zoo has a great wildlife preservation/education program -- the precious panda bears where amazing -- and i was able to really cheer up after watching the hippo poopok ok... I know I'm a 5th grader when it comes to talking about "poop" but I'm telling you what.. these "beasts" of the earth know how to let it out. Not only do they poop and not care who's looking.. they twirl their tail around like a helicopter so that the pooh goes everywhere! I'd seen this on the Animal channel as one of the "10 extreme - grossest animals" and it was even better in real life! All chaos and poop broke out... all the kids screaming and mothers looking away... I was right there with the kids.. "DARRYL DID YOU SEE THAT?!?" It was awesome.

We did alot more sight seeing and touring around the city. I don't know what Darryl would have done without me since he couldn't get use to the coast being to the West rather than the East... he got us lost all over the place. He finally started listening to my amazing navigation skills and we were good after that -- I am part Lumbee Indian you know.. I suppose it's just natural instinct. ha. :)

On the last two evenings we were in California we attempted to drive up the Pacific Highway and watch the sunset -- both of which we failed at. The Pacific Highway was completed crowded with people evacuated their homes (so terribly sad) and the sunset was cut short because the amount of smoke hanging down around the horizon. The sun would get to about 30 minutes away from setting and go completely behind a wall of smoke. While we were at the convention two groups of youth ministers and volunteers lost their home churches. They stood up and 1,000 + of us put our hands on them to pray.

All and all it was a wonderful trip. My heart went out to the people there as I knew I couldn't understand the fear they felt. I had the luxury of grabbing my suitcase and getting in our rental car and knowing we were safe. I do hope to get back to the West Coast and watch the sun set over the ocean... i suppose since we missed that we have a good excuse to go back. That Pacific Highway is still calling my name....

Here we are out at some cliffs waiting for the sun to set over the ocean -- I'll catch a glimpse of it someday!

I can do anything...

2007-12-20T11:02:00.000-08:00

There wasn't a greater show to watch in elementary school than reading rainbow...

Thank you Rhett and Link for bringing back an old classic :)

for the BIBLE tells me so

2007-11-20T11:16:00.000-08:00

The video below shows the trailer for a movie I'm looking forward to seeing. The LGBT (lesbian gay bisexual and transgender) community is sponsoring the showing of "for the BIBLE tells me so" at The Lyric (a local renovated beautiful historic theater). It will look into the way the church views homosexuality and how for so long people have used (manipulated) the Bible to support their hate crimes...

i think the best part about what this movie will have to say is God loves us no matter what... no matter if we are homosexual (Leviticus 18:22) or even if we eat shrimp (Leviticus 11: 9-12)

Jesus is Truth and Love and Life not Damnation and Hate and Death

on a brighter note -- I went to see "Into the Wild" last night at the Lyric--

free popcorn night and only 4 dollar tickets... you can't beat that!! It was one of the best movies I've ever seen... I'd read bits of the book on one of my evening/nights spent at Borders(in Raleigh) drinking hot chocolate and reading books and not buying them :)

brilliant movie... beautiful soundtrack... don't miss it!

Rise and Shine... and FEED ME

2007-11-14T06:13:00.000-08:00

if you've ever been owned by a cat... and more specifically... if you've ever been owned by Pepper

This is Pepper's favorite thing to do to us on Saturday mornings when we are trying to sleep in a little... you would think we never fed her... but obviously if you have seen Pepper... then you know we feed her.

Got a light?

2007-11-14T05:58:00.001-08:00

oh how I've missed you matchbox

Monsters

2007-08-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

i talked to my mom the other day and she mentioned something about moving to Myrtle Beach.. so I asked if she'd started to look at any houses.. she then responded with "we bought one"... yes it would have been nice to know ahead of time... haha.. but thats how things go around here... anyway.. my mom is moving to MB as soon as she sells her house in High Point and the trailer her and her husband have already in MB. I guess I'll be making my rounds this Christmas.. Virginia... NC and SC.. and crashing with friends when we come back "home" ie High Point to visit... or stay at my dad's though I've only spent the night there once in about.. well nearly 10 years... so it could be a good chance to catch up with ol' Ronnie... I just hope those same monsters that lived under my bed, which still sits in my old room -- untouched, aren't there any longer...

Lillie

2007-08-01T13:42:00.000-07:00

My mom just got a 6 month old 3 pound Yorkie and named her Lillie

This is Lillie

I wasn't too sure how much I would like such a small and "yippy" dog.. but Lillie is the sweetest little thing. She doesn't yip and just rolls over on her back and wants you to rub her belly when you meet her. She loves to be brushed and carry around her... "babies" as my mother would put it

this is Lillie and one of her babies... which is adorable but I'm afraid it isn't as cute as Pepper in...

......a shoe box that is way too small!!

i have to say i didn't think it could get much better than that until....
my handsome hot husband got in the picture! :)

Jeremiah Project

2007-08-01T10:41:00.000-07:00

This is my Jeremiah Project week 1 2007 staff... aren't they just beautiful?! Every summer I get the oppurtunity to hang out with some of the most amazing people I know. I was excited to have another summer with Laura (the cute blonde in blue :)) as my Assistant Camp Director... but I fear she will move up in the ranks next year and be a Camp Director of her own.. which is a sad thought knowing I won't have her by my side!

Darryl stepped it up this year and "wore many hats" as the worship leader, program director (gave the messages organized several group games & discussions) and a site leader! He was a busy man but somehow found the time to keep up the mini-mohawk look that just wooed the young ladies (yes me included), impressed the young men and confused our tool coordinator Brit (not pictured) :)
Thankfully we all look mighty nice in this picture as it was our Free Day so we were also free to wander around in our own "civilian" clothes rather than our identical JP Staff T-shirts (which weren't half bad this year) We went to Texas Steak House -- our traditional lunch destination -- (after two years it is tradition!) and "turned left" out of the camp (something never attempted by any staff!!) and wandered around on some winding back-dirt roads and caught several glimpses of Bambi and his family.
One thing I love about Jeremiah Project is the size of the camp... with 45-50 kids, 12-14 adults, and 11-12 JP staff members it makes for an intimate setting. JP is a great week of not only sharing God's love with the people of Winchester, VA and the surrounding area... but also of uplifting and empowering Jr. High students.... our main mission..... cause if you're anything like me and you can "flash-back" to your jr. high years... they weren't exactly the easiest, friendliest, prettiest or most supportive years of your life. I mean come on don't you remember spilling chocolate milk all over your lap with your brand new WHITE corduroy bell bottoms and having to walk around ashamed all day? it wasn't easy and I'm a certainly a better person for it... :)

The Weepies

2007-06-18T08:10:00.001-07:00

for a friend.

mmm Nachos

2007-06-14T11:34:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce you to a new member of our family! Those sad eyes... that cute little nose.... those cute big feet.... the adorable drool that pools on his pillow while he sleeps... yes Darryl is a cutie... but let me tell you about Nacho!!!! Yes my dear friends... that cute ball of fur is Nacho and no he is not MY puppy but my sister-in-law and her boyfriend Jay's.

Look at the belly on that dog... so cute! and I have no idea why Darryl is holding Nacho's paw so daintily... I guess he is a little dainty sometimes...

This is Jay... Nacho's papa :) He was in the Coast Guard... he is not very dainty... though he did cook us a mean dinner that included homemade mango salsa... so that could be debated ;)this is Nacho licking up Jay's beer... that's Nacho attacking my camera strapstill holding on...

"and I'm done"
what a cute little booger :)

Our Memorial Day Weekend

2007-06-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

Darryl was in a wedding recently for his best friend Craig. Rather than driving back and forth to the wedding rehearsal on friday and the ceremony on Saturday Darryl suprised me with a "date night" to The Hotel Roanoke. The historic hotel was absolutly beautiful inside and out!

My favorite part of our small cozy room was the soft bed, "Sweet Dreams" pillow, and the cookies! :)

Of course Darryl's favorite part of the room was the new flat screen TV.

My favorite part of the whole hotel was the old telephone booths!

On Friday night after the rehearsal we waltzed over to the hotel Pine Room Pub.

Darryl and I stepped out from the smokey Pub room and played a mean game of checkers while sipping on free drinks... yes I drank my first non-virgin strawberry daiquiri (someone should be proud).. compliments of the EMS fellows from New York who were staying the night during their memorial weekend bike ride... and by fellows I mean at least 50-60 big Brookyln type guys from New York. The EMS guys...men... ran an open tab for who knows how long.. but all I know is the receipt was about 4+ feet long when they closed it out!

I never thought a tux with a bow tie and cumber bun (yes you heard me right) would look so good... maybe its because i was bias of who it was on :)

See... such a handsome boy :)

and such a beautiful wedding...

and such a beautiful bride! the wedding was wonderful... and the couple, who both have just finished their Master of Divinity degrees, served communion to everyone at the wedding and will now be serving as Associate Ministers to Chowan University and Instructors in Religion... sounds pretty freakin sweet to me :) oh yeah.. and don't forget the beautiful groomsmen... errr... something like that

I'm pretty sure that is the best man (the groom's brother) in a speedo, cumber bun, and black dress socks... great entertainment huh? That poor kid in the background is probably going to be scared

I was pretty excited about having a dance with Darryl... seeing as how the last time we danced was at our wedding so it was about time!

The End :)

Charleston pics

2007-05-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

In Charleston to visit my brother... this happened back in March but obvisouly you see how good I am at updating a blog.

please take notice of two things here...

1. my dad and his drink of choice
2. a chair with only 3 legs

how does he do it?

That would be Ron.. Ronald Hinkle.. my Daddy

Chad, my brother, is the crazy guy in the back :)

Hokie Pride

2007-04-17T10:19:00.000-07:00

Today we are all Hokies
April 16th, 2007

Some things I just don't understand... having to write "deceased" beside two names on a roster this morning and knowing these are people with families and loved ones and not just a name and number on a page..... this is a situation that no one can really understand... and perhaps one you'd rather not want to understand...

All I know right now is I don't agree with "this was apart of God's plan" answer... I know that the loving God that I serve is just as heart broken as every parent who has lost a son or daughter... as they too are His children... and I know "where was God?"....He was right there in the stairwell or classroom crying with each and every student and feeling each and every bullet... that's all I really know right now and all I need to know... that God was there and He is here now

"no one deserves a tragedy... we are strong we are brave we are innocent and unafraid..."

My 23rd

2007-03-27T13:52:00.000-07:00

Darryl takign me out to eat for my birthday!
My Thursday night bible study girls threw me a suprise party!
love it love it love it :)
My suprise birthday decorations at work :)
What a great suprise!
To bad as I was sitting at work, at 8 AM!, the "big daddy" balloon right above my head popped and scared me half to death.... not to mention I got spit all over me... ew ew....
My office (my computer is to the right ) Notice the calendar... that is an Outhouse calendar Chad has decided is my new traditional Christmas present (3rd year in a row) Also if you'll look closely there is a ceramic statue given to me by a student from the Dominican Republic, our birthdays were close together so he brought it back from his home country! I like to threaten Darryl that I'll run away to the Dominican with Julio if he doesn't listen to me.. haha
Birthday lunch with my dad in High Point... mmm Greatful Bread

And finally the traditional strawberry birthday cake that I have EVERY YEAR! Though I did miss Jeremy's famous strawberry cake :) my mom did a pretty dern good job!

Our 1st Christmas

2007-03-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

Our 1st Christmas and our 1st Charlie Brown Christmas tree! :)
Pepper Loves Christmas... and any shape or size box!
Keeper looks ready for the duck hunt Christmas day!
Silly boys

The "Hinkles"

One of those March Days...

2007-03-06T06:12:00.000-08:00

I have every intention in the world to post a blog with some fun pictures soon... from our first Christmas tree.. (it was a Charlie Brown 4ft. tall tree)... to a tour of our town house... (if I can get it clean enough!)... to my lovely Thursday night bible study girls (12 high schoolers in one small townhouse = mayhem) and then maybe even some pictures from my upcoming trip to the beach with Darryl and my Dad to visit my brother.. (meaning Darryl and Chad will gang up on me).. so if anyone still checks in on this ol' blog maybe you'll see a new posting soon :)

until then... :)

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade." -- Charles Dickens

Rambling...

2006-11-22T07:17:00.000-08:00

I have had so much to blog about lately and just not the time to do it! I guess that whole thing about life goes by so fast when you get older is true. I imagine when you have children the speed just continues to accelerate!

Life in Blacksburg.. well life in Blacksburg and married life have been treating me well... well maybe married life has.. not so much Blacksburg... its so stinkin cold up here! I was sick on and off for several weeks then only to have Darryl come down with the same symptoms which of course makes a grown "man" act like a two year old boy. haha.. it wasn't THAT bad... but it was defin. a sick house here for a while. The strange weather and wind has taken its toll but i am holding strong now!

Our Halloween was spent trick or treating for can food with 6 youth from the middle school bible study. I spent my night dressed as a cat walking around with Flavor Flave, a Pink Lady and Darth Vader. We loaded up the back end of Darryl's car and got quite a bit of candy in the process. Afterwards Darryl, Drew and myself went over to a youth's house who was hosting a Halloween party for some of the high school girls. If you'll take note of the black and bloody guy in the background (that's Drew) he stood outside of the basement door (where the party was going on) with his hockey mask and scared the crap out of the girls... one in particular cried... it was awesome.. haha. She laughed about it later don't worry. I also might add I was the fasted at bobbing for Apples... it may have something to do with my big mouth but either way I put Darryl to shame (he took the longest!)

I've decided if you can't beat 'em you might as well (join 'em) dress yourself in a fashion so as not to GET beat... this being in reference to the Hokie Mania up here which one must fight with all their might... or give up and adorn themselves with maroon and orange (see picture below)

We will be heading to the McCallums for Thanksgiving tomorrow and then down to the good ole High Point of US of A Thursday evening.... hoping and praying Chad will have left some fried turkey leftovers for us!!

Happy Turkey Day!

2006-11-22T05:59:00.000-08:00

I want one of these

READY.. AIM... FIRE!

2006-10-23T07:56:00.000-07:00

I added a link with some of our wedding photos (on the side bar)! There is more where that came from but I already used up my monthly quota.. oops! I also have some blackmail worthy photos... lets just say we had a pastor show us we were number 1 in his heart. Here we have a great story line of our "friend" Brian taking aim and pelting us maliciously with bird seed...

READY!

AIM!

FIRE!!

direct hit!

we have such kind hearted friends :) haha

"Stuff"

2006-10-05T08:04:00.000-07:00

Still working on getting those pictures up. I don't have the internet at home (back the the stone-age you say?) and I can't do it at work... but i do have this one from the Disney photo website! Goofy was trying to tickle us!

In other news :) I found an article online that if I didn't know better i would have mistaken it for something Darryl had written... so I thought I'd share that... I changed the names and some small details (denoted with a *) and added my own comments here and there (in italics).. so it fits just perfectly to our lives... I found it quite hilarious... and so did Darryl after I made him read it... haha

I am a very private person. I just had a disagreement (we have to call it a disagreement because an argument is not something that newlyweds do) with my wife, Kristie*, because of how private (stupid?) I am. Yep, we just had a disagreement about Virginiah Tech Football*. I just had the dumbest disagreement with my wife over football*, because I am a private person(or idiot :)). It all started with a phone call. My friend Tommy*(the one who missed his first VT football game in 8 years for our wedding) woke me up at 9:40 a.m. with questions about a Virginia Tech Football game* (who would want to discuss the Georgia Tech vs. VT football game anyway? it wasn't pretty) No big deal, right? Well it wasn’t a big deal, that is until my wife asked me what time I got up today. Kristie* asked me what time I got up today and I replied, “I was rudely awoken by Tommy*.” She then asked what he called about.

Mistake number one was answering her question with, “Stuff.”

She, of course, asked, “What stuff?”

Mistake number two was again replying with, “Stuff.” (when will a boy learn?)

Very rarely do I keep secrets from my wife. In fact, I can’t even think of one time that I intentionally did it. There is no need. However, I do have a nasty habit of deciding for her what is and is not important to talk about. The reason that I answered her questions the way I did was because I did not feel the need or the importance to inform her of Tommy’s* mid-morning football call. Then, when she persisted, I wanted to not tell her even more. The weird thing is that I have nothing to be private about. I have nothing to hide. But, if I feel that something is not important, I will protect that feeling with all of my being. Even to the point where I have Kristie* completely annoyed with me (this happens very frequently :)).

I am a private person. I do not openly discuss things unless I feel that they warrant discussion (typical male.. except you Jer :)). Kristie* will come home from work and chatter away with very little provocation. Although, when she asks me about my day I am very content with one-word answers (perfect way to drive a girl nuts). I guess I am not that big on small talk. If I don’t have anything to say, I am not going to dribble on just to hear myself talk or make people around me feel comfortable because the silence was getting to them.

But why was it so hard to answer Kristie’s* question with, “football*,” rather than, “stuff?” Maybe it was because I thought it was none of her business. I felt a little annoyed that she asked. What does it matter to her what Tommy* and I spoke about? It’s not like I was talking to another woman (or Aaron.. hehe). Paul writes in his letter to Ephesus instructing them to, “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold”(Eph. 4:26-27, TNIV).

It is amazing that in those two seconds that it took Kristie* to ask me what Tommy* called about, the devil filled my head with various thoughts that led me down the same path—wondering why the heck she was prying into my business. What right of hers was it to want to know what Tommy* called me about? You know what? She does have that right. You know why, because she is my wife. We are one, and I need to start recognizing that. When I said, “I do,” I gave up the right to secrets. When I said, “I do,” I voluntarily accepted the opportunity to be intimate with someone that I love very much. Intimacy has very little to do with sex, and everything to do with emotion. While I was finishing that last thought, the metaphor of Jesus and the Church as a marriage totally became concrete for me. When I said, “I do,” to God I was accepting His invitation to be completely intimate with Him.

All of this strife and enlightenment because I didn’t want to tell my wife about a conversation that I had about Virginia Tech football*, God bless ESPN!

Here's the orginal article if your interested. RelevantMag. has some great articles if you've ever got time to read... which I suppose you do if you have time to read blogs :) hope you enjoyed :)

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life_article.php?id=7275

Welcome to the McCallum Files

2006-09-19T06:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the McCallum Files :)

Finally!!

We've got some great Disney and Wedding pictures to share soon!

and whenever we finish cleaning our townhouse I'll get some shots of our home!

Just a Quickie

2006-08-15T05:44:00.000-07:00

so much to update on.. so little time!

I hope everyone is doing well... I miss you Raleigh folk :)

I am currently in Blacksburg and I've been here for over a week now working at my new job! Wohooo... I love it so far! I'm working at Virginia Tech with Student Programs (the group that manages the on-campus living)

This summer went by fast!!! I went on two camps.. one with Darryl's youth group to Florida and then to Jeremiah Project as camp director for the greatest week of JP ever :)

My church and wonderful Matron of Honor, Beth threw me a wonderful and fun shower in K-ville with a bunch of lovely ladies and guys... well.. except all the guys ran upstairs to play video games... My mom also threw Darryl and I a shower this past weekend which involved his mom and sisters finally meeting my family!! I finally got all my furniture and mess up here to blacksburg.... a big thanks to Jeremy for his hard work moving furniture and being a good sport and being the only other guy at the shower and taking great pictures for us!

Well thats a quick update.. I gotta get back to work... look out for some better updates in the future with some pictures from this summer and of our new place!!!

2006-05-25T21:19:00.000-07:00

Home Sweet Home.. for the past 3 years...

The one and only Pepper.. soaking up what is left of her time at 409.... only 6 more

how about a mini flashback for you 409 fans???

One of my first memories of 409... setting fire to the evil wicker trashcan that came with the place.... me and karly hated that dang thing... it kept falling apart so one day it finally donged on me that I could actually go BUY a new trashcan.. yes i know.. revolutionary... so i did.. and of course whenever the chance is given to set fire on something (or throw bad eggs at the telephone pole infront of the house).. it is most certainly taken and no we didn't eat the roasted marshmellows from that foul trashcan... but it was still fun

The last of my college roomies and one of my best friends... miss Mary Beth.. also known as MB... and the last girl I'll ever live with unless I have a daughter someday... or Patti comes and lives on our couch.. which she plans on doing exactly 4 months after I get married... though Darryl may have some objections... Patti could take him.. she's jacked

speaking of Patti.. how about that infamous trio MB PDawg and Hinkle? Yes folks.. for a good time Patti crashed at the 409 and fell in love.. as we all have. This is from our trip this evening for MB and PAtti to try on bridesmaid dresses.... if you want to see a picture of Patti in a DRESS.. YES... I said a DRESS... then let me know.. if there is enough interested i might just post it for you :)

Well thats all for now... early day of moving furniture with my dad tomorrow

Graduation Apologies

2006-05-25T21:10:00.000-07:00

For the sake of saving my spot in Mike's top favorite former youth... in response to a previous comment that I did not invite him or Beth to my graduation.. please take exibit A into consideration. Notice the postage date and the whited out address where the incorrect address had been... IT should have been remailed.. which perhaps i will do anyways.... you are welcome of course to watch my graduation (which consisted of walking in to Tribal music.. thats what happens when your major is in the same department as African Studies) at anypoint which Darryl so graciously taped.. and its a heck of alot better deal than that bumble we all know and love so dearly.

with that... i rest my case

and I had a special request I must now fufill... brandon this is for you...

one set of "crazy eyes" as requested

Graduation

2006-05-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd post some pictures from the past couple weeks! Things have been busy with graduation last weekend and all the family in to visit and then of course the festivities that come along with that... and not to mention moving! I just finished packing up my car which suprisingly holds just about everything I own and will be heading back to high point for a great weekend with ol' friends that I miss so much! But don't worry Raleigh friends :) I will be in Raleigh till the end of this month and then I'll be back after June on and off working and babysitting so I hope to see you all some this summer.

What a wonderful 4 years it has been here! I will have to make some more posts in the near future with a little look back at those wonderful NCState years! so tune in next week for my farwell post to what has become the infamous "409 C"

now for that wonderful graduation weekend....

me and Kar at Baskin Robins after my graduation pizza party... mmm.. gotta love living within walking distance of a baskin robins!

The one the only Josh Hinton and the beautiful soon to be married Emily Thuston! Everyone loves some late night Huddle House...

everyone knows and loves this girl.... PATTI!!! :)

Theres those Hinkles! Chad, Mamaw and Daddy... and lets not forget Pepper!!

and of course that boy of mine... Darryl :) my two favoritest boys in the whole world... yes thats Chad popping up in the back ground... I just need Aaron and Jer in there and I'd be set

And then theres that Grannie Pooh of mine... yeah she hates when i call her that.. :)

and finally out to eat at 42nd Street Oyster Bar... thats my mom and her husband Eddie to the right

Well thats all for now.. there is more to come.. I love posting pictures :) Time to head to work and then off to High Point...

well I'll be

2006-04-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

an interesting story...
i went to my dad's house this past weekend and was reminded of growing up in Willow Creek next door to my best friend Megan. We grew up together and were like sisters. I would just walk over and walk in her front door and we would stay up and outside during the summer till who knows when playing outside. She moved away to GA when I was 10 years old and we kept in touch for a little while, i even when down to visit her and got my first taste of Atlanta when i was 11 or 12. We lost touch after that but she ended up back in NC, I was 16 at the time, and we meet up to hang out a little bit...

it was a crazy God experience too... neither of us grew up in homes where we went to church so the fact that we both were wondering if the other had become a Christian was a crazy thing to experience... by God's grace we both had come to know Christ about the same time in our seperate states and from backgrounds which didn't involve going to church or having a bible in the house... but after that evening we parted ways again.. her looking for a future college and me going back to life at Ledford

so i got this crazy idea in my head to look up her and her brother on facebook.. for those of you who don't know.. its like myspace but without blogs and set up so you can find people you went to high school with or people you go to class with in college (gotta have a college email to set it up) anywho.. I found her brother on Facebook and wrote him a message... he was 8 or 9 the last time I'd seen him

well to cut this short... lets just say I found out she ended up at VT and lives in Blacksburg, my future home come September, and of all things.. we are getting married on the same day! She'll be moving to Char. NC after she gets married.. but for a little bit of time this summer our paths might cross again.. and who knows.. maybe we'll end up in the same hospital having children at the same time or something.... that is... at least 5-6 years down the road

Chocolate WHAT?!?!

2005-10-13T18:55:00.000-07:00

"why i am an idiot"

so... here's a funny story. or if anything a story you might read and think "wow Kristie really is an idiot" if you don't think so already

so on wednesday NC State had a "Chocolate Festival." At the festival you payed 6 dollars at the door to go inside and walk around and try 6 samples of chocolate... and I'm not talking chocolate chips here. there were cakes 3 feet long from expensive places... a chocolate fountain with fruit, cookies, brownies.. and chocolate milk... oh and the list goes on. IT WAS AWESOME!

you even got a pink box, a little bit smaller than a shoe box, to fill up with your treats. I still have chocolate cake in the fridge! I just can't eat it all! now the best part about all of this is that every cent went to breast cancer research. now certainly breast cancer is no laughing matter... but let me tell you about one of the booths that has prompted me to tell this story.

you see... i could have sworn there were chocolate boobs at the festival. and a silent auction was going on so i thought maybe they too were up for bid... there were three in fact at a booth all by themselves. I found myself looking at these... we'll just call them "objects"... on a table along with flyers and other informative information around them... and as i stood there looking over someone's shoulder i felt as if the lady in charge of the booth was coming over to talk to me, so feeling odd for having been near these "objects" for so long i quickly moved away.

my friend Karly also went to the festival, only later on in the day. She told me about this very interesting and interactive booth that she had visited at the the festival. an interactive booth where you could feel and touch three different plastic "objects" to see what it would feel like if you felt a "normal" breast another that simulated one with non-cancerous cysts, and a third that simulated what it would feel like if you actually had a lump... a key sign for breast cancer....

at this point i stopped to ask.. "you mean the ones that looked like they were made of chocolate?" ... karly lost it.. and i felt like a total idiot... and quite embarrassed that they weren't made of chocolate... nor on sale.

that my friends... is a true story.

The Gardner's Wedding

2005-10-03T19:38:00.000-07:00

Darryl and his now hitched buddy Brian.

My lovely date for the evening.

Here I am with my dates for part of the night since their husband's and my fiance left part of the reception to get nasty chilli and burgers at some hole in the wall joint across the street. I danced to that Cha-Cha song (it was fun) but had to sit out during the Electric Slide (gag me) Its amazing what white people will do (particullary dancing) when they have had some wine or a drink. Whoever made the Electric Slide should be ashamed of himself.

Anyone who knows me (well at least to those who I know from back home) will know that it never fails that I have "demon" eyes in pictures. So here is a great example of how every single picture taken of me (since i was a baby) ends up with me having bright red eyes. I know the scientific reasons for why this happens and it has nothing to do with demons. I just have big blue eyes... so booo ya!

Thank goodness for red eye reduction. Jeremy you know what I'm talking about!! haha

Let me introduce you..

2005-09-18T12:10:00.000-07:00

some of you Raleigh people have not had the pleasure of meetings my fiance Darryl :) hehe. This would be caused to the fact that he lives just about 4 hours away in Blacksburg VA. He is the youth minister at Blacksburg UMC. So here is a picture or two if you are interested... I apologize for turning into this girly girl that my previous self would have made fun of and acted like i was throwing up in a mocking manner.... many of you know the Kristie i speak of.. haha

a mug shot.

Here is Darryl proposing to me at Jeremiah Project(a workcamp for Jr. high). This is where we met, Romney West Virginia (you can read about it on my wedding webpage.. see Links) I am dressed as the Paintbrush Pirate.. and no I am not wiping a tear away, i am reaching to remove my eye patch.. because i'm really a pirate at heart. What a lucky pirate i am :)

Stop: Patti Time

2005-09-17T14:06:00.000-07:00

So.. yes. I have made a blog. I never thought I would see this day, but as everyone else in the free world has a blog, i too must jump on that band wagon. I'm here hanging out with my long lost roomie patti, miss shelly mo and Joshua Hinton. Great people. They said i must have a blog if i plan on ever being popular... ok so not really but you follow me. This should be fun though... whenever i move off to Blacksburg i can keep everyone updated on the antics that will go on there.

For now i will keep you updated on Raleigh life. It is good to hang out with such great friends. Tomorrow is Miss Patti's birthday so we all are looking forward to that. I miss livin with that crazy girl and tap dancing for her and having starwar fights.

Here we have Patti jammin on the geetar. She needs to start giving me lessons.

Happy Birthday Patti! You are my homie of all homies and i miss you soooo much! Thank you for always making me laugh... as a matter of fact thank you for always making everyone laugh and smile... you are such a blessing and inspiration.. thank you for teaching me about faith and making this girl's world a brighter place

Our lovely shelly moore.
The other offical Patti-sitter.

So this is a picture of Shelly and Patti's fridge.
Why is this worth posting you ask...because if you take a closer look...

You will see that me and Darryl made it to the fridge!!!!

no camera tricks folks, i really am just this pale.
thats all folks

This is my freakin' blog

2005-09-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

My name is Kristie, and I have a blog.