December

Well, I thought it was time to update the blog, and we decided to share a few photos of what's been going on lately!

First, we have been decorating for Christmas around the house. This has been an extremely joyful process as it will be our first Christmas in our own house. We found some retro-ish lights to put up outside. We love it!

Today we took Mosa to the dog park. He's always exhausted following such excursions, and you can see his sleepiness here on the ride home.

We also swung by the Decatur Cemetery in all of its vastness.

The tree all aglow...

Don't you think Mosa could be in commercials?

And let us not forget Moki who now spends all her days perched in this window bed. She's also been kind enough to break the blinds at this window as she requires a good view of the backyard in order to be content.

In other news, as of Monday both Duncan and Whitney will be officially 25. We're almost done Christmas shopping, and Mosa is officially one (we think).

Hope this month is treating you with kindness!

Halloween and Pet Sightings

Hi everyone!

Duncan here, for a rare turn at blogging.

We just threw our first party at the house, a Halloween shindig that brought about 30 people to our little abode. It performed admirably, and a good time was had by all (except perhaps the owners of the three cars that got broken into, but even after that the party refused to die!).

Here are some pics from the night, and some other random ones of the children. Enjoy!

Mosa staring off into the distance, contemplating the existential conflict of both wanting to eat squirrels and to love them.

We're doing the Real Simple "Four Week Dinner Plan," and this is one of our favorites so far. Lamb and apricot meatballs, quinoa, fresh veggies, and of course feta.

Mosa is... still learning soccer.

Moki in a tray. Win.

Mosa as a squirrel, a cruel irony that I found much joy in laughing at.

He played the part all too well; 20 minutes in, he had devoured the acorn.

We still have like 40 beers left. I'm only one man, people.

My jack-o-melon.

This captures my dad in his essence, somehow.

Whitney, too, played the part of Amy Winehouse all too well. We found her 3 hours later on the roof.

Brooke who, with her Tech pals, dressed up as elements of a circuit board. She is an inductor, or an "in'duct'or" as I so cleverly punned.

Engaged in deep conversation.

A-list party, we got a pair all the way from Chile!

Paulo spent months growing that beard.

Dynamic duo Percy and Xena Williams, wearing their Tim and Donna costumes.

For some perspective.

Another pun in the making, a resister becoming "irresistible."

This sums up the party's awesome.

We found little pieces of Brian all over the yard the next day.

The party don't stop till they break in...

That's our month, thanks for stopping by! (And if you can't tell, I got a new camera, so look forward to more picture posts from me!)

-Duncan and Whitney and Moki and Mosa Meadows

The Sky Is Incredible Tonight!

Duncan and I went on date-night, and like a special treat, the sky was insanely gorgeous. I snapped these pictures with my phone and tried to photoshop them a little, but they still don't even come close to capturing the colors. Thanks, God, for something so beautiful.

The view from Hillside (our street!)

The view at Candler and Glenwood, or somewhere there abouts

Working on the House!

This has been a very fruitful and productive weekend for the Meadows. So, here is a photo-essay of sorts of all the goodness from the past few days.

Mosa somehow thought that he fit on the cat's bed. We had our first vet visit on Friday, and he officially weighs 57.5 lbs. To me, that would indicate he's a little too large for this, but he seems to be making it work.

And lest you think we now neglect Moki for Mosa, here she is. She's still in the midst of a love affair with this orange chair that you may remember from a previous post.

Mom helped me pick up some furniture (see below), and we stopped by a new antique store in Chamblee and discovered this ADORABLE 1950s pattern called Blue Heaven. I picked up a set of four cups and saucers and a serving platter for $25. Now we have something to collect and that seems mature and easy for everyone else to find us gifts. And by us, I might mean me, because I don't know how excited Duncan would be to get a plate for Christmas.

Here Mosa models the new end table (we have two!). We got both tables and the coffee table for $55. Thank you, Craigslist. When we were leaving the antique shop, the owner was coming out at the same time and came up to the truck. "Wait a minute, I did not hear about these awesome end tables." When I told him how much we got them for, he gave me a high-five.

Mosa, again modeling, shows us the new coffee table. Perfection!

This was one of the Saturday projects. We ordered these house numbers on etsy.com and needed a way to display them on the brick. So we picked up some spray paint, wood, glue, and tiles at Lowes.

And we painted the shutters. This was very exciting. Yay for home projects.

So, this is what the house looked like when we moved in...

And this is what it looks like now! We're trying to make it our own. And we love it more every day!

Post Africa Response

So, we've been back from our Africa trip for a month and a half. Just like the desperate attempt to retain that "Jesus high" after summer camp, I'm trying to hold on to my connection to the children at the Ministry of Insured Salvation Orphanage. I don't want time to erase the pain I feel for them; I don't want to find one day that I am living my life as though I never went. I don't want to cease in my prayers for them; I don't want to stop petitioning God for change and transformation even though that seems unlikely.

Upon our return, as our team debriefed, we asked, "What do we do now?" What we've seen is unjust, heartbreaking, frustrating. Doing nothing seems irresponsible. But now we're more than 8,000 miles away. All I have left is prayer, earnest prayer with the hope that God will take my words to initiate change.

On Tuesday evening, we went to a presentation from the team that went to Kenya this summer—including three dear friends from small group. Some of the ministries they encountered were completely different than the orphanage. Places that don't ask for hand-outs, but partnership; places that are transparent in how finances are handled; places that are truly cultivating healthy transformation in communities. How refreshing that report was. (Check out http://www.majimazuri.org/)

For now, we ask for your prayers as we continue to process the experience and consider how God is calling us to respond. Join us also in continuing to pray for the children at the Ministry of Insured Salvation.

Welcome Home

A few shots of the house. We're about 99% unpacked and loving it!

Living Room View 1 including new couch and chair

View of the Living Room from the front door

Dining Room (we think our furniture looks better in the house!)

Kitchen (lack of dishwasher=a bit of clutter after entertaining)

Backyard--the perfect size for Mosa to run around.

Bedroom, including Mosa's bed

The Office/Could-Be Guest Room

The House!

Mom's $20 find. Be impressed.

Moki modeling our $40 find (and South African record holder)

Bathroom (all natural lighting)

And, of course, sweet Mosa

Thanks to everyone for all of your love and support.

We wake up every morning saying--this is our house. How crazy is that?

Meet Mosa!

This is a sweet fellow. He's pure lab when you come home after a day of work, but he's pretty mellow the rest of the time.

He's been pretty good about only annihilating his toys (and his brand new harness... of course)

As you can see, he is pretty tough in his toys.

I was trying to snap a picture of us, and while this came out blurry, I still love it. Dog kisses are gross, but simultaneously way more awesome than any affection a cat may offer you.

We're headed out the door for our first obedience class! More of an update later this week...