Showers of Blessing....

Are exactly what we're gonna need. Baby showers, to be exact! That's right! Kristine Michelle Woodring, my beautiful bride, is approximately six weeks pregnant with our first child. God is awesome! I'm excited, anxious, scared, thrilled, and a whole lot of other things all at the same time. (To those who already know this, it's now safe to assume that you can spread the word since this information is on the World Wide Web). We found out yesterday morning, first, by home pregnancy test, then by going to the doctor after she got off of work. The doc confirmed the news (phew!). We waited a few hours to tell people, just enough time to give everyone time to get off of work, and then started making the anticipated phone calls. The first calls went to parents and siblings, followed by proclamation to close friends and neighbors, other family members, etc. It was a busy day! Still, the news seems as fresh as a fresh picked apple, and it hasn't seemed to completely set in with me yet, but Kristine is starting to experience some of the nausea and queeziness that goes along with being "with child". I know these next few months will be an adventure, but I'm as ready as I can be (which isn't very) and honestly can't wait until late February rolls around. Obviously there's a lot going on with Kristine and me, meaning there will be plenty to blog about over the next few months. Thus, without further delay, I say to all reading, "stay tuned!"

It's spelled P-A-R-M-E-S-A-N.

Many of you may be wondering about the title, but don't fret over it. It's just an inside joke, and, David, if you're reading this, there is no "e" after the "s". At least spellcheck doesn't think so. Maybe that's the English spelling. Anywho, good day to all. It is Saturday, and somewhat of a sadder day. Today ends Indiana month. David Matthew Story left Little Rock today to return to Morgantown, WV. It was a great four days of nothing more than two close friends spending nothing less of quality time together. The fun started Wednesday, June 21st. I remember as if it were only a few days ago....

06/21/06
David arrived just before 11:30 a.m., and we started laughing almost immediately. We grabbed something to eat at "the" fast food restaurant (Wendy's) and went to the apartments to waste time before picking up Kristine. We did nothing but play PS2 all afternoon. Absolutely frawesome. Kristine joined some of the fun after work, taking time to wind down and relax. Oh, and a couple of "Friends" episodes were involved, naturally.

06/22/06
Happy Birthday, David! I took Kristine to work and, on the way back to the apt., I picked up some chocolate milk, the preferred breakfast (or anytime, really) beverage of David. After all, it was his birthday. We then continued the celebration by going out to a few of our favorite places, which, not ironically, contained a few of our favorite things. Game Xchange, CompUSA, Best Buy, EB Games, Fazoli's (guys have to eat!), back to CompUSA. We had laughs, spent money, and lived it up. God gave us a beautiful day to celebrate the first day of the 21st year of David's birth. After arriving back at the apt., we adequately spent our time playing more video games. David was reintroduced to "Crazy Taxi", and greatfully indulged himself in the reacquaintance, spending much time with the game. Kristine again joined us in our frawesome time, and, by David's request, we ate at Corky's, Little Rock's best (as far as we've found) BBQ joint. We then continued throughout the evening playing more video games before calling it a night.

06/23/06
Magic Springs, here we come! David and I dropped Kristine off at work (unfortunately) and made our way to Hot Springs, AR where the amusement park Magic Springs resides. David got to experience five more roller coasters as well as some other rides while we were there. We later returned mid-afternoon and--you guessed it--played more video games (thank God for technology). We then came back to reality and played some real basketball with David Standridge, and each of us won a game a piece of 21 (how appropriate). We picked up Kristine from work (thank God for Kristine!) and made our three foot journey from our apt. to our neighbors apt. to eat supper, play games, listen to Dave dazzle us on the guitar, and just plain have fun. It, too, was a frawesome day.

06/24/06
The sad day of departure. We made the best of it, though. I took Kristine to work (yet again) and returned to the apt. to see if David would like to take part in some game playing. He graciously obliged. We played until it was about time for Kristine to get off of work and then naturally went to pick her up. From there we went to Fazoli's (Italian is good) for lunch and then returned home. David and I wasted no time in returning to the PS2 while Kristine got a bit more comfortable and headed out to Wal-Mart with a couple of our neighbors. I then, sadly, had to chauffer Dave to the airport for him to make his flight back to Morgantown. We said goodbye, hoping (at least on my part) that the next encounter will not be so far off. It was a bit solemn, but life goes on. God is using David in great ways, and I'm sure has greater things for him yet. As far as for me, Kristine and I are both waiting for whatever it is God has in store for us, allowing Him to use us where we are now and wanting to be used by Him even more.

That's everything. Well, not everything, just the highlights. It was more fun than most can bear in a week, but David and I did it all in a mere four days. Now that's what I call frawesome. As always, stay tuned.

Leaving For Arrival.

WARNING: The following blog contains events over a course of ten days, and is therefore longer than most posts. Viewer discretion is not necessary, I just wanted any readers to know the literary journey ahead is a longer one than usual.

Of course the title doesn't make sense, it's an oxi-moron. Therefore, calm down and let me explain. Kristine and I have spent the past ten days in the great state of Indiana, otherwise known as the "Hoosier State". This explains the gap in blogging. We arrived first in Evansville, IN at Amanda and Andy's (my sister and brother-in-law) on Friday morning around midnight. After getting some much needed rest after the 7 or 8 hour trip, we regrouped Friday morning to reminisce about the "good ole days" and discuss lunch. We chose to dine at a fun little Italian restaurant called Angelo's, which turned out to be pretty good and did not involve the mob as far as we know. from there, Kristine and I went a bit further north to visit her parents.

We arrived at Mike and Shawn Gregg's house around 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Shawn's sister and brother-in-law were there visiting along with their son, Darren, while preparations were being made for David Gregg's graduation party, which was to be held on Saturday. The party was definitely fun, as was the whole visit. Darren, Kristine, and I (along with some others, every now and then) did some high-quality fishing down at a lake not far from the house, catching approx. 25 fish. I used to hate fishing, but I must admit, it was a blast! Tuesday morning we left the Gregg household and headed for Noblesville, IN where Josh and Erin Allen were anxiously awaiting.

We got to Josh and Erin's house around lunchtime, for which we stopped at the greatest hot-sub joint EVER, Penn Station. Kristine and I shared a chicken terriyaki sandwich and some fresh-cut french fries while being entertained by Erin and baby Camrynne (who will be one year old on the 28th). It was very refreshing to spend the time with them and Josh, especially since our time with them is usually so much shorter. I know both Erin and Kristine wasted no time in catching up, and soaked up every moment they could spending time with each other. The "Allen/Woodring quality bonding time" was a huge dose of fun. If you're reading this, thanks a million, Josh, Erin and Camrynne. Oh, and we all found out that devil eggs make for good splats when they hit a hard surface, especially when purposefully thrown straight at the floor.

From the Allen residence, we continued our Indiana journey to my family's house in Anderson, where we encountered my brother Tim, and Dad. We attended the final night of VBS that evening, and were greeted cheerfully by many that were there. We were also greeted with great food. What made the food great, you ask? The fact that most of it was sweets, mainly ice cream, the most incredible cold food known to man and some dogs. It was awesome. The next day started with my Dad and me going out and grabbing the morning grub-- Donuts. Ah, Donuts. The man or woman who came up with the concept of donuts better have some sort of medal. If this genius doesn't have a medal for this miraculous creation, he or she certainly deserves one. A donut shaped one. With chocolate icing. Anywho, we ate donuts. Kristine and I proceeded that day to go to her cousin Samantha's, wedding. It was a nice wedding, and the only one I've been to where the guys in the wedding party wore cowboy hats. My only complaint was the ushers were wearing pink. Anywho, the wedding was wonderful, and congrats to the happy newlyweds.

Sunday, as many of you know, was Father's Day. It was also Dad's birthday. Due to these special occasions, Amanda and Andy Justison came up to visit, gracing us yet again with their presence. We obviously attended church at Landmark. Spending Sunday at Landmark was somewhat nostalgic, and I loved it. After morning services, we came back to the house for lunch, which consisted of hash brown casserole, green beans, fried okra, and steak. It was beyond delicious. Following lunch, Dad opened his Father's Day/birthday cards and gifts. Mandy and Andy gave him an ocean sounds cd and a church history magazine, and Kristine and I gave him a dart board (hope he'll enjoy it). We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with Mandy, Andy, and Timothy while Mom and Dad went to a viewing at a funeral home. We took the given time to swim in the cold water and cold wind, just begging for hypothermia. We survived, though, and Kristine gave Timothy a haircut to match mine. That evening, we again went to Landmark for church and, afterwards, spent some high quality family time at the house. Mandy and Andy then headed back to Evansville. This morning Dad left for Daytona, Florida for the national ABA meeting, Mom went to work, and Kristine and I will soon be heading back to the small town of Little Rock, AR.

It was a great week and a half in IN. I miss it more than I allow anyone to know. But don't start sympathizing yet, because the title has yet to be explained. Upon leaving Indiana for Arkansas, we will be expecting the arrival of none other than David M. Story himself, in the flesh, Old Navy wardrobe and all. Thus, we are leaving Indiana to arrive in Arkansas a mere two days before the Story arrives. Indiana month isn't over. Not yet. So stay tuned.

In IN.

Well, we're back in Indiana again. At the present time we are visiting my beloved sister and brother-in-law. They have opted to take us to lunch, which my stomach is pleased about. I probably won't be blogging much between now and when we return to Little Rock, but have decided to take the time to do so today simply to let everyone know about our up and coming website. If it works out as planned, my blogging will most likely continue there. The address is jkwoodring.com, omitting the www. Anywho, it's under construction at this time, so there's not much to look at right now. Check it out if you wish, but there will be more to come later, so stay tuned.

Indiana Month.

Buenos Dias to all, and my apologies for the blog gap. Now that that's done, we can peacefully move on. And so "Indiana Month" continues. It actually started in May with my parents and brother coming in from Indiana to visit family. They stayed with Kristine and me through Memorial Day, leaving that morning for Prescott, AR to see my mom's family. Yesterday, my sister and brother-in-law arrived early (approx. 2:15 a.m.) and stayed until lunchtime. They accompanied me (actually, it was the other way around) to pick up Kristine for lunch and, after dropping me off, set off for Prescott as well. It was beyond enjoyable seeing them all. It was very refreshing. June 1st is Mom's birthday and June 18th is my Dad's.
Speaking of June, Indiana Month continues with Kristine and me going to Indiana for a 10 day getaway. I'm sure it will be wonderful. We'll get to see her family, Erin and Josh, Some church friends and my family. It'll be good, especially for her. She deserves it for all she does.
Following our return, David Story will be coming to celebrate his 21st birthday on the 22nd. That time will be well wasted with bad puns, lots of laughs, and all around good times. By the way, I recommend to anyone and everyone reading this to visit his website. He has done well reinventing it and has a load of new stuff on it. (You can pay me later for the plug, Dave). Anywho, all of the above mentioned adventures are why Kristine and I have dubbed this month "Indiana Month." I can't wait for the rest!
That's all for this post. Except for "Happy Birthday, Mom! 37, and going strong."
Stay tuned.