Surprise needs an update...

Lindsay,

Clue: There will be a horse and a boat house involved.

Just a side note: No matter what, take each day in stride and do not get stressed about it! Everything will come together and will be great! Things may be a bit last minute, but lack of information will make it fun! I look forward to sharing the surprise with you!

I love you!

Past Clues:
- Part of your surprise is from Connecticut.

- A trip to Baynes...

- Your clues:- 25+20+9+3+11+18+15+25+23+5+14 = 168

- There will be a craft involved...

- there is no where I would rather be...

- 5-6.5 miles.- if I were a shoe I would walk with you!

- A bottle of Wine- You cannot get your arms around it

- it involves the number 4 twice, but really 4 and 5

How about today!

Today was a good jump in the right direction for our upcoming artisans show! Mrs. Allen, our resident decorator and product placer, made some great progress in setting up for the show. We started putting our product on all the tables, we got our Christmas tree up and fluffed, we decorated our mantle and hung the wreath on the door! Now we just need all the art from the other participants! That part will be here before you know it!

Can you believe it is now time for the Christmas Season?

Oh...We went out to Dads for the Auburn/Alabama game...that was pretty pitiful.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Robert

Surprise update....

7 more days.

Clue: Part of your surprise is from Connecticut. Don't they have good molasses up there....maybe it is a sweet treat...or a sweet treat of the month club!

The surprise that keeps on giving! It might have to come with a gym membership though.....

I just hope it all comes together!

Past Clues:

- A trip to Baynes...

- Your clues:- 25+20+9+3+11+18+15+25+23+5+14 = 168

- There will be a craft involved...

- there is no where I would rather be...

- 5-6.5 miles.- if I were a shoe I would walk with you!

- A bottle of Wine- You cannot get your arms around it

- it involves the number 4 twice, but really 4 and 5

Have you figured it out yet?

This one is more of a statement than a clue, but it will be helpful in the whole scope of things...

It will require a trip to Baynes. Your specific details will be forthcoming. Enjoy!

11 more days till the reveal...I sure hope it is not just that single serve cuisinart stainless steel coffee maker I want!!!

I love you!

Robert

Your clues:
- 25+20+9+3+11+18+15+25+23+5+14 = 168
- There will be a craft involved...
- there is no where I would rather be...
- 5-6.5 miles.- if I were a shoe I would walk with you!
- A bottle of Wine- You cannot get your arms around it
- it involves the number 4 twice, but really it involves 4 and 5.

The Fun has begun!

We have been gathering, over the past week, all of the items we (lindsay and I) will be selling at our Artisan show coming up in December...Today we organized it ("We" definitely includes Mr. and Mrs. Allen, Lindsay's Parents...They are key in this and heavily involved in pulling this off as well!!) and we even started putting out our tables in the house so that we can begin to showcase it all!

On top of our great selection of gift items we will also have around 12 different artist that will be putting their creations up for sale as well! I will begin to list the artist in the next few days once we have everyone confirmed...But these artist will be bringing their one of a kind ceramic items, jewelry (some hand made), hand painted canvas art and much more....

I am so excited to be putting this show together, because one I love the challenge and the business side of something like this, but for a larger and the main reason...we are going to be able to bless each of these ministries. I hope tremendously!

Please keep this show in mind as you begin (or finish up) your Christmas shopping! You will not regret coming to check it out!

Everything we (Artisans) make will be split between these two ministries!!! Find another retail place to shop this holiday season that is solely committed to giving away everything they make for the benefit of the Kingdom!!!! (If you know of some I would like to know who they are!)

I will tell you a bit about each of them in my next entry....Grace Campus Ministries of Auburn (soon to be Hong Kong) and Lone Sheep Ministries of Birmingham.

Talk to you soon!

Robert

Clue for you?

I know what day the clue will actually take place now. December 4th. Time and Place is still forth coming....

All I can say right now is...
25+20+9+3+11+18+15+25+23+5+14 = 168

Now what could 168 mean? Could it be how much I spent on her surprise? If so she probably will flip out...she would probably go to the budget and say where is that money coming from?

Could it mean the number of time I will remember to take the trash out on the correct days over the next year? Doubtful. (as a confession, I should improve in this area)

Is it the speed she will be driving when we go to our very own nascar experience?

Or does 168 mean anything at all?

Maybe it will be the number of roses I will send her...no...no flowers.

It could be a map with the number of steps being 25 steps forward, 20 steps to the right...Surprise found!

Only time will tell...14 days from now.

I must say now though that I have an awesome wife who is going to have a full 3 weeks ahead of her...Lindsay...get excited! It is going to be busy, but it will be well worth it when we wake up December 13th! I Promise.

13 days left...then we will be closer

Well 13 days will get us close to the end of the month and then it will only be a matter of time before the secrets out (and I get my new Mac)... I had to go to plan B because I could not get the loan I needed to do my original idea...something about a failing credit market and a horrible economy...It was an unbelievable idea too...You could not even imagine how good the, well who cares at this point!

Whatever it is I cannot wait to reveal it! (for all of you reading this...I have not purchased a second home in the swiss alps, bought her a new convertible, hired her a maid to clean house daily or bought her a piece of jewelry that would require replacement insurance! go qvc) This is just something fun!

Your clue is - There will be a craft involved...

- there is no where I would rather be...
- 5-6.5 miles.
- if I were a shoe I would walk with you!
- A bottle of Wine
- You cannot get your arms around it
- it involves the number 4 twice, but really it involves 4 and 5.

Take a deep breathe....

Lindsay,

Today is a new day and one day closer to the surprise! But what could it be? A walk with me 5-6.5 miles to a restaurant where I will buy you a bottle of wine for $45? Probably not b/c I know you and you would like to walk there, but you do not like wine (yet) and you definitely would not want to spend $45 on it!

No your clue today should be a better one...might help too much in your quest to figure out what it might be...I must say though do not continue down the path you are own, fixating on what it could be...you are starting to get bags under your eyes from not sleeping, I am having to change more diapers because you are sitting in your chair repeating:
- 5-6.5 miles.
- if I were a shoe I would walk with you!
- A bottle of Wine
- You cannot get your arms around it
- it involves the number 4 twice, but really it involves 4 and 5.

You do need to still shower and get out of your pajamas...Trust me the clues will get easier. Just do not forget about us as you think them through....

It really is better that you do not know what it is b/c if you did you could not stop rejoicing in the streets about how wonderful I am...People might think that is odd after all your reclusive behavior.

I love you and I thank you for loving me!

Your clue is - there is no where I would rather be...

Your slightly goofy husband,

Robert





- 5-6.5 miles.
- if I were a shoe I would walk with you!
- A bottle of Wine
- You cannot get your arms around it
- it involves the number 4 twice, but really it involves 4 and 5. I

Clue for you....

Lindsay,
Here is today's clue...but first let me tell you how much I appreciate all that you do daily...care for the girls, clean the house, feed us.....So Lani, Ella, and I all want to tell you thank you and we love you and will continue to do our best (which means we need to do better) to pitch in!

• 5-6.5 miles.
• if I were a shoe I would walk with you!
• A bottle of Wine
• You cannot get your arms around it
• it involves the number 4 twice, but really it involves 4 and 5. I messed up on that one...I hope it does not give it away!

Daily Clue...

Lindsay,

Before I give my clue, I must say I love you! That rhymed...

I may be on to something here...clues in rhyme....Hmmmm....Here it goes...

If I were a shoe
I would walk with you!

• A bottle of Wine

• You cannot get your arms around it

• it involves the number 4 twice, but really it involves 4 and 5. I messed up on that one...I hope it does not give it away!

More about the Good Cause!

YOU HAVE TO READ THE POST BEFORE THIS FIRST!!!NOPE GO BACK AND READ IT!

So I need you to now focus on the event b/c I want everyone to know about it! All 10 of our readers will need to soak this in and spread the word!!!

On December 11th and 12th we are going to be doing a few things in hopes to support and bless two ministries!

The two ministries are Lone Sheep Ministries and Grace Campus Ministries.

Years ago we used to put on a sales event we called Artisans. We invited artist to bring their work to sell and Lindsay and Mrs. Allen picked out some fun Christmas gifts that we sold...

We would like to host another one over those 2 days in hopes that all the proceeds we raise will go to directly supporting these two ministries. (We are still looking for artist to participate) Then on the night of the 11th (which is the first day, a Thursday night) we will be having our 1st annual Christmas open house where both ministries will be present...It will be casual, come and go as you please time of fun and great fellowship with all the friends that show up!! We hope you will come and join us! Invitations will follow!

About the two ministries:

Lone Sheep Ministries: Started by Beau and Ashley Armistead and is based in Birmingham. Beau and Ashley have 3 kids, Cole, Judah and Zoe.

For more about them I copied this off their website as it says it best!

"It is our purpose to bring the love and truth of Jesus Christ to the nomads and wanderers. We do this by traveling to music festivals, rainbow gatherings and on band tours where the nomads congregate. We want people to understand God's love for them and their importance to Him. Our desire is to build relationships with people and live the gospel for them. In the book of 1st John, John says "let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." That is our goal. To truly love people in such way that they can experience Jesus in person."

Beau and Ashley really have heart for people, especially for people that do not know the love and grace of Jesus Christ. They work hard everyday building relationships with people that you and I would probably walk right by if we were honest...They have great stories of God working in the lives of people they have met along the way...They are ministering to a group that is basically overlooked by most christian organizations, but you can bet every other deceptive religion is right in their face everyday! Oh and by the way Ashley is Lindsay's sister so they are family! We are proud of them!

Grace Campus Ministries: Started about 7 years ago by Matt and April Dean on the campus of Auburn University. Matt and April have 3 boys Josh, Caleb and Luke and are praying for the day they get to meet Anna Grace which they have been in the process of adopting from China since mid 2006.

Their primary goal for the past 7 years has been to invest in the lives of college kids. Matt and April know that these kids are at the cross roads of leaping forward as leaders in the community and especially in our churches. They have been serving the student in several ways...by a large meeting on Thursday nights called Encounter which Matt leads (as Campus Crusade does) and by plugging the students into churches and several small community groups across campus for weekly bible studies led by the staff at Grace Campus...Now for their future...

Grace Campus is in the midst of a tremendous opportunity...Transitioning to the Universities in Hong Kong. Amazingly in a city that large and free to worship there is virtually no church or ministry focusing on the college age kids...Matt and April and some staff will be leaving for Hong Kong Next August to begin a time of building up the kingdom through building relationships with college kids there....Interesting fact: 20% of the students will be from Mainland China. Most of those students will go back to china to lead...These are the cream of the crop students sent to HK to learn. How awesome will it be to invest in their lives and send them back by the thousands to China as followers of Jesus Christ.

I have been friends with Matt since the third grade...I cannot say enough about him and April.

Both of these ministries are fully support based ministries which is why I wanted to put together this show...I support them and I believe in what they do...If you would like to know more please come and join us!

Surprise for Lindsay and a good cause this December!

I have been teasing Lindsay over the past few days that I have a surprise for her...I see now that life is about to get busy with Christmas, so I need to begin to actually figure out a way to include her without actually giving it away...So Lindsay, I am serious about the surprise and I need you and the rest of the world to know not to plan anything on any one of the days between December 3rd and the 12th. (for those of you that know what I am talking about, please keep that mouth shut!)

Now there is a little flexibility in those dates, but not much...I am just not sure what day it will have to land on...if you need Lindsay during that time you will need to see me! 334.546.2676.

Now, I will say that she knows about what some of those days I am blocking off b/c we are currently planning an Open house event on December 11th and 12th that will keep both of us busy...I am sure it will take a few days to prepare for it...So between the surprise and the event we will be busy!

Two things may have peaked your curiosity in this entry...The surprise and "THE EVENT".

All I can tell you now on the surprise is it involves the number 4 twice! More on that later...

For more on "THE EVENT" check out the next blog...

Robert