A Charleston Week in Review

Howdy, family! Here's a week in the life of a gal living in Charleston...
Last week was week two at both my Journeying with Jesus women's Bible study on Monday night, and Divorce Care on Tuesday. I am learning significantly through each of these studies - both from the network of individuals whose spiritual journeys and willingness to be so transparent offer depth, as well as the scriptures we study. I will continue with each of these through mid-December and am looking forward to the weeks ahead.

Wednesday and Thursday were dedicated to the domestic violence shelter at which I volunteer, My Sister's House. Wednesday was their annual meeting, where they celebrated 20 years serving women and children who are victims of domestic violence in the Charleston area. I'm excited to also be part of a group at Blackbaud which will take on a nonprofit each quarter to put our internal skills to use by building/redesigning and teaching them to maintain, their organization's website. The first one we're piloting is My Sister's House! My director was so excited when I approached her to see if she would be interested - it will be an interesting project, but I'm hopeful we can pull it off!

Work is keeping me on my toes. My design team is rapidly growing and my challenge in the coming months will be to continue to evangelize and enforce user-centered practices. One of the ways we are reaching out to usability practioners outside of Blackbaud is by chartering a local chapter of the international UPA organization. Today I was elected president of our local chapter - scary! You can read up on our latest here or here until we get our website up and running.

Friday, I welcomed Matt to town for another weekend visit with homemade chicken tandoori, orange-cilantro rice, and grilled white corn on the cob. If you're interested, I'll post the recipes - just let me know! Saturday, we made brunch and headed out to the Ravenel for a jog from Patriots Point to downtown Charleston. We took a break mid-way for some photo ops! That evening, we enjoyed a date night by giving me a Tex-Mex fix at On the Border! A girl can only go so long without some chips and queso. I take after my mother, we need our Mexican food every once in a while. We proceeded on to the movie theater, where Matt was a good sport, and sat through Nights in Rodanthe! Rodanthe is in North Carolina (Kenny, you probably know since Wilmington is not far!) so it was neat to see very familiar beach settings.
Sunday was brunch at Hominy Grill, where I took Amy a week prior. Are we seeing a trend here? Yes it's that good. They feature homemade breads like the delectable pumpkin ginger spice in case you needed another incentive to come visit! Afterward, we ventured out to try a new beach just west of downtown. Folly Beach was fun because we saw a different side of Charleston - the more tourist type of town. If it were Spring Break we would have, no doubt, been caught in a mob of college kids! We enjoyed a walk along the shoreline amidst a mosaic of seashells, some of which I brought home. At any rate, I dare you to ask someone who doesn't believe in God to take a walk down the beach and be able to proclaim that statement again at the end of the walk - such beauty that only God could paint. Here is a hermit crab, two seagulls (one with only one leg!), and Matt standing amidst various patterns of the shoreline...
After watching the Cowboys lose, we met friends Brian and Shannon at Blackbaud Stadium to round out the weekend with a trip to the Charleston Battery playoff game against Rochester - which incidentally was their last game of the season, but still fun to watch.
Yes, the sunsets are that gorgeous on a nightly basis! And so ends one week and begins another.

As evidenced by a glimpse into our visits, Matt and I continue to grow, despite the separation. We are working hard spiritually, individually, and jointly to allow God's guidance during this time. Please pray for us as we let others lead us in our weekly studies. Matt is enjoying an intense months-long study at his church, called Disciple. We hope to continue to encourage and strengthen each other and see where that leads us.

Love to everyone from the East Coast,
Shannon and Luther

Summary of the Dolton's September

Settling In
We have made it through our first month of marriage! Whoo hoo! Most of our time has been spent on getting settled in and shopping for our apartment and cooking. Yes that's right, Kacie can cook. : ) Marc is the chef out of the 2 of us so we have enjoyed cooking together and creating our own dishes in between. We have been making use of our new juicer and food processer. We made our own hot salsa and chips: Recipe-cilantro, garlic,jalapenos,tomato sauce and lime. I've enjoyed experimenting with juicing all kinds of vegetables and fruits. I never thought I would ever find myself drinking beet, leek, celery, cucumber or red cabbage juice. It's been interesting studying what each fruit and vegetable does for your body.

This month Marc and I have started visiting new churches and looking for a new church home smaller and closer to home. We are really liking Lake Pointe Church at the Firewheel campus in Garland http://firewheel.lakepointe.org/. Our good friends, Krista and Jason Jetton, invited us to visit as they too are in the process of finding a church that is closer to their home as well. Everyone has been very outgoing and friendly to us, the worship music is great, we like the pastors and their messages and the young married's Bible study. Overall, we feel comfortable and more "at home" here so far.

A couple of weeks ago, we also started looking at dogs to add to our new family. : ) We were debating between a small dog such as a Shih Tzu or a bigger dog that would be more of a protector/jogging partner. We went to look at some Huskies from the Husky adoption agency and also looked at Shih Tzu, Pomeranian puppies. We were looking for a dog that was young but not a puppy. A week later, my mom told us about a Siberian Husky that a principal at a school in her district was giving away. We were reluctant at first because we wanted a female and this was a male. Marc was really excited about it though so we decided to go take a look. This dog had been fenced in a yard the past 2 1/2 years and had never been on a leash, never been inside, never been in a vehicle and had never seen stairs before, which we soon taught him how to climb them. Marc was having to carry him up 3 flights of stairs before Koda discovered that he could walk up stairs as well as down. We got suckered into his beauty and decided to take on the challenge to take this Husky home to our apt. On our way home from picking him up, we took him to PetsMart for a bath and to get him some toys, a kennel, bed, food, treats, leash, harness etc. to get him all fixed up. He immediately hated being put in his kennel but we would eventually have to leave for work. Last Tuesday, our first full day having him, we came home for lunch to check on him and found that he had pushed out the bottom of his kennel and his bed was on top of him. We had no choice but to put him back inside before going back to work. We were so worried about him and rushed home after work again and he had done the same thing, only this time his food and water had spilt everywhere. We took Koda running and then to the dog park at White Rock Lake. He loved that! He was super friendly to all the dogs and people that were there and probably felt right at home, getting to roam around on his own without a leash. Wednesday, Day 2 When we came home for lunch on Wednesday, Koda, is his name by the way, welcomed us at the door! That's right, he found a way to escape from his steel cage and knocked down our palm tree, dvd tower and tried opening the front door and the back door to the balcony. So after him doing all of that, we start doing a lot of research about Siberian Huskies and come to find out, they are naturally destructive dogs who are escape artists. They have a mind of their own, kind of like a cat and are working dogs. They do not do well alone. They are best with a companion and we cannot have 2 dogs in a 1 bedroom apt. So for the rest of this week, we have been leaving him on the balcony while we're gone. He's very smart and tries opening the sliding door with his teeth but at least he can't hurt himself or anything else. If we can't find him a good home soon then we will be taking him to the Husky adoption agency for him to be placed in foster care where he will have someone with him all day. He's gorgeous and loving but lots of work to have a Siberian Husky in Texas. Marc and I have gained a lot of patience while taking care of Koda and learned a lot about huskies this past week. I think we will be taking a break from our dog searching when Koda is gone.

Turning 28 in Chucktown...

Thank you all for the sweet birthday wishes, cards, and flowers! I felt very loved and am thankful for such a thoughtful, sweet family.

Friday, as the afternoon lull hit at work, I received an email from the front desk: "You have flowers at the front desk :)" I was tickled. I arrived and the receptionist says, "Are you Shannon? These look like your flowers." She was right - I received a beautiful pink bouquet of roses and dasies from my dear aunt, uncle, and grandparents.

I brought them up to my desk to display just as I received another email: "You have MORE flowers at the front desk :)" I retraced my steps, went down front, and picked up a gorgeous bouquet of a dozen red roses from Matthew. Here is a picture of my desk on Friday afternoon! I've never felt so loved at work!

Amy arrived Friday night and we were determined to find a place which would still serve us dessert so late at night, without having to trek downtown. I drove her through Park Circle, where some of the best little restaurants are (but were all closed), and showed her the women's shelter where I volunteer. We ended up back on Daniel Island at our new patio grill on the main drag - where everyone else was! We enjoyed key lime pie and creme brulee.

The next day we took our time getting up and around, had a late lunch at Poe's near the beach. However, it was looking grim so we decided to just take a driving tour of the beach instead. Since our favorite movie is The Notebook, I took Amy to Boone Hall Plantation, where it was filmed. It just so happened to be the weekend of Scottish Games festivities - long story short, lots of men in kilts and plenty of bagpipes! Amy has a Scottish background and schooled me on the various sights and sounds as we toured the plantation.

That evening we met friends downtown at Chai's for a dinner of tapas. Brace yourself, mom, I had the duck confit lettuce wraps. Yes, they were good! Everyone enjoyed the several courses, sampling many different tapas, even sharing with one another. It was neat to look down the table and see the friendships that have blossomed in such a short period of time. Here are some pics of me with Donna and Amy at dinner:

Amy and I went home and watched movies in our pj's until we fell asleep. We woke up the next morning, watched The Notebook of course, and went downtown for brunch and shopping. We had pumpkin ginger bread, cinnamon french toast, and a tomato pudding omelette at Hominy Grill! We shoe-shopped at Nine West where Amy bought me the most comfortable pumps I have ever put on my feet! We walked down to the Harbor, through the Market Street vendors, and had an afternoon snack before heading to the airport.

All in all, a nice laid back weekend of celebrating with a dear friend. We will get to catch up again in Boston when we attend the same conference in October! Thanks to everyone who made my first birthday away from home such a memorable one - I felt much love from you all from afar and was so thankful to receive a visit from someone familiar with whom to celebrate.

Love to you all,

Shannon

Tetons, Yellowstone & Jackson Hole

Well, Shannon & Kyle, we hope you had great bday weekends...can't wait to hear about them. Kathy sorry to hear that you were violently ill. We prayed for ya'll.

The Washington's went to The Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and Jackson Hole with John & Dorothy. We had a fantastic time! We saw God's amazing splendor in the vibrant landscape...truly breathtaking.

The Grand Tetons... after a 4.5 hour drive. We were so excited to get out of the car & stretch. The entire drive through the Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park are painted in greens, blues, whites, reds, oranges and yellows that only God could have imagined.

Although we did not see Yogi Bear, we did see Old Faithful and Nathan seemed to have captured some sort of wild beast?! Oh no! What happened to Jessica Ryan???



Once we returned to Jackson Hole, checked into our hotel and freshened up, we realized that our little girl cleans up well. (And, even after a very long day in the car, she remained so sweet.)


On the other hand, we had to feed Prince Charming. Actually, we aren't sure if his nose or his stomach led us to this amazing and affordable (yes, affordable) steakhouse... but, all night we were thanking Nathan for such a great choice.
After dinner we did decide to checkout Jackson Hole. It is cute, cowboyish and charming.

When we wandered upon the boutiques, well... This picture speaks for itself... There's something about shopping that just isn't favored by men... At least these lovely stuffed creatures entertained eachother!!!!

But, we love them.

Hello to Everyone!

To all of our family, it is so nice of Shannon to set up this blog for the Phillips' family. We enjoyed reading the comments and hearing about all the news. That is SO neat! We are very appreciative of what you have done with the blog, Shannon. We want to wish Kyle and Shannon a very Happy Birthday today! Pa-paw and Ma-maw stay busy with their routines here. Ma-maw tries to keep Pa-paw on his diet...yeah, right. Ma-maw does a good job of keeping our household in order as well as keeping in touch with the children/grandchildren. We enjoyed the family Koch reunion this month in Waco, TX. It was nice seeing everyone...had 60 family members there, including Jessica Ryan and Nathan...what a surprise for Pa-paw and Ma-maw!! Kathy would like you all to know that Ma-maw and Pa-paw pray for all of us, by name, every single day. That is so encouraging for all of us to know that we have such sweet, praying parents/grandparents who believe in the power of prayer. God bless all of you sweet family members. Remember we love each and every one of you!!

Love,
Pa-paw and Ma-maw

SHANNON'S AND KYLE'S BIRTHDAY TODAY!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU-
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU-
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHANNON AND KYLE-
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!!!

MAY GOD BLESS YOUR SPECIAL TODAY WITH HIS BLESSINGS. WE LOVE YOU BOTH!!!

LOVE,
THE ENTIRE FAMILY

Family Time at the Dallas Aquarium!

Granddaddy and Grandmommy had a wonderful time just being with both our sweet girls! We just had to share these great pictures with you all, once Grandmommy was able to post them. :)Notice what fun Jessica Ryan and Madeline Rose had being together. It was such a joy and blessing to be a part of this family time with Jennifer, Jessica, and Maddy!!

Thank you!

Thank you grandmommy & grandaddy for everything. I tried having mommy post the other pictures but they are blurry. :( This one was the best. I really had fun at the aquarium with Aunt Jennifer, Maddy and Grandmommy. It was so much fun! I had a great time with all of the family and love you very very much. Thanks again! I can't wait til daddy has another business trip to Dallas...I hope he takes me back there soon. -JR

Fall in PC

Well, ya'll... HOWDY!

Welcome to our home!!!

Guess this is a great way for the family to visit us in PC, UT?! What a great idea Shannon. Thanks for setting this up. :)

While Nathan and Jessica were in Dallas this past week, I painted all the trim nutmeg and kept the white enhancements. In addition to that, I decorated for fall. Meanwhile, back in Dallas... Nathan was in training and Jessica spent a wonderful week with Grandmommy & Granddaddy. When Nathan and Jessica returned home, Fall welcomed them.

Early Birthday Celebration, Charleston-style

Since my friend Amy is coming in next weekend for an all-girls birthday weekend, Matt was able to squeeze in an early birthday visit this weekend. Here's a quick recap and a couple of pics to sum up our weekend together...

Friday night, we stopped in downtown for a late snack on the rooftop of the Pavilion Hotel, and enjoyed a beautiful view overlooking the city. Saturday morning we took a three-hour sea kayak tour of Charleston Harbor! What a blast! We saw three manatees, which the guide said he hasn't seen all season! The water was calm and the sea was quiet so we watched them surface and could hear them breathing! We enjoyed learning about some of the wildlife from our tour guide, quite the naturalist! It was a great way to spend some time enjoying God's creation both individually and together as we paddled about the harbor. So fun!

We enjoyed a quaint dinner in one of our favorite spots, Park Circle. We had brick oven pizza at EVO, a local hang-out where everyone know's your name. I tried the special: goat cheese, basil pesto, parmigiano-romano, and butternut squash! Matt had the pizza for which they are known: the pork trifecta. Yup, three kinds of pork folks! We finished with cholocate truffles and sat to enjoy the ambience and cute families with young kiddos.

Sunday, we met up with my friends Donna and Tim, who just celebrated their one-year anniversary. We had birthday brunch the historic Mills House Hotel, (where Gen. Robert E. Lee used to stay) to celebrate both mine and Tim's birthday. We are blessed to have such sweet friends with whom to share some of our time in Charleston.

Today marks one year that I have been "on my own" and it's amazing to see what all has taken place in my life over the past year. God has truly grown me through the circumstances sent my way. After one year, I have finally decided I'm ready to commit to DivorceCare at one of the churches I'm visiting. I need to be sure I am processing and have processed the emotions in such a way that allow me to forgive and let go. I also start a women's Bible study at the other church I'm visiting tomorrow night. I trust in time I will be led to a new church home, but in the meantime am growing daily, reading 'When Women Walk Alone', and listening to Matt Chandler's podcasts (from the Village Church there in Dallas) on my jogs. I'm looking forward to moving further into my twenties, although it's hard to believe I'll be 28 years old!

I will miss spending my birthday with you, my family, but know that you are thought of and missed daily! Love you all!

Welcome!

Greetings from Charleston and welcome to our family blog site! Please invite others to contribute, as I do not have updated addresses for Jennifer, Kyle, Mike, Marc, or Jason.

This is your family site, so feel free to go hog wild! Post updates, funnies, pictures, prayer requests, praises, random thoughts, whatever you like.

Please email me if you need further instructions on how to post items. When you go to create a post, you will see icons for posting pictures or videos. When you hover your mouse over them, you should get a description of what that function does. Within the blog, you can click on actual photos to enlarge them and see them better. If the font is difficult to read, let me know and I can fix the color/size.

Hopefully this will be a fun way for each of us to stay in touch and feel like we live just down the street instead of across the country! My intent was for Mamaw and Papaw to be able to bookmark this site on their computer so they could just pull it up and read our updates when they can - is anybody able to help out with this?

Have fun and post away!

Love and miss you all...
Shan and Luther