Beautiful Vessel

A day in Austin

2012-01-29T13:37:00.000-08:00

The boys and I spent Saturday down in Austin. We started at Zilker Park and played on the huge playscape there for awhile. Then they wanted to ride the train so we did that, too. Of course, they wanted the seat in the back and they both loved being able to wave at all the people we passed. After they were worn out on both of those activities we went over to try Gourdough's specialty donuts. There were so many combinations to try. The two we choose were the Flying Pig and Miss Shortcake and they were soooo good!! We will definitely be going back!! It was a great way to spend a Saturday!!

A long weekend

2012-01-18T17:01:00.000-08:00

It was nice to have a three day weekend. The boys and I got to spend the whole weekend with Richard and the kids. Richard was nice enough to give up his bedroom for the weekend so we all would have a place to sleep. We hung out with some of his friends on Friday night, had dinner with his parents on Saturday night, enjoyed church and lunch with more of his friends on Sunday and went to the zoo on Monday. It was a jam packed weekend, but it was so nice to spend it all with good company!

All the kids playing on the hay bales

Baylee and Auri (Richard's niece)

Another one of Richard's silly faces!

Baylee and Koby had school so we took the three little ones to the zoo. They were hard to keep up with and moved from one animal to the next before Richard and I could even get to the cage to see it, but it was a lot of fun!

A wonderful surprise

2012-01-07T14:49:00.000-08:00

During nap time on Friday, my co-worker called me over to the office. I wasn't sure what she was going to need, but when I got over there, she pointed to some flowers on her desk and said they were for me. At first, I didn't believe her, but she showed me the card and they were for me!! I opened the card and read a sweet message from Richard and immediately started to cry. I have never received flowers at work before and I just felt so special! When I brought them back into the classroom, my co-teachers all wanted to see them and my boss even called over from across the street to tell me how pretty they were and that she was happy for me!! I don't think guys realize what a big deal flowers are, or at least for me it's a big deal. To think that Richard was not only thinking about me, but took the time to call a flower shop, choose something gorgeous and have it sent to my place of work to surprise me means so much. I feel lucky to have found someone so thoughtful. What a great start to my weekend!

My 2012 word

2012-01-01T09:31:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks prior to Christmas I started thinking about what my 2012 word was going to be. As much as I loved 'Adventure' last year, I wanted something a little more challenging, so I started to pray that God would lay on my heart what area He thought I needed to work on and what my word should be. I started getting a feeling about the direction that I wanted my word to be geared toward. When Daniel left, I spent so much time in the Word and talking to God and looking for God in everything I did because He is all I had left. Now, 3 years later, I find myself slowly slipping into old habits. With work and kids and church and the fact that things are "good" I find myself more self sufficient and not leaning on God as much. I still talk with God and spend time with Him, but I can honestly say that I don't have that same yearning to just be with Him. I am also finding it tricky to have Richard in my life, but striving to keep God my first love. It's so easy for me to substitute Richard into that spot that only God can fill and I don't want to do that. So I started thinking about how I can go back to that desperation of loving God with all of me, without being in such a traumatic time. So after I had that vision in my head, I started trying to think of a word that would encompass all those thoughts. One Sunday in youth we talked about 1 Peter 2:2 "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation" Once I heard the word crave, I thought that might be a great word!! I continued to pray and see what God laid on my heart and during one of our many trips to the store, I saw a huge display for the new Kellogg's cereal...

...and that was all I needed to see!! That would be my 2012 word!! It still amazes me how in your face God can be if we just take the time to look and listen! I pray that this year will be filled with learning how to CRAVE God through the good times and, that as my life moves forward with Richard, I will always be able to keep God as my first Love.

Happy 2012

2012-01-01T09:10:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!! I spent New Year's Eve with Richard and the kids. We went out to his parents land and road four wheelers a little while, which was fun! Then went back to his house for dinner and fireworks! The kids loved the fireworks...especially Kelby. Richard couldn't even get one lit before he was bringing him another one to light! The boys played basketball and the girls played Dance Party on the WII and before we knew it, it was 11:50pm! We got our glasses ready and the champagne for me and Richard and the sparkling grape juice for the kids. We counted down and then it was 2012!!! I already have so many hopes and dreams for this year and I am certain 2012 will be a memorable year!!

Riding around the country

I learned how to do a waterfall braid and Baylee let me practice on her hair...I think it turned out good and looks great with her highlights!!

I seem to always give Richard the camera to take a picture of us and then once he takes it, I immediately look at it, only to find one of a million funny faces that he does. It always take 5 or 6 tries with him to get a real smile!! That is one of the things I love about him...never a dull moment!

FIREWORKS!!!

Ringing in the 2012

Closing 2011

2011-12-30T05:50:00.000-08:00

For the past couple of weeks I have been thinking about the past year. I loved choosing one word and trying to see everything that I do through the lens of that one word. To read how I chose my 2011 word click here. I loved the word Adventure and after 52 weeks of trying to make everything an adventure, it comes pretty easy for me now. It's weird to look back and think that I wasn't like this. I mean, I have always loved a good time, but if it didn't match my timeline or fit into my plan then it upset me. I now see the things that happen off plan are the things that are truly going to be an adventure and I try not to have a bad attitude about it, but make the most of the moment. And since it's not so planned out, it's very exciting to see how each experience will play out. I really enjoyed my year of adventure and I'm happy with the person it has shaped me to be. As 2012 begins, I can't wait to get started on my new word!

Time with the girls

2011-12-29T05:04:00.000-08:00

It worked out perfect that Tanna and Laura were both in town over the holidays so we were all able to spend one afternoon catching up face to face rather than on the phone or through email! Laura and I only had one kid each and Cerly Grace slept the whole time, so with only 3 little ones around we actually did more talking than we did chasing!! It was so nice!! I love these girls soooo much and couldn't imagine my life without them!! It was a great afternoon!!

Teague and Brylee decided to have a picnic right in the middle of floor!!

Sweet Karis putting on her chapstick

A day out

2011-12-27T07:40:00.000-08:00

After Christmas it seems like all the boys want to do is get out of the house and run off some energy. There is only so long you can play indoors with toys, even though there were a ton of toys to choose from. We decided to take them to the mall which has a ton of things to do besides shop. At first Troy wanted to ice skate, but once he saw it he decided that he did not want to try it, so we decided to ride on the carousel, eat lunch and then go to the bounce house area. The boys loved running and jumping and playing without being told no or stop or calm down! After a couple of hours they were worn out and ready for naps. What an easy way to tire two boys out!!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T07:04:00.000-08:00

Christmas is my favorite holiday and having kids just makes it that much more exciting. To see and hear their anticipation makes me feel like a kid again!! I love giving surprises and it was a lot of fun staying up late and getting all the toys ready...although me and my sister had quite a struggle with one of the Hot Wheels tracks. At one point we were laughing so hard that there was no way we were making any forward progress. But to see the boys play with it the next day was worth it!

Making cookies for Santa

Santa brought them lots of goodies in their stockings and also two different race tracks. Plus Blake got them a race track so we have no shortage in race tracks or cars!!

Both boys got suitcases that they loved loading and unloading and pulling around.

It was a Rangers Christmas for the boys too. They each got a hoodie, baseball glove and Troy got a Rangers football and Teague got a Rangers soccer ball. We are ready for baseball season now!!

Sonja got a Texas Rangers license plate cover

Teague playing peek a boo!

Amber had a silly photo shoot with the boys!

Hot tub with all the girls while the boys watched a movie.

Spending time with the ones I love the best is my favorite part of Christmas!

Adventure #21

2011-12-24T12:20:00.000-08:00

My mom has started a tradition that we will do one big outing each Christmas. This year she decided Medieval Times would be fun for the boys, and she was right, they LOVED it!! Troy would hardly take his eyes away to eat or take pictures. He would yell for our knight and boo for the others. Each challenge was fun to watch and the fighting at the end was great, too!! I know they will remember this night for a long time to come and I am voting we go back again next year!!

Here is Troy getting his crown!

Blake bought the boys swords that light up

The boys had a sword fight with the guy selling the swords.

Our knight was the yellow knight

The procession of knights, horses and flags was amazing!!

The boys' were soooo enthralled by the action!

The knights that completed each challenge successfully would throw a flower into the crowd of the color that was cheering for them. Look who caught a flower!!

It's kinda dark, but here is our picture with the king. Teague was not about to put a crown on his head or get close to the king, so this picture is a perfect representation of his night.

Christmas with the Hollingsworths

2011-12-23T07:23:00.000-08:00

Since we wouldn't be together on Christmas day, Richard and I and the kids exchanged gifts yesterday. I always love seeing the expressions on their faces when they open their gifts!!

Cars, cars and more cars for the boys!!

Koby's face was the best. He had been wanting a braided titanium necklace for awhile and Richard was nice enough to let me take that idea and surprise Koby with it!! He loved it!!

For Richard, I did a Rangers themed stocking...Hamilton shirt, lanyard and ticket from the World Series, Rangers pic...and he loves beef jerky, so some of that too!!

Putting batteries in the remote control cars that Richard's parents got the boys.

I got Baylee tickets to see Wicked in February so we will have our own girls night out then, but I also stuffed her stocking with ear rings, nail polish and make up to play with while the boys played cars.

Richard got me a Texas Tech necklace, a gorgeous cross to add to my cross wall and this figurine of a mom and two boys!! I love it!! Richard's parents were so thoughtful and got me a throw for my couch that is sooooo soft! Christmas is definitely my favorite time of year and I'm so glad to be making so many wonderful memories with the Hollingsworths!

Adventure #20

2011-12-22T13:51:00.000-08:00

I remember going to look at Christmas lights many years ago, before kids came into the picture, and thinking it would be so much better to go look at lights and not have to worry about driving!! Last night, that dream came true!! Richard and I rented a stretch SUV and took all the kids, some of their friends, Richard's parents and some of Richard's friends to go look at the Blora Christmas lights. We all met at Chuy's for dinner and were to be picked up afterwards. We had kept it all a secret from the kids so when we walked out of the restaurant, the above picture is what we saw. The boys all said "cool, that limo is awesome." I asked them who they thought was inside and they said they didn't know but thought is was an awesome car. I slowly walked to the door and told them we should look inside. They all looked at me like I was crazy and told me I shouldn't open the door. When I did open the door and they saw nobody was in there we told them to get in and that this was ours for the night! To say they were surprised would be an understatement!! The looks on their faces and hearing their excitement was priceless!! The lights were great and the company was great and the whole experience was better than I could have imagined!! Even today I heard all the boys playing and talking about how they rode in a limo last night!! This was definitely one of my more memorable adventures and I hope it was for all the kids as well!!

Baylee and Kinsey

Richard's mom and dad

James and Alissa

Teague and Kelby and Troy loved the lights and would go back and forth from one window to the next looking at everything.

Words are Powerful

2011-12-18T13:04:00.001-08:00

I have been thinking a lot about the power of words lately. Richard and I had a discussion a while back about words versus actions. We were talking about how actions speak louder than words and so many people these days use their words so flippantly. It amazes me that God only created humans to speak, yet more often than not, we use our words to tear down, not build up. I know one of my spiritual gifts is the gift of encouragement, so I try very hard to say what I am thinking to edify those around me.

As the boys get bigger, I am really starting to see how my words can affect them, both positively and negatively. Every night before bed I tuck in Teague and pray with him and then go into Troy's room and pray with him. Some nights I just want to skip it all together because I am so tired and just want to crash, but I remind myself that it is so important. I feel like I am not only modeling what prayer looks like and how we should talk to God, but I am also speaking blessings over them every night. I am so thankful that God has given me this opportunity, and I do my best not to rush through it. Troy likes to pray after me and it's neat to see where his heart is. And although I always pray specifically for him, he seems to pray for others, which is so sweet. Teague isn't quite there yet, but he does manage to say "thank you, God for my food", and it doesn't matter if it's meal time or not! LOL!! Soooo cute!

I have come to see that my words are also very important to my students. Most of my students come from homes that are not a good environment and I wonder how often they are told they are smart or funny or special. I try to accompany a hug or a pat on the back with words that lift them up and let them know who I think they are, regardless of what they are told, or not told, at home.

And last, I have also been very cognizant about my words with Richard and others who are close to me. I seem to have this "feeling" about when to say something. I think about that clip from 'My Best Friend's Wedding' where Julia Roberts is on the boat with her best friend and she is going to tell him that she loves him and the boat goes under the bridge. We are all just waiting for her to say it and she doesn't and the moment passes her by. I think when those moments arise, I know it and I say what I am feeling or thinking and I pray that God uses it to encourage or build up or maybe just to show love to them. I try very hard not to let those moments pass me by.

I pray I don't forget that my words carry power and I have a responsibility to use them wisely.

Proverbs 16:24 "Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."

A Christmas Challenge

2011-12-11T13:28:00.000-08:00

The other day Teague was telling me what he wanted for Christmas and Troy told him that he needed to tell Santa, not me, and he was in the sky and he could just talk to him. Troy proceeded to tell Santa what he wanted and then Teague followed suit. I told them Santa is at the North Pole and can't just hear them like he is God. We would have to go visit Santa to tell him their requests and that only God can hear them like that when they pray.

So now that the boys are getting older and starting to really get into the magic of Christmas, I am struggling with how to keep the magic of Christmas alive and also keep the meaning of Christmas at the forefront. We have talked a lot about the season and Baby Jesus was born on Christmas. We have talked about giving to others and helping others out that are less fortunate than us. We have talked about Santa and how good behavior gets you toys. I have seen the Elf on the Shelf and would have bought it had they not been sold out. But I wanted a way to tie it all together without making God seem like a sort of Santa figure that just does what you ask when you pray. I found this book that seems to do a pretty good job of it. I have it wrapped and it's under the tree for them to open tonight. I also found a website that does videos to the kids from Santa. My plan is to let them watch the videos for each of them and then be able to let them open that one gift from Santa and be able to read the book until Christmas time. As a kid, I understand that God has a hard time competing with a man who brings you free toys, but as an adult, it's hard to believe that God would send us such a special little gift, free for those that believe. Here's to hoping my boys get it!!

Adventure #19

2011-12-04T18:04:00.001-08:00

Putting up the Christmas decorations is always something I have done the first weekend in December for the last two years because the boys are usually gone and I have the time to get it all just like I want it and when they get home "It's Christmas!" as Troy would say whenever he sees anything Christmasy. But this year, I ended up having the boys and thought since they are older it might be fun to include them in the decorating. It wasn't quite as peaceful as it normal is, but it was an adventure so what else can I ask for!!

We started Saturday morning by going out and getting a tree. Since I had the boys I wasn't able to lay all my seats down in the car, but figured the guys could load it in and let it stick out the back window. Well, the place I decided to get the tree from this year wasn't quite as prepared as I would have liked. I checked out with my sticker for the tree and then the cashier asked if I needed help. I guess I looked like I could handle a 6-7 foot tree on my own with two kids?!?! I said "yes, please" and he called over a young lady smaller than me!! I knew this was not going to go well!! So we walked outside and I showed her the one I wanted and she looked as puzzled as I was and said she would be right back with a guy from inside. I thought, "now we are getting somewhere" but no, she shows up with a man not bigger than us and well into his 50's...not that 50 is old, but come on, I need some muscle to help me with this tree!! He was able to get it out of the pile and drag it to my car where he put it in and then said "I don't think it's going to fit"...really, I kinda figured that?!?! I was getting a bit frustrated on top of the boys asking a million questions and just talking to make noise, which made it harder to think and communicate with the woman, who was now in my car pulling the tree and the man outside pushing it!! He decided to cut some string off the tree and rig my back hatch to keep it as closed as possible while I drove home. The whole way Troy was saying "it's gonna fall out, it's gonna fall out!" But it didn't and we made it home.

My next task was getting it inside and on the stand. Last year, this was so easy so I wasn't too worried. I drug the tree inside and got the stand situated and then stood it up but it wasn't straight so it tipped. I tried to mess with the stand screws to get it straight and it just wasn't working, so I laid it back down and started over... and over and over. I think I tried this 3 times, all the while the boys are on the couch watching cartoons and telling me "it's leaning" or "it's gonna fall over." After 2 hours of messing with it, needles all over me, the couch, the floor, and sap and dirt all over my hands I finally got it to lean against the wall and I that was perfectly fine with me at that point. So here is my leaning Christmas tree, lit and adorned, with packages underneath! It's so beautiful but I definitely have a love-hate relationship with this tree!! Who knew Christmas decorating could be so strenuous!!

Adventure #18

2011-11-25T06:34:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving was a lot of fun this year. Since I wasn't able to get home for my birthday my mom had a birthday cake and a little gift for me to open, so that was fun. We also did the traditional Thanksgiving day activities of eating way too much and then watching the Cowboys until we got bored and wanted to eat again. Having the boys with me would have made it perfect, but it was a pretty relaxing day!!

Amber and I did a little shopping on Thanksgiving day also at the few places that were open.

And then adventure #18 was Black Friday!! I have never participated in Black Friday shopping, so this year I had my eye on a toy for the boys that was greatly discounted so I thought I would try it. I was planning on going at midnight, but I am soooo not a night owl, so I decided to go to bed and then whenever I woke up I would go. So around 4am I looked at the clock and decided to see what kind of deals I could find. The places I went were not too crowded and I did find a few deals that saved me some money. With 30 lefts til Christmas I am about done with my shopping and that's a good feeling.

A day with Amber

2011-11-24T04:33:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we were able to spend some time with Amber and her boyfriend, Taylor. We decided to meet half way and take the boys to the Mayborn Museum. I\We had been there before but it had been a few years ago and thought the boys were at a better age now to really enjoy it...and they did!! It's a great museum for adults, too. Everything is very hands on and interactive. You are encouraged to touch and even mess things up so you can experiment and learn while putting it back together. It was a fun day and I'm glad they were able to spend some time with Amber!

The weather room was neat with a tornado the boys loved watching and putting their hands in it to watch how it formed again.

Meteorologist Amber bringing us the weather report

The transportation room with cars and buses and fire trucks and all the accessories to go along with it.

This room looked like safety city with several of these cars to drive to different locations like the grocery store, the post office, a little house. This was Teague's favorite I think. He loved driving to the grocery, filling up his cart, loading his car with groceries and then taking it to the house and putting all the food in the fridge. He was so cute!!

We all loved the water/bubble room. We couldn't get the boys away from the water table. Troy enjoyed making different paths for the water current to move through and then sailing his boat down it. Amber and I played with the bubbles for awhile and then Troy decided to join in. Here he is inside a bubble.

The bubble wall

Teague popped my bubble!!

The trains were by far the place the boys wanted to stay the longest and where we kept coming back to as we went from room to room. It was a pretty amazing model train set up with different levels and 4 or 5 different trains running around it. Oma got them involved with trains by showing them her model train several years back and they both have loved trains ever since! At the end of our visit, Amber told them they could each pick one thing from the gift shop and guess what they both chose...a train!!

Adventure #17

2011-11-20T13:00:00.001-08:00

I decided to do one of the Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes this year and really let the boys be a part of it. I explained it the best I could by saying that there are children who won't get any Christmas gifts so we are going to pack a box and it will be delivered to a little boy to open for Christmas. Then I had them pick out different toys and things to include in the box. When we got home they packed it all in and sealed it up. Troy really enjoyed filling out the piece of paper telling about himself for the recipient of the box to read. Teague was a little confused and kept asking when he could meet the little boy with no toys. Although I know they are still so little to really comprehend it, I hope to always try to show them that it's better to give than receive.

Teague loading the box

They picked out monster trucks and balls! And that was the paper Troy liked writing and coloring on.

All finished! Not too sure what face Teague is making!! LOL!!!

Birthday Weekend

2011-11-07T04:15:00.000-08:00

I had a fabulous birthday weekend! It started Friday at school. It was pajama day so we all got to dress comfy and then we decided to do a dessert bar. There are several of us with birthdays around this time and we had already done several pot-lucks so we decided to do something different and just do all sweets! I made my famous (or Paula Deen's famous) Chocolate Explosion Cheesecake, there was a pumpkin roll, cake balls, Kool Aid pie, flan, chocolate pie and an apple cake. It was all soooo good and perfect for a Friday afternoon treat!! For my present from Richard, he got us tickets to the Tech/UT game on Saturday! I had never been to the Longhorn stadium, so that was an experience in itself. And I also had never been one of the few in the opposing team's colors. That was a little awkward, but everyone was very nice. We took a bus from our parking spot to the stadium and as we were walking down the aisle to our seats one girl whispered to her dad "awwww, look she's wearing red and black" LOL...like I was disabled or something!! It was hilarious! The game did not go well for Tech, but it was a lot of fun anyways!! Richard and I enjoyed the rest of the afternoon just hanging out without kids, which we don't get to do very often! On Sunday, Richard and the kids were able to come into town for church and then stay for pizza and the Cowboy game. It's been a lazy Sunday to end a perfect birthday weekend! I have a feeling 32 is going to be a GREAT year!!

The dessert table at work

Pajama Day with my co-workers!!

My co-worker got me these cute Tech socks!!

The parachuters flew in the flags and the game ball all before the jets did their fly over...that was really neat to see!!

A house divided

Halloween

2011-11-02T16:16:00.000-07:00

Halloween is always so much fun with little kids. This year Teague wanted to be Batman and Troy wanted to be Ironman. After school, we headed up to see Richard and the kids and went to a carnival up there. There were games and inflatables and, of course, candy. After they had done it all there, they wanted to go to a different carnival and then trick or treat in that neighborhood. By the end of the night their bags were full and all they could say was "this is so much fun!" Kelby couldn't believe that all you had to do was walk up to the house and they would give you free candy!! Troy asked when it was going to be Halloween again, and was disappointed when I said a year from now. As a kid, free candy is hard to beat! I definitely think Halloween is pretty high on the list of favorite holidays!

Our Jack-o-lantern

Checking their inventory!!

Adventure #16

2011-10-24T04:18:00.000-07:00

The WOLRD SERIES!!

This weekend Tanna, Brandon, me and Richard all got to go to the World Series Game 3. The game didn't turn out to be a win for the Rangers, but there was a lot of scoring and a lot of cheering, so that made it fun. Plus, it was the WORLD SERIES!! Everything was just a little better...the flag on the field as Ronnie Dunn sang the National Anthem and the awesome fly-over afterwards, the fireworks, and, of course, the crazy crowd!! What a great adventure to add to my list this year!!

Go Rangers!!

Troy's school

2011-10-21T04:45:00.000-07:00

Troy is really enjoying his school this year. He has wonderful teachers and I love being right next door to him. I get to see a glimpse of what he is like when I'm not around. And a few times I have popped over there to snag a picture of him doing something silly during center time. Here are just a few random pictures of Troy so far throughout this year...

Troy being a lion with his friend in dramatic play during zoo week!

Troy was the pledge manager so he was the one that held the flag every morning for the pledge on this week

In block center working hard at building something

Troy celebrating again for his birthday. His classmates were singing to him and he wanted everyone to have a Lightning McQueen cookie.

Superpalooza 2011

2011-10-20T05:24:00.001-07:00

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Birthday Boy

2011-10-16T18:33:00.000-07:00

Since we already had Troy's big birthday celebration last weekend, I decided to take Troy out to Chili's to enjoy their Molten Chocolate Cake. As they brought it out to him, they sang him Happy Birthday and he thought that was really cool! And then when they were done, all the tables around him wished him a happy birthday too! He was all smiles!! When we got home I had to take my annual crown picture before the birthday boy retired for the night. He's had a quite the birthday celebration the last several weeks!

Here are the last five years of my first born prince...

1 years old

2 years old

3 years old

4 years old

5 years old

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TROY!!!

The rest of my busy weekend

2011-10-14T04:22:00.000-07:00

The weekend continued to be eventful once Troy's slumber party ended. We were able to spend a lot of time at Richard's and his parent's house. The boys rode bikes and a tractor, fed horses, fished, and explored the trails. Where they live is like a little boys' dream. As long as they are outside, they are all happy! Richard and I had planned to go to the Ranger's game Sunday evening, but it was canceled due to rain, and moved to Monday. Luckily, I was off work on Monday and we were still able to go. Before we headed to Arlington, we ate lunch with Baylee and Koby at their school. Troy and Kelby looked so cute going through the lunch line. We kept telling them that next year they would be at "big school". That's so hard to believe!! After we ate, we were off to the game. We dropped the boys at my parent's house, where Troy had another birthday party, and Richard and I went to the game. Somehow we managed to find a free lot to park in, which we thought was wonderful since most places were charging $25-$30 to park, but the night only got better. The game was the best game I've ever watched! It went into extra innings and we watched Cruz make a walk off grand slam!; We were going crazy!! The whole ballpark was going crazy!! It was unbelievable! We ended up driving all the way home that night and me and boys crawled into bed at 1am. I have been trying to catch up on sleep all week long, but it was worth it, the weekend was definitely unforgettable!!

Exploring the trails

Patiently waiting their turn

All the boys wanted Richard to take them on a tractor ride.

Koby learning to drive it.

Roasting marshmallows

Fishing! I was having a hard time keeping worms on their hooks. I think they each caught 4-5 within 30 minutes

Eating their lunch at the "big school"

Ranger's Game!!

Troy's Birthday Party

2011-10-09T06:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend is going down as one of the busiest weekends I've had in a long time. This will be the first of many blogs all coming from this weekend. The first event was Troy having his birthday party sleepover on Friday night. He choose Ethan and Kelby to come over and stay the night. We enjoyed pizza, movies, and camping out in the living room. It was fun to see them all play together. They were very intent on getting the bad guys and there were bad guys everywhere and all night long. The stories they would come up with were so funny, but they thought they were real and off they would go up the stairs and down the stairs a million times. Once I pulled out the tents they settled down and wanted to watch movies. By midnight, they were all asleep!! In the morning we had donuts and then walked to the park to play and walk the trails. They had fun "hunting deer". Afterwards, it was off to McDonald's for lunch. I was really surprised at how easy it all was and how well they all listened and behaved! I think Troy really enjoyed his first sleepover birthday party.

My car load of boys

Eating pizza

Fighting the bad guys

Cake time!

Camping out for the night

Going on a morning hike

Finishing up the party with a trip to McDonald's

Baylee's 12th Birthday Party

2011-10-05T05:20:00.000-07:00

Baylee had her 12th birthday party last weekend. She had about 10 friends over to eat and play on the water slide and then all the girls stayed the night for the classic girl slumber party. We started first with make-up and then moved to hair. I think I did 10 french braids within an hour for all of them. Then they wanted to watch scary movies. I remember having my own slumber parties way back when and it's funny to think that nothing really changes, not the topics of discussion or the girl drama than can arise if 2 or more girls are put together for more than 4 hours. I know Baylee really enjoyed her party and I am thankful she wanted me to be apart of it!

Preparing the food

Richard manning the grill, as always!

Opening gifts

Doing make-up

Scary movie time!!

We survived!!

Perfect Day

2011-09-25T12:56:00.000-07:00

There are very few days I have logged in my head as "perfect days", but yesterday will go down as one of them. I was anxious to get out of town and spend some time with Richard after a tough week, and once I got there, I was able to relax and have a blast. The kids wanted to ride 4 wheelers so we did that for awhile and then went over to his parents house where the kids were going to stay for dinner. Richard has such sweet parents and it was nice to see them again. Richard and I then left and picked up his friend James and his wife AK to go to the store to get food to grill. As we cooked and ate, we enjoyed watching Baylor beat Rice and, of course, kept up with the score of the Tech game. Before it got too dark, we headed out for a 4 wheeler ride. I was thinking we were going around the block and in the field where we normally ride with the kids, but I was wrong. The guys headed down the road to the lake to ride the trails out there. It was so much fun. On the ride out there, the sun set was brilliant pinks and purples, I wished I had brought my camera, but soon was thankful I didn't when they decided to turn our ridin' trails trip into a muddin' trip. We returned home filthy, but loved every minute of it! After we got back, the guys had to go pick up their inflatables so AK and I tagged along to help. (Richard and James own Bouncin' Around Inflatables if you are looking to rent inflatables in the area) The night ended late and I was exhausted, but I didn't care. The whole day felt like therapy for my soul!

Richard getting the 4 wheeler ready to go!

Koby about to ride

Sweet Baylee

The men at the grill

James ready to go

Richard and I on the 4 wheeler...he always has to make a silly face :) And looking at this picture now, I am thinking I really should have pulled my hair back!

A test

2011-09-24T06:26:00.001-07:00

After recently giving my testimony at the Ladies Night and being 3 weeks into my Bible Study, Biblical Womanhood, I have really started to see how God created woman and our roles and even my role individually. Being a woman is hard and our culture has definitely skewed the image of what a great woman is. If I truly desire to be a Godly woman, a Proverbs 31 woman, then there are certain things that are required of me, and dying to my selfish desires is one of them. Seems easy in theory, "Sure, God, Your will not mine" but then when it's time to put that into practice it doesn't seem so easy and I feel the same old selfish thoughts wanting to take the place of what I've worked so hard to change within myself.

It seems like whenever God wants to teach you something there is always a test, I don't know why that is surprising to me, since that is how school works, but nevertheless I am always shocked when I am tested, and I'm not sure it's always God doing the testing. I think sometimes it's satan seeing how committed you really are towards being more Christlike. This week was a hard one and gave me several opportunities to see my progress towards being a better woman, teacher, friend, mother, etc...and I hope that I passed!

Adventure #15

2011-09-12T18:00:00.000-07:00

Several months ago, Tanna and I were hanging out and started talking about her upcoming Women's Conference. She was telling me about how she wanted the theme to be about women being healthy in all areas of their lives. She was talking about how there are 4 faces of a Godly woman...

The Beloved face: having Christ at the center and seeing yourself as He sees you
The Princess face: being patient and a prayer warrior and that sometimes we are called to just pray and trust God
The Friend face: how to be a good friend and surround yourself with good friends
The Lover face: how to be a woman of intimacy, on many different levels

She mentioned that my testimony would fit well with the Princess face and without hesitation I said "sure!" As the weekend grew closer and closer, I kept wondering why I said yes!! Speaking in front of groups of people is not really like me at all! But, a few years ago I remember reading in a book that my greatest misery just might be my greatest ministry, and I'm so humbled that I was able to share what God did in my life and to show that He does, and still is, making beauty from ashes. It was a great night of fellowship and worship and I'm so glad I could be apart of it.

All 4 of us who spoke on the 4 faces of a Godly woman.

Adventure #14

2011-09-08T14:33:00.000-07:00

Over the summer I had been craving a good, deep Bible study. I got together with several different girlfriends over the summer and our conversations always seemed to turn spiritual and what God was doing in our lives and I realized that I wanted to do some sort of women's study group. As the summer ended, I had this feeling that I needed to contact one of my girlfriends down in the Austin area concerning finding a Bible study. I figured she would know if there was anything in the area that I was looking for, and sure enough she did!! I checked out the website she suggested and there was a women's Bible study on Biblical Womanhood on Thursdays at 6am..the one morning I do not have the boys! It was too perfect and too easy, which made me excited because obviously God has something great to teach me through this.

This morning was our first meeting and I left there even more excited then I already was!! The speaker started off the conversation by talking about what we can expect from this study. She mentioned the word "adventure" several times and since that is my "2011 one word" it resonated loudly with me and I felt God reaffirm that I am supposed to be in this study!! I am anxious to learn what it means to be a Godly woman and what that looks like in our culture these days and how exactly a Godly woman relates to and with a Godly man. I am definitely looking forward to the next 7 months in this study!!

No Training Wheels!!

2011-09-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

Troy now knows how to ride his bike with no training wheels!! He is growing up soooo fast!! Sometimes, I wish I could freeze time, but I also really enjoy watching him learn new things. Hard to believe he will be 5 next month!!

Adventure #13

2011-08-26T18:17:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Richard mentioned that it would be fun to go see the Rangers vs Red Sox game. Unfortunately, they were in town on my first week back to school. But after looking at my schedule, I thought we might could pull it off. So after making a few arrangements, I headed out of town Monday after work and we made it to the game by the 2nd inning. My mom, dad, aunt, sister and friends were all there too, so it was soooo much fun and soooo worth all the driving. Plus the Rangers won!!

I really like this pic of me and Richard with the sunset but we couldn't seem to take it without being blurry...

15 pictures later, we finally got a non-blurry one, but the sun had gone down and Richard was having way too much fun making funny faces for the camera!

First Day of School

2011-08-23T18:26:00.000-07:00

The first day of school is behind us! Troy and Teague were both anxious to go back to school and see their friends. They had their backpacks ready and wanted to pick out their clothes the night before and when Monday morning came, they both walked right in without any tears! I was thankful for that because my own morning was hectic enough without me having to worry about leaving them in tears! I have been blessed with two wonderful boys that are friendly, easy going, and adaptable and lucky for me, the first day of school was a joy!

Girl's day with Baylee

2011-08-20T06:05:00.000-07:00

Saturday, Baylee and I spent the day getting ready for the first day of school. She wanted her hair darker and layered so that is where we started. She came over Friday night and we spent the night watching 13 going on 30 and coloring her hair. Saturday morning we slept in and got donuts before we headed out to the salon. The lady at the salon fixed her hair so cute and she loved how it looked. Then it was off for pedicures and lunch! Baylee really wanted a peace sign on her toe and when we told the lady that's what she wanted she had no clue what we were talking about so I had to draw her a picture. I think it turned out pretty good!! And Baylee loves the rhinestones! It was such a fun day and I hope that her first day of school is a little better after a day of pampering!

Before we did the color

After...a little darker

Adventure #12

2011-08-14T18:43:00.000-07:00

It's been almost 6 months since I started Adventure #8 and to my surprise God has brought a man into my life that has completely blown my expectations out of the water. To be honest, I never thought I would find someone that could even attempt to come close to the qualities that I look for in a man, much less, find him online...but I was wrong.

Over the last 6 months Richard and I have been getting to know each other and the more I learn about him, the more I am drawn into him. He is a widowed father of 3 who has a passion for youth like no one else I have ever met. He has been in youth ministry for 13+ years and I am amazed at his desire to connect with teens. He is an outstanding dad and his kids are so sweet and respectful. In dating with children, it becomes a little tricky, and scary, as to when is the right time to integrate the kids, but the kids just seemed to get along right from the start. Granted, I haven't let the boys meet hardly anyone I've dated, so I don't have many scenarios to compare it to, but after 4 months of doing most things together with all 7 of us...I am still amazed at how easy it feels.

Also in Adventure #8 I specified the difference in a good man and a Godly man, and to watch Richard live out who God created him to be leaves me humbled. Even though my list is long and very specific for qualities I look for, a part of me thinks I will not find that. And to now have the companionship of a man that exceeds my expectations only brings me back to praising God for how far He has brought me. I don't know what the future holds, but I do know God is in control and, in this moment, I wouldn't change anything.

Hold Me

2011-08-13T05:56:00.000-07:00

I seem to hear God so clearly through music and I love my times in the car alone where can turn up the radio and just praise God and worship with Him. Most the songs talk about God as Deliverer or Redeemer or Savior or Comforter...which are all great attributes but I LOVE the songs that talk about Him in a Husband or Significant Other role. And enjoy them even more when the words seem to say exactly what I am feeling inside towards Him. This is one of my new favorite songs...enjoy!

Adventure #11

2011-08-09T05:25:00.000-07:00

For our monthly Girl's Night Out we went to the shooting range. I was so excited to go!! I have shot guns before but not in a shooting range. Once we got there the guy explained all that we needed to know to load the bullets and the rules for being there. It was a lot, and made me a bit nervous that I would do something wrong, but luckily there was a man in the shooting area that was nice and would help us if we forgot how to load or unload one of the guns. We shot a 22, a 45 revolver and a 9. On my little man, I was obviously more accurate with the 22, but I did hit the paper with the 45 and the 9 so I was proud of myself!! I think we all had a good time trying something new!!

I think I did pretty good!!

Adventure #10

2011-08-06T21:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the Monster Truck Jam. The boys have been looking forward to this for awhile and being able to share it with Richard and his kids was so much fun. There were 4 or 5 different challenges and each monster truck would compete and then they would decide who won that challenge. In between the challenges they had 4-wheeler races that were fun to watch also. They boys loved all of it and it's so neat to watch their reaction to it. Teague kept saying 'this is awesome' with a fist pump! It was definitely something every boy should do at least once...but I bet we will be going back whenever they come to town again.

Troy with King Krunch

Everyone watching toy cars being raced on an obstacle course

Grinder Vs. El Toro Loco

The boys couldn't even take their eyes off the trucks to look at the camera for a quick picture! LOL!!

They had two different transformers come out that shot fire and had a gun fight and the boys LOVED it!!

Grave Digger vs. Ninja Turtle

Me and Baylee and Teague...with his ear plugs!

We bought all the boys got monster trucks to take to the show

Grinder flipped over during his Freestyle part

They had to bring the tractor out to help him get up

Headline of my Heart

2011-08-04T16:58:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I wrote a blog that talked about the headline of my heart and how as life goes on, that headline changes. Over the last couple of days my heart has been breaking for two different families. They are going through completely different circumstances, but, strangely enough, the emotions I am feeling are the same. And in both situations there is little I can do to change their circumstances, but I am desperately wanting to do something. Which leads me to the only thing I know to do... pray.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 says to pray with ceasing. I have been consumed in prayer this week for these families. It seems like my mind and heart are constantly thinking of them, so I utter a small prayer, and then 15 minutes later I think of them again and my heart aches and I say another prayer. All day, just consumed to the point where I am having trouble focusing on my own tasks for the day. In Romans and in Galatians it talks about those that are strong bearing the weakness of those who are not and to bear each others burdens. I hope that in my small little prayers upwards that I am somehow living these verses out. Not too long ago, many of you shouldered my own pain and I think I'm getting a glimpse of how you guys must have felt. Powerless!! It's a horrible feeling, but I'm certain there is power in prayer. So I will keep praying every time God brings those names to my mind. Although it feels like I am doing nothing, I know my little prayers throughout the day are being heard, so I am going to just trust God to be who He is and watch Him work.

Saturday with the girls

2011-07-31T13:23:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, I was able to go down to the Lost Pines Resort for a day of fun with the girls. Tanna and Audra come down from Dallas and Lauren came over from Bastrop. Tanna and Lauren both had their kids. I wish the boys could have joined us. We floated the lazy river, got some sun, explored the petting zoo, and played in the bounce house. I think me and Tanna had more fun in the bounce house than the kids did!! The resort was so nice and the staff took very good care of us while we were there. I think we decided that we need to come for a longer period of time the next time we come! There were too many fun things to do and not enough time. I think my favorite part of the day was when the kids were playing by themselves and the four of us were able to talk uninterrupted for a bit. About nothing in particular really, just real life issues that women face and how we cope. We were able to share songs and verses that speak to each of us, in hopes that they speak to others too. I am so blessed to have women around me that have my same spiritual convictions and who I can talk freely with about anything!

Being silly

Ice cold drinks on another 100+ degree day

On the Lazy River

Me, Tanna and Lauren

playing in the sand

Back to work

2011-07-30T07:02:00.000-07:00

It was back to work for me last week. I am so lucky that I love my job and I love my coworkers. Having to go back to work was hard because I loved being a stay at home mom, but I think God set me up with the perfect job for my situation and my personality. Not only do I enjoy teaching 4 year olds and get the summers off to spend with the boys, but I also have great ladies to work with which makes it so much fun. This week was filled with a ton of training but also with us all catching up after being apart all summer. I am really looking forward to this year!

The whole gang!

Me and my co-teacher, Dora

Our director was so sweet and got us each a welcome back gift!!

Adventure #9

2011-07-21T06:05:00.000-07:00

Feather Extensions...the new fad. I'm sure we will look back in a few years and wonder why we were putting feathers in our hair, but for today it's the new fathion trend! So, earlier this week Baylee, Richard's daughter, texted and asked if I would take her to have feathers put in her hair. I have been wanting to do it all summer, so this was the perfect opportunity, plus I'd have a friend to go with me!! Baylee wanted to get 4 feathers and for it to be very bright and visible. I wanted just one feather and wanted to be able to hide it, since going back to work is right around the corner for me. There were a million different feathers to choose from. You're not only looking at color, but length and the way the feather hangs and how "feathery" it is. Once we decided, the lady clamped them in and that was it. So now we both are very fashion forward...and perhaps have given future generations reason to question what we were thinking. ;)

What do I know of Holy?

2011-07-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

This has been my new favorite song for awhile now. Over the last several months I have really been amazed at all God does and did and made and says. I just can not fathom what kind of creativity it takes to create a hummingbird and also a whale or the kind of patience it takes to not destroy a sin ridden land or the the kind of love it takes to create me and then give me a choice on whether to love the Creator back.

I can relate to the words that say "Then I caught a glimpse of who you might be, the slightest hint of you brought me down to my knees" Just that one line brings back a flood of memories over the last years where God drew near and I was blown away. I know I've said it a million times, but for those in the middle of their worst nightmare it's worth repeating so you know there is hope...I never would have chosen the circumstances, but I would never trade the divine romance I found with Him in the middle of it!

Trip to Mansfield

2011-07-08T10:27:00.000-07:00

The rest of the week in Mansfield was spent doing a ton of fun things!

*An afternoon at Hawaiian Falls with Tanna and Brylee
*Team Teaching Boot Camp with Tanna
*Dinner at Olive Garden with Laura
*Cars 2 with the boys and my sister
*Pedicures with my mom
*Swimming with the boys

It's always nice to get to spend an extended amount of time with family and friends!!

Boot Camp

Hawaiian Falls

4th of July

2011-07-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend we participated in the classic 4th of July activities; baseball and the lake. I invited my friend, Richard and his three kids, Baylee, Koby and Kelby, to join us for a Ranger game and a day at the lake. Although the Rangers did not do so well on the night we were there, it was fun to watch the kids enjoy the game and the food and the vendors. Teague became very good at yelling 'Ice Cold Water' after the gentleman who was actually selling the water. He is definitely my little comedian!

Once we got to the lake, the kids hit the water and only came out in brief spurts to eat every now and then. We enjoyed going out of the boat and tubing and skiing and Blake put on a great fireworks show once the sun went down. I don't remember the last time I wasn't at the lake on the 4th of July, but I know there is no place I would rather be!! It was a great weekend!

Troy always enjoys the tube!!

Amber and I ready to get thrown off!

Baylee, Koby and Kelby had never been out on a boat or on a tube ride so watching their reactions and their excitment was fun. Kelby and Baylee both tried tubing and seemed to enjoy it! Baylee was even brave enough to let my dad throw us both around while going pretty fast!

Teague's first ride on the tube!

Blake showing the kids where the skis go in the boat.

The boys enjoyed snow cones with Mimi and Papa

Swim lessons

2011-06-24T06:48:00.000-07:00

Troy had his annual swim lessons this week. Before class started, we had already been to the pool several times and I was impressed with what he remembered from last year. He was jumping in from the side and going under and practicing his arm strokes. He always complains about having to go because she pushes him out of his comfort zone, but he learns so much and it's increasing his confidence in the water, too. He can now jump in the water where he can't touch, turn around, swim to the side and pull himself out. Kids around the water always heightens my awareness, but knowing he can get out if he fell in by accident makes me feel better! He did great this year, and as a reward...we will be going to see Cars 2!!!

Here are Troy's classmates.

Tackle

2011-06-21T07:10:00.000-07:00

Oh the joys of having boys!! Here is a video of Troy being tackled by Teague. He may be little but he is rough and Troy better watch out!!

Pflugerville Triathlon

2011-06-19T15:58:00.000-07:00

This weekend I participated in the Pflugerville Triathlon. It has been about a year since I have raced, but I was pleasantly surprised with how I did! Besides the strong winds, the race was on a great course and it's always fun to race with my friends! My favorite part of the race was crossing the finish line and being handed a water bottle, an ice cold towel and a popcicle! My pics didn't turn out too great but here they are anyways!

Getting my gear ready before the race!

Susanne, Rachel and me

Adventure #8

2011-06-18T07:04:00.001-07:00

On the radio station I listen to in the morning they had a spot about the 'Headline of your Heart'. They were talking about how everyone has something that consumes their thoughts or mind or is always on their heart. It changes throughout life, and some things last longer than others. Here are some examples: a mom getting ready to give birth; all she can think about is that baby, the nursery, the name, how the baby will look, etc... Or the new graduate looking for a job, always searching in newspapers or on the internet and going to interviews. Or even a family preparing for a trip...deciding on a destination, making reservations, booking excursions, buying and choosing what to pack. We all have something that we find ourselves thinking about on a daily basis. Right now, the headline of my heart is dating, and wow, has it been an adventure!

I decided that one thing I wanted to do was to truly date. This is really not in my nature, because I love being in a committed relationship, but it had been so long since I have dated, I thought it would be good to get out there and see what God could teach me. I decided to give one of the internet dating websites a try and I have been pleasantly surprised. I have probably been on 10+ dates and have not had a single bad experience, and I have learned so much! As a single mom, I feel that the internet dating was a great way to go. It's efficient and I am not wasting any time on guys that I don't have common interests with and connect with. I have also learned that I am getting very good at recognizing good fruit from bad fruit and very quickly too, which again is a time saver!

One of the things that surprised me was the fact that I can have a lot in common with someone, but have little connection with them in person. This seemed to come into play when I started looking at the spiritual side of the guy. At this age and place in my life, just saying I want a Christian mate is too general. There are Christian guys out there, but I am finding that their spiritual maturity along with their own personal circumstances plays a huge part into how much we can relate to each other.

When I first started this process I had a list a mile long of 'must haves' and as I have met different guys along the way I am starting to see that there are only a few key areas that I absolutely will not budge on. First and foremost, he must be a man, not a boy. You would think this would be a given considering I am dating guys in their 30's, but sadly, most guys are still boys and have yet to step into being a true man, the way God created them. I saw a quote once that read: 'Good men have character like God's character. Godly men have character that IS God's character' That sums it up for me in the boy vs. man category. I feel like a true man will know three things: He knows what he wants, he knows how to love, and he knows how to lead.

I'm not sure if this season in my life is to find a mate or just to pinpoint what exactly I desire in my next mate, but the adventure has been fun and the lessons, I know, will prove to be invaluable.

My Super Heros!

2011-06-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

The boys have wanted capes for awhile and I saw a tutorial a few months back and thought this would be a great summer project for when I am at home with more time on my hands. I never did find the exact tutorial I saw originally, but I think they still turned out great. So we went to Hobby Lobby and picked up all the supplies and headed home to get to work. Surprisingly, it only took me about 20 minutes to do both of them and they were running around the house "getting the bad guys" before I knew it!! They have worn them ever since and when we are out running errands they get the most comments from men, who just smile and say 'nice cape!' and Troy and Teague just laugh and say thanks!

Galveston

2011-06-12T15:01:00.000-07:00

For our 3rd annual girls weekend we chose Galveston. We all just wanted to go and do nothing, so the perfect place for that is the beach! Becca and I got pedicures on Friday afternoon and we headed out Friday evening. It was so nice to get down there and have no itinerary. Saturday morning we made our way to the beach. We talked most of the time but I got to read, Lisa boogie boarded, and Becca embroidered...it was a nice afternoon! Once we decided we were hungry we headed to find food and noticed a pod of dolphins. I wasn't able to get a picture because they were quick to go back under and sporadic as to where they would resurface, but it was a treat to see them out playing and for them to be so close to us. The rest of the trip consisted of a lot of eating and, of course, more talking, but we had such a wonderful time! I think it was just what each of us needed!!

Lisa boogie boarding!

At Landry's for dinner

We stopped for lunch on the way home at Must be Heaven and loved their desserts!! Coconut Pie, Chocolate Pie and Bread Pudding! Yummy!!!

Adventure #7

2011-06-04T18:07:00.000-07:00

Well, we are half way through the year and I can't believe I am blogging Adventure #7. This has definitely been an eventful 6 months filled with things that just don't happen that often...this adventure being one of them...

At the end of April, I was in a car accident. It was very minor and completely my fault. The car in front of me was going to turn left and accelerated to do so and then hit her brakes when the car she was waiting on didn't do what she had thought, and I was unable to hit my brakes fast enough to keep from hitting her. We were all fine, besides being a little stunned! I hadn't been in an accident since high school, and to have the boys in the car was even more unnerving, but everything and everyone was able to drive away.

The next day I had my car looked at and they gave me an estimate. The repair shop couldn't get me in for two weeks so I just continued to drive it. Once it was in the shop, they called and said there was extensive damage under the hood and the insurance guy would contact me soon. Sure enough, the insurance man called and they were going to have to total it. I was shocked! I was driving it!! It was a fender bender going no more than 15 mph! Everything appeared to be ok!! But, he said there was damage to the frame, radiator and transmission, so that was that.

Here is a picture of the damages

So I had to clean out my car, mail in the title and keys and wait for a check. Luckily, I know a great guy that goes to my church who sells cars and who I trust completely. He had a few picked out for me to choose from given the criteria I gave him and I found two that I liked. I then consulted my dad and narrowed it down to "the one!" (Don't you wish choosing a man were that easy) Once the check came in the mail, I was signing papers and an hour later driving off the lot! I am now the proud owner of a Nissan Pathfinder.

HAD to have a third row this time around!

The boys seem to like it a lot and Troy keeps referring to it as our SUV. He couldn't wait to show my dad how the seats fold up and down.

Last day of school!!

2011-06-03T18:09:00.001-07:00

Finally, the last day of school!! It was a long day filled with cleaning out cubbies and eating way too much junk food, playing in the water and saying good bye to old classmates and students. Troy will see most of his classmates again next year, but my students will move on to Kindergarten so it was a little bittersweet. Teague also had a water day with his friends. Once we got home and ate dinner we all were ready for a good night's rest. I am really looking forward to being a stay at home mom again for the next few months and spending a lot of time with the boys both playing and learning. Let the summer begin!!

Troy and his best friend, Ethan

Troy and his classmates

Teague and his friends, Jack and Lane

Water Day at Troy's school

The River

2011-05-17T18:18:00.000-07:00

Amber and 4 of her college friends and their families rented a house in New Braunfels over the weekend. I hadn't seen her in awhile and I also had not met her boyfriend, Brian, so I didn't want to pass up an opportunity to see them with her being so close to me, so I decided to meet them down there. The house was amazing and right on the river, so it was so nice to sit on the bank and watch people float by, and then to also be able to get in the water when we got too hot. We got some sun, read magazines, ate, talked, played washers, listened to music...it was such a relaxing weekend!!

Amber and Brian

Playing washers...Amber and I never did win!!

Mother's Day Fun

2011-05-09T11:48:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day, each of the boys made me a card from school which was so special. Then there was the Mother's Day breakfast at Troy's school Friday morning. They had muffins and juice and coffee and fruit; it was really nice! My mom sent me another charm for my charm bracelet that she started for me back when Troy was born! I also decided to take today off and spend it at the zoo with the boys as my own Mother's Day gift to myself. It was a great day and we all had so much fun. I am so blessed!

At the Zoo!!

Troy was a little scared of this guy, but Teague just walked right up there! I'm not sure which side is more curious?!?!

The Komodo Dragon did a better job looking at the camera than the boys did!!

Adventure #6

2011-05-07T05:12:00.001-07:00

So on Thursday when the boys returned from their weekly visitation Troy had a surprise for me! I was shocked to see that a chunk on his hair was missing from the top of his head. When he saw me he immediately started crying. I told him we would fix it but I wanted to know what happened. All I could get out of him was that he found some scissors and cut his hair.

My initial response inside was so conflicted. On one hand, he is 4 and a lot of kids do find scissors and cut their hair. On the other hand, and this is momma bear talking I know, I am wondering where was the supervision and why were scissors in reach? I also started praising God that it was just his hair and not his finger or ear or even Teague's ear or eye!!

Once I had him calmed down I took him to the only open hair cut place at 7pm and had her "fix" it. Unfortunately, all she could do was cut it to match the shortest part he had cut...which is short!! He cried the whole time saying that he didn't like his hair cut. The beautician kept telling him that she was sorry. When we left she gave him 3 suckers just to make him stop crying! Once we got home and talked more about it, I told him it's a great summer cut and that it will make him run faster on the soccer field! I think he is getting used to it, and once again, I am so thankful that it is just hair!!

Faith

2011-04-30T10:18:00.000-07:00

Faith...what can I say about my friend Faith!! She is an amazing woman of God, a great wife, and Supermom!! I love her sense of fashion, creativity, craftiness and her boldness to just be herself. For Faith's birthday, she invited a few of us out for dinner, tiaras and boas optional!! So, of course, we had to come up with something to surprise her. We decided that we should all wear 'Faith' shirts, since it IS all about Faith!! Becca and Lisa made us all a shirt and we had a great time celebrating Faith's birthday as well as our friendship that God continues to strengthen. I love these women!

Jenny prepared a haiku for Faith that she shared with all of us...you would think it would be funny, coming from Jenny, but it was really touching and perfectly described Faith.

Red Poppy Festival

2011-04-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

Saturday, Tanna was able to come down and go to the annual Red Poppy Festival. It's a ton of craft booths with original items that are usually hand made and one of a kind. This is our second time to go...kids in tow, and I think we did pretty good with four little ones and two giant jogging strollers. On one street a man in one of the booths commented that the double wides were coming through!! Tanna told him that wasn't very nice to say to two ladies!! He was kidding, of course, but we thought it was funny! We did a lot of shopping and eating and the kids did a lot of playing so everyone was happy. We also took advantage of all the beautiful poppies and took a ton of pictures! It was a great afternoon!

Poppy Fest '09

Poppy Fest '11

Adventure #5

2011-04-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

Today was Troy's first soccer game. He is on a team with all preschool kids so some of the players are 4 like Troy but some are 5 and 6 so they are faster and bigger, which helps the team stay on track. The younger ones tend to follow them and kick the ball when it's near them, but the older ones keep the game going since they understand that moving the ball to the goal is the objective. Troy did have one outstanding play of the game. He turned the ball around and started it back towards the opposing team's goal for 4 or 5 kicks and then one of the older kids came and got it when Troy was surrounded and made the goal! It was so much fun to watch and I was so proud of him!

Teague cheering Troy on!! Right before the game started Teague was playing by a tree and of all things, a ball from another field hit him right in the head. He started screaming and crying and the other team came over to check on him. I really think he was more startled than hurt, but what a way to start the morning!

standing by the sidelines waiting for his turn to get back into the game.

A night out

2011-04-12T11:34:00.001-07:00

A large group of us spent Sunday evening at half a bout of roller derby and then went to a Spanish Tapas Bar called Malagas. I love hanging out with this group of people and it never fails that I laugh so hard that my stomach hurts! I am so blessed to have such great friends!

Roller Derby!!!

At Malagas...I had the coca de pato, which is smoked duck with carmalized onions, cheese and a bbq sauce served on flat bread. I call it duck pizza and it is by far the best item on the menu!

A GREAT group of girlfriends!!!

Adventure #4

2011-04-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

Today was the Diva Dash. It is an adventure race that my friend Rachel thought would be fun for all of us to participate in. When signing up for the race all we knew is that it was going to be a 3 mile course with obstacles every half mile. They kept all the obstacles a secret and basically told us there would be stuff for balance, speed, agility, and water involved.

The course itself was an obstacle in that it was very rocky and sandy in places and there were many hills that were long and steep. The obstacles ended up being a lot of fun to complete. The first one was a tight rope walk which was pretty easy. Then there was a maze we had to get through while crouching down below the flags they had set up over our heads. This one did make my quads burn. Then it was off to a gated area in which large balls were pushed into us by guys. Next was a wall of ropes that we could either climb up and over on or we could maneuver our way through the ropes to the other side. The agility obstacle were rubber inner tubes set up in long rows that we had to high step through. The last one was 5 floating trampoline inner tubes set up in a semi circle on the lake that we had to jump from one to the other back to dry land. I felt like I was on the tv show Wipe Out. We only witnessed one person fall in the water, but that obstacle was a lot more difficult than it looked. We all agreed it was a lot of fun and we are looking forward to doing it again next year.

Is it really this hard?

2011-04-06T15:46:00.000-07:00

I listened to this poem today and found myself completely identifying with her words. I feel like I strive daily to emulate the characteristics of the women portrayed in the Bible, as well as take to heart the verses that speak directly to women and our conduct. So, I wonder if there is a guy out there that strives to do the same? When she speaks of the men in the Bible and how she will know her man by specific characteristics, I felt my heart yearn for that. Is it really this hard in today's world to find a Christ-like man?? Today's answer would be yes.

Happy Birthday, Teague

2011-03-31T18:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Sweet Teague!!

2009

2011

I was able to spend lunch with Teague and his friends at his daycare center. I brought cup cakes for all of them to eat after their lunch, but most of them just ate the icing off the top. Mrs. Dawn even gave Teague a little gift.

Of course, Teague picked out a ball for his birthday so I had to get him the Thomas the train one.

Teague's friend party

2011-03-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

We had a party at the park with all of Troy and Teague's friends for yet another birthday celebration for my baby!! We all had a blast!

Teague's Day out with Thomas

2011-03-27T06:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend we were able to go back to my parent's house and do another birthday weekend for Teague. (He just may think the whole month of March is designated for his birthday!) Saturday was the Day out with Thomas event and the boys had so much fun! There was a bounce house, tattoo booth, sand pit to play in, a magic show and even a petting zoo. The petting zoo was definitely my favorite and the boys were not scared of anything in there. They had bunnies, ducks, goats, pot belly pigs, chickens, mini donkeys and a cow. The train ride was a lot of fun too. Once we got on, they played the Thomas theme song and the Engineer came by and shook all the kids' hands. It was a 20 minute train ride and the boys loved looking out the window the whole time. As we got off the train, they were given Jr. Engineer certificates which will be great keepsakes. It's hard to believe Teague will be 2 this week, but I know he won't forget this experience!!

Teague petting a goat

Troy petting a miniature pot belly pig.

In the bounce house

Both of them got James tattoos on their "big muscles!"

Sir Topham Hatt

On the train!

One tired little boy!!

Adventure #3

2011-03-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

There were several factors that went into deciding that is was best for me to take a step back from Chris and I's relationship, but one of the major ones was that I am wanting to make sure that I am coming through the grieving process/healing stages of the divorce in a healthy way. So I decided to start on Adventure #3, DivorceCare.

It's a 13 week course that has a video lesson and then discussion afterwards. After the first session, I was a little hesitant about me being in the group. Where I am coming up on the two year mark this summer, most of the members are right in the middle of it. I wasn't sure I really wanted to relive all the pain, but then again, if I could help someone else or even make sure I haven't missed an area of healing, I would want to do that. So I have decided to keep going.

Last night was session 2 and we discussed all the feelings that go along with all the losses. Unfortunately, I didn't just lose my spouse, but also my hopes and dreams, my stay at home mom status, my in-laws, my identity as a married woman, my hopes and dreams for my children. Each one of those has a ton of emotions within it and working through each of those is imperative in the healing process. At the end of the session they assured all of us that eventually we would start to go an hour without thinking about the situation, then maybe two hours, then a day or two and so on. I can remember when that started happening. When I did in fact go an hour without thinking of it, it surprised me because I was starting to see that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I left there feeling proud that I had faced those feelings in a way that got me to a healthy place. I am very much a follower and I sometimes wonder if I am going through the healing process "right". I look to others and see what they did, but truth is, it's different for everyone, and hearing that little bit of info, made me proud that I did, in fact, deal with it appropriately, even though I tend to doubt myself, and now can say that it's not a topic that comes to my mind too often.

At any point, it's possible to get stuck in one of the grieving stages and I am thankful that I reached out to God and that He brought me through them and to the other side! It's a miracle and really being in that group makes me feel more in awe of what an awesome God I serve. I remember where I was two years ago, I see the others cry and hurt and I cry too because I can feel their pain, but also because I have come so far. It changed me. He changed me and I'm thankful for that season in my life.

Spring Break

2011-03-15T10:38:00.001-07:00

The first half of Spring Break was my time with the boys and we went to visit my family and friends. We were able to spend time with all my family and even an afternoon with Tanna and Laura and their kids.

Troy will be on a soccer team in a few weeks so we went and bought him his cleats, shin guards and a new ball. I don't think he has taken off his equipment in 3 days. He loves practicing and telling everyone he is going to play soccer.

Teague playing peek-a-boo outside while brother practices.
My grandma also came into town to celebrate Teague's birthday a little early. Of course, he loved the cake again this year and was pretty into opening his own presents!

At our playdate with Tanna and Laura and the kids, all the kids played really well together. The three of us actually did a little more talking than mothering, so that was a step up from last time where it felt like all we did was tend to our children and there was no time to sit and visit.

Lastly, it was time to take the boys for the bi-annual dental check up so that concluded our spring break time together. Troy has been to the dentist before so I told him how important is was to set a good example for Teague, since this was his first time. They both did great and got their token at the end to choose a prize.

So now on to the latter half of the week which will be ME time!! I have no plans and kind of like it that way! I'm sure I will find something to do with all my time, productive or not!

And the questions begin

2011-03-14T05:13:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if it's because Troy is getting older by the second or if being in school has made him see the differences in families or what, but lately the questions about our family life have started to increase. It breaks my heart when I hear the following...

Why doesn't daddy come home with us?
Don't you miss daddy?
Why don't we have a daddy at our house?
If we go back to the old house will daddy come back?

I knew the day would come when he would want to know what happened between me and Daniel and I pray for that a lot, so that I have the right words and the right spirit behind those words, but just over the last week or so I have noticed these questions are becoming more thoughtful and more frequent. It's hard to believe he even remembers Daniel and I together and I am sure he innately knows we are supposed to be together, since that is how God created it.

I answer him the best I know how without discounting his feelings, but every time I hear one of these sweet innocent questions my anger and pain seem to return. For some reason, if you hurt me, it's fine, but to hurt my kids is something I have a hard time letting go of. (guess that is the momma bear instinct all moms have) I know in my heart God makes beauty from ashes and can heal their hearts and make this circumstance something that makes them into better men, but for right now, it's still hard to watch my babies hurt and question...and to know there is nothing I can do to make it better.

Wordless Wednesday...kinda

2011-03-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

During recess today a few of the girls in my class brought me a little bouquet of flowers they had picked off the playground. Wouldn't you know there were purple! It made me smile. Only God could remind me of His unfailing love by shoving purple flowers in my face by the hands of 4 year olds. When I started looking around I noticed a ton of purple flowers and in different varieties, I just wasn't looking before. Sometimes I wonder how God has time for anyone else because He is always taking care of and spoiling me. ;)

Get Real Monday

2011-02-28T11:14:00.000-08:00

I haven't done a "Get Real Monday" blog in awhile but thought this was a good title for today's blog.

So my get real thought is...dating is hard!!

I think dating in general is hard, but post divorce I think it is even more complicated. There are SO many things to consider and weigh and think about. Sometimes I think because I have been married it will be easier to know what I want and then other days I think being married previously makes it so much more difficult. I now carry baggage that has tainted how I look at relationships, men and life in general.

All that being said, Chris and I have decided to go our separate ways. We are in two different spots in our lives right now and we know this is what is best for both of us. I am so thankful that he was the first guy I dated because I learned so much from him and within our relationship. I will miss the way he made me laugh and his playful personality, but I will continue to trust God with my future.

More sickness...ugh!!

2011-02-21T05:52:00.000-08:00

So now Chris is sick!!! This normally would not be a big deal and I would be very loving and nurturing towards him, but I really think it is karma on his part...if I were to believe in that.

Since I was sick last Monday I did ask him not to come into town so that I could rest, but by middle of the week I was feeling better and wanted to hang out and do Valentine's treats with him. Everytime I asked him to come into town he stressed how he didn't want to get sick and if he got sick then it would ruin our weekend plans. He was right so I stopped asking. Friday finally came and I was so excited to be feeling better and I was ready to celebrate an early birthday for Chris. I had gotten him tickets to the Red Dirt Mardi Gras to see Josh Abbott, Wade Bowen and the Randy Rogers Band. But when Chris gets to my house he is all sniffly. He claimed it was just allergies but the night went downhill fast and it was obvious he was sick. He was trooper and we did enjoy all the music, but I know he felt bad. So the rest of the weekend Chris was in bed and I was left missing him again.

So I ended up cutting into and eating my cheesecake alone on Saturday night. It is really good, but really rich. It is definitely a "special occasion" treat. I really like the cheesecake part of it though. It's hard to find a not too sweet cheesecake part but this one is really good, so I will be using that part of it again! Hopefully Chris and I will both be well by the middle of the week and we can try again to see each other...oh the woes of dating!

Adventure #2

2011-02-19T09:02:00.000-08:00

The last week or so is what I am going to call a sickness adventure. Teague was sent home from daycare with a fever last Thursday. I had a girlfriend who was able to watch him Friday morning and then I took half a day of work to be with him the rest of the day. Within 24 hours Teague was fine and the weekend was great. On Sunday night, I started to feel bad, but nothing that would keep me from work, but by Monday night all I wanted was sleep. So Chris and I postponed out Valentine's dessert due to me feeling under the weather. At around noon on Tuesday Troy's school told me that Troy was now running fever. So Troy and I both went home Tuesday afternoon to rest. I immediately called my mom to see if she could come into town to help me. Of course, she said yes and started her trip at 4am in order to get here in time for me to leave for work. Again, within 24 hours Troy was fever free and playing around so I thought we were good. But by the time I got to work Mom had texted me and said Teague was covered in red spots. So I went back home to give her the car seats so she could take them to the dr. At the dr. she was told both boys were suffering from viral infections and the hives were the end of Teague's sickness from the previous Thursday. By Wednesday night we were all starting to feel better and got our first good nights sleep in awhile. Unfortunately, on Friday we did a lice check at school and I had contracted lice from one of the little girls that I hug on alot. Uugghhh!! So I went home that afternoon with a lice kit so my mom could comb through my hair section by section to make sure there was no bugs or eggs left in my hair.

I am so lucky to have a mom who came on a moment's notice, Valentine's gifts in tow, to take care of a sick kid and ended up taking two sick kids to the dr. (which is an adventure all in itself), going to the grocery for me, doing my laundry, taking the boys to a movie, picking bugs out of my hair, and helping me clean the house to make sure any and ALL germs or bugs were gone for good! We are getting to start the weekend all healthy and we have a holiday on Monday so it will be nice to hang out with the boys and have no one sick!

Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T14:31:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's Day with the boys, I made Troy and Teague little Valentine's and also got them a huge sucker. They both came home with lots of treats from their parties at school. Troy woke up Tuesday morning asking if it was still Valentine's Day and was very upset when I told him no.

As for my Valentine's Day with Chris...it hasn't happened yet. I have felt awful since Sunday night and just wasn't in the mood to do anything but sleep Monday night, so we have postponed our cheesecake tasting night for later this week. He did send me the sweetest love letter via email because he wanted me to have it on Valentine's Day. He is so romantic and super thougtful and I will post again once we do our Valentine's Day together.

The threshing floor

2011-02-09T11:00:00.000-08:00

A few months back I started a Bible study on Ruth called "Ruth: loss, love and legacy". It was such a great study that I thought I would teach it to the girls in my youth group. I have found over the years of teaching that I learn something so much better and on a deeper level when I teach it, and sure enough it was proven true again while teaching Ruth.

In the middle of the book of Ruth, Naomi tells Ruth to get cleaned up, put on her best clothes and perfume and go to Boaz and express her love. They both knew Boaz was working at the threshing floor that evening, so off Ruth went. I started to imagine what Ruth most have been thinking as she made that walk to Boaz. She had lost her husband and now found herself in foreign territory and was taking a huge risk in expressing her love for Boaz. On her walk there I bet she was nervous and had a ton of questions on whether her actions were right or wrong and I bet she was even excited that she could be in love again! Over the last two years, I know those are the feelings that I have had. But what struck me as the scariest part of that walk for Ruth was that she had to go to the threshing floor alone. Naomi had been there the whole time to talk to and gossip with, and Naomi would be there afterwards, but in that moment, she had to walk that path alone.

A few weeks back Chris and I were getting his car washed and he left the car to pay and I stayed in the car only to be backed into by another car who did not see Chris' car there. Chris heard the collision and ran back out and the man in the other car got out and to our surprise it was a worker from the business we were at. About that time, the owner of the other vehicle came out of the store to see what had happened. Both Chris and the other gentleman were upset, but since it was an employee driving the car it somehow made the situation easier to handle. They both had someone to commiserate with so it was more bearable than if they had been alone. This got me to thinking; going through a problem with your spouse or friend really does make it easier! And, at least for me, I would tend to lean on that person to lighten my load. Having a buddy to experience it with takes some of the sting out of the situation. And oh how I wish I had had someone to go through divorce with me, but then God really started speaking to me about my own threshing floor and that there are times we must go there alone.

Even though God has surrounded me with so many wonderful people, I still had to walk the path of divorce solo. Everyone has advice and a position on it and encouraging words through it, but ultimately, I had to do it with just me and God. And now, post divorce, I am still navigating through by myself wondering just the same things Ruth was wondering, plus some about dating. There are few in my position and I am lucky for the woman God has brought into my life that have been through divorce, dating and remarriage. I know I rely on them heavily to help me through this season in life. With lots of prayer, I know God will guide me right where I am supposed to be, as long as I keep listening.

The end of Ruth's story is a happy one and I believe it's through the lonely walks to the threshing floor that you find yourself and learn to lean on God more than you ever would if you had your friends by your side. I am thankful for these moments because I know without them, I would not have the kind of relationship I have with my King.

Weekend Fun

2011-01-31T11:49:00.000-08:00

This weekend was jam packed with a ton of fun things!! Friday night I went to a Girl's Night Out gathering which I was really in need of! I guess I was having so much fun that I forgot to get out my camera so I don't have any pics, but it was so nice to sit down and just laugh with some of the greatest gals I know. Saturday, Chris and I tried a new restaurant out; Ranch 616 in Austin. The food was good and so was the atmosphere. We were seated out on a closed in patio next to a fire, so it was very romantic and a great place to just hang out and talk. On Sunday, we went to church and then had a youth get together. It's always fun spending time with the youth...never a dull moment! And then Sunday night we went to see Roller Derby with Faith and Greg. This was a new experience for me and Chris, but it was a blast. Once Greg explained the rules and we watched a few bouts, it was pretty easy to catch on to. If we weren't watching the girls skate, we were people watching, which was an event all in itself. We had a blast with Faith and Greg and we can't wait to go back. It was a great fun filled weekend surrounded by people I love!

On our way to Ranch 616
Youth event

Roller Derby!

This Green Leprechan would skate by during breaks and hand out freebies. We ended up with a CD from the band that was playing last night!

Fun outside

2011-01-23T13:56:00.000-08:00

The weather has been so cold and cloudy and wet lately, but on Saturday we finally saw some warmer temperatures and sun! We played outside all afternoon in the yard and then at the park. The boys were in much need of some running, jumping and getting dirty time! Here are a few pics!

MBR

2011-01-19T11:11:00.000-08:00

My Boyfriend Rocks because...

he is so patient. I think patience is a life long lesson and, for me, I seem to have to learn it all over again in every area of my life. I am not sure if Chris has learned it over the years or if he is just a patient person, but it is a great quality!!

As a mom, I feel like since I am around my kids all day, every day, patience is something I always have to have with them. Not that I am perfect all the time, but most of the time it takes A LOT for me to raise my voice at them. Guys, on the other hand, aren't around the kids all the time, due to work, and for Chris it's even less since he is divorced, so sometimes I think they forget they have to put forth an extra effort to be patient with little ones. But surprisingly, for Chris this seems like it comes very naturally.

I have also seen Chris' patience with circumstances. In the last 8 months there have been countless times where I would have been a wreck with everything he had going on. Just this week alone is a good example. He has a sales conference all week long with meetings and vendor fairs and meet and greets so he knew this week would be tough. Then on Monday, he got a flat on the highway at 9pm at night and then this morning he slept through his alarm! Now, granted, the last one may have been his fault, but still when I talked to him today, he was in a good mood!!

And the last area I have seen Chris show patience is with me. I feel like I spent the majority of the time leading up to my divorce preparing myself, healing myself. So when the divorce was final I felt like I was in a good spot. It had been a while since I felt that confident and secure in my circumstances and in myself. I felt ready to date. Now that me and Chris are starting to get more serious I realize that I still have some baggage that is holding me down. As ready as I felt with my lists and wants and desires for doing things differently, I see that actually dating someone brings about a whole different set of areas that need work and I don't think that I could have anticipated any of them prior to dating, God knows I tried! I am now finding myself being stretched and challenged by God in areas that I hadn't even thought about while being single. This makes for a very "up and down" Brittany. But, lucky for me, Chris is patient, and not only patient, but he also loves me. He reminds me that this is a journey and we will strive to be better for the rest of our lives, and that's okay. I am so blessed to have a patient man standing beside me as I continue to grow because I have no doubt that a lesser patient man would have checked out months ago!!

Adventure?!?

2011-01-07T12:02:00.000-08:00

So I don't know if I would classify this under one of the first adventures of 2011 or under super scary??

Today I had a work meeting in between work and me teaching aerobics, so I didn't think much about leaving McKenna outside, because that is what I do everyday, but I guess since I didn't return home until after dark she got scared or nervous and dug out. The boys and I returned home around 7pm and I could see the hole when I drove up. I was hoping she hadn't really been able to fit through there but she did. I loaded the boys back into the car and we rolled down the windows and started yelling 'MCKENNA' as I drove up and down streets for an hour. This part might be classified as the adventure part with Troy screaming McKenna as loud as he could and Teague yelling 'Tenna' right there with Troy! I finally gave up and decided to get the boys in bed. Troy was so sad and asked if he should cry, lol!! I told him that we needed to pray to God for her safety and for her to find her way home, so we did.

She had her tags on so I kept thinking that when someone found her they would call, but no one ever called. Of course, then I started to think the worst; did someone find her and decide just to keep her, was she just roaming the streets cold and hungry, or did she get hit? I even left the porch light on for her.

At about 2:30am an owl hooting woke me up and I once again checked the front yard and again, nothing. I got back in bed and prayed again. It seemed silly to be praying for my dog to come home, but I was convicted that nothing is silly to God, and if it matters to me, it matters to Him. He brought Philippians 4:6 to mind...worry about nothing, pray about everything...so I did. And about that time I heard the neighbor dog howl and then another dog bark. I swore it sounded like McKenna so I jumped out of bed and opened the back door and there she was!!! I was so happy and just thanking God over and over!! She was a little muddy and had quite a few cactus quills in her but once I cleaned her up she got a drink of water and went straight to her bed.

In the morning, Troy came downstairs and saw her and just started yelling, "mom, look, McKenna came home!!" I think he was more excited to see her than he was when Santa came!! We then talked about our prayer the night before and how God answered that prayer and we should thank Him. He told me he gave her a big hug because he missed her and I told him he should tell her 'never run away again!' (in a mean voice) and he told, "mom, don't be mean to her, we missed her" LOL!! He is so cute!!!

I am so thankful that she was smart enough to find her way home and that I was able to use this experience as another opportunity to teach Troy about God.

2011

2011-01-01T14:42:00.000-08:00

This year instead of making a New Year's resolution I decided I would participate in the One Word challenge. I had been thinking and praying about what my one word would be and thought I had an idea, but it seemed very much out of my character. So I asked God to make it clear to me if that is what my one word should be. Funny how you ask God to make something clear to you He will. I heard the word on the radio, on the TV and then again on one of the movies Troy was watching. So my word is...

ADVENTURE

The One Word challenge hopes that the word you choose will be the lens you use all year long to help you get to the change you want to see in yourself. I have been working on becoming the person God created me to be and in some of my reading I realize you can be in God's will and still not be who God created you to be. I think this will be a life long journey and lesson for me, but being more adventurous is something I desperately want in all aspects of my life. With two boys, I want to be the mom that goes along with the boys on their adventures and for them to be proud to have me come along for the experience. With my future spouse, I want to be less meticulous and more spontaneous, able to go and do on a moments notice and have fun no matter what we are doing. With my God, I want to be willing to go wherever He leads. I want my faith to be daring and bold and be able to confidently know that if He has called me to do it, then He will pave the way ahead, no matter how scary it may seem.

So here's to an adventurous 2011!! Happy New Year!!

Christmas

2010-12-31T11:15:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of Christmas. The boys got WAY too many gifts and we had to leave some of them at my parent's house because everything would not fit in my car to take home.

While in the Metroplex, we went the the ICE exhibit. Everything in the pictures is made from ice and to keep it all from melting they have to keep it super cold, so they give you parkas to wear while you go through. At the end, we enjoyed hot chocolate and meeting Snoopy. It was a lot of fun!!

One day changes everything

2010-12-28T04:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was an overwhelming day. I was finally getting the boys back after a week of them being gone and my best friend, Tanna was scheduled to deliver her sweet baby girl. I was driving to Waco with my family to get the boys while my sister checked Facebook to check on Tanna's progress. I then get a voice mail from a friend in Lubbock telling me to check Facebook concerning Brie and Eric Gomez, another friend of ours who used to live in Lubbock. In a moment I find out Brie and Eric were in a car accident. They rushed them to the hospital along with their two girls. The two girls and Eric were released with just a few injuries, but Brie had severe head trauma. The doctors were able to deliver and stabilize their 30 week old baby boy, Curran Blaec, but Brie passed away.

In a moment, life is different.

I was excited to see my boys again, happy that Tanna's delivery went well and Cerly was healthy, and saddened when I thought of Eric and those children. I wonder if God gives an angel and takes an angel? As baby Cerly entered the world, we were all rejoicing and loving on her and just staring at her in all her little baby perfection. I wonder if Jesus and the angels were doing the same in Heaven when Brie entered into the Kingdom?

Brie was the model Christian woman, wife, mother and friend. She would daily send me verses and check on me and send me books to read while I struggled through divorce. She would always give you a straight answer and you could trust it was said with a lot of thought, prayer behind it, and only out of love. The legacy she left was indescribable, but attainable only for those who truly chase God as she did. Her blog always talked about beauty out of chaos and as much as my heart breaks for the family she left behind, I know God will bring beauty out of it all, in time. Please join me in praying for Eric, Mali, 6, Eleri, 1, and Curran, preemie. God draws near to the broken hearted and I have no doubt His glory will be seen through their healing and Brie's work here on earth. If you knew Brie and want to help the family, a fund has been set up:
Happy State Bank (806) 373-2265
https://www.happybank.com/
Eric Gomez and the Curran Blaec Gomez fund

One day can change everything; could be a happy change, could be a sad change,but either way God can always be glorified, if you continue to trust Him.

MBR

2010-12-23T08:57:00.000-08:00

My Boyfriend Rocks...

because he has a great sense of humor. He loves to joke around and is very witty. This is not in my innate personality but I really enjoy this part of Chris' personality and he is bringing me out of my shell. He has the ability to make a stiff situation light and can always make me smile with just a word or two, which works well in his favor if we are arguing ;) I've heard that one of the greatest qualities for a good relationship is humor and as long as Chris is around I have no doubt that I will always have laughter in my life.

My sister

2010-12-17T11:50:00.000-08:00

I am so lucky to have Amber as my sister. Last weekend, me and the boys were able to attend her graduation. She is now a Doctor of Physical Therapy. It was so much fun to see where she went to all her classes and to meet her professors. She and her group of friends all looked beautiful and all were so happy to have come to the end of this part of their lives together. Troy was really into watching her as she entered the auditorium and then going with my dad towards the front to get a picture as she walked across the stage and was hooded. It was weird hearing that my baby sister is now Dr. Amber Pippen?!!? How is that possible?? But, I know it's all of her hard work and dedication and I am so proud of her!

CONGRATS AMBER!!

Spa Day

2010-11-28T12:27:00.000-08:00

Finally our girls spa day arrived!! Tanna, Laura and I all spent Saturday at the spa. We started with a massage and then moved to lunch and then our pedicures. It was nice to be able to just walk around in our robes all day and not really rush to be anywhere. We would come back to this living room type area in between each service and just talk and it was such a nice atmosphere. We always try to get together at a restaurant or someone's house and it was just nice for it to be quiet and secluded and have no kids or time schedule. I think we sat in those chairs just talking for over an hour on several occasions!! I think we all agree this will be an annual event for us, it was just what we all needed!!

MBR

2010-11-19T11:12:00.000-08:00

My boyfriend rocks...

because he is great with the boys. It's one thing to be a great dad with your own kids, but to play and get involved with other kids is something completely different. He loves to play and be physical with the kids. He also takes the time to explain things that they encounter, which I think is important in teaching them about the world we live in. And he listens to their thoughts and actively participates in conversations with them. I am so lucky to have Chris in my life...and so are my boys!

Superpalooza

2010-11-14T08:59:00.000-08:00

This weekend we had our annual youth retreat called Superpalooza. It's a weekend long retreat with scavenger hunts, service projects, lessons, and a lot of fun!! I love these kids like they were my own!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Birthday Fun

2010-11-08T11:20:00.000-08:00

My birthday was so much fun this year!! As my birthday gift to myself I decided I wanted to go back and visit Lubbock. So the boys and I took off early Friday morning and headed to Abilene. Grandma had a huge birthday lunch with cake and ice cream and we stayed the night there. Then off to Lubbock on Saturday morning.

We had lunch with Rachel and Leann and their families. I love how we can all get together after 3 years and still talk like no time passed by at all. We all stayed with Rachel and Scott and their two girls. Troy and Teague loved playing with Reece and Rynn and they were so sweet to share their room and their toys.

It was Homecoming weekend so we wandered around campus and took some pictures and bought t-shirts and I got to show Chris why I love Lubbock and Tech so much.

On Sunday I went back to my old church and felt so blessed to still have a church family there even though I am so far away, and it made me miss Lubbock even more because of the friendships I still have there.

I got a ton of great things for my birthday; a necklace from Grandma, boots from mom and lotion from the boys. Chris had gotten me a purse a few weeks back that I fell in love with so I thought I had already received my gift from him but then he and Tanna surprised me with a spa day with the girls in a few weeks so I will be getting a massage, lunch with Tanna and Laura and then a manicure, but then on top of that he showed up with this huge Victoria's Secret bag. I didn't know whether to be happy because I am spoiled or mad because he did WAY too much for me!!

Inside the bag was this suit and top along with more workout clothes. Chris was so funny as I was going through all the things inside he would tell me why he chose it, either it went with my eyes or it looked comfortable or it was practical or it was my favorite color. I told you he was a GREAT gift giver!! This birthday was so special for so many reasons and I am glad I could share it with so many people I love.

Halloween

2010-11-03T11:29:00.000-07:00

We had so many Halloween festivities this year!! Troy and I both got to dress up for school parties. Daniel came and participated in Pumpkin carving with Dads at school and Troy really enjoyed that, although he didn't help much. We also had a costume contest at church and then we all went trick or treating that evening. Troy and Teague both looked so cute in their costumes and this was the first year I really got into dressing up and had a lot of fun with it!!

Troy and his teacher Mrs. Katha

Thing 1 and a vampiress

My youth girls!!

Iron Man and a Pirate (Cade and Troy)

Smile

2010-10-29T17:13:00.000-07:00

Over the last 6 months or so I have received a ton of compliments on my smile. It has been weird and it has been so often that it got me to thinking. My first thought was why now? Am I too old and nothing but my smile looks good anymore? Chris told me it was just men hitting on me, but I noticed woman made the same compliment. I wondered if it was because of Chris, but I have been in love before and my smile didn't seem to catch people's attention...so what is different about me now?

And then it hit me...

I am more of who God created me to be at this moment than ever before.

I have been in love. I have been happy. I have been content. I have been satisfied. I have been fulfilled. But never before have I been so in tune to God and His plans and how I fit into that as I am now. And what people are seeing isn't me, but Christ within me making me beautiful. Funny how just a smile can draw people in.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-28T11:58:00.000-07:00

We went to the pumpkin patch with Aby and McKinley last week and the kids had alot of fun running around and choosing their pumpkin to buy and pretending to ride the tractor. The weather is still very warm here and hardly feels like Fall or Halloween, but despite being in the 80's we had to go on our annual pumpkin patch outing.

MBR

2010-10-25T18:44:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend rocks...

because he is a great gift giver. Chris is one of those people in which you don't want to tell him what you want as a gift for your birthday or Christmas because what he will come up with on his own will be better than what you could have asked for. He takes the time to listen and observe and he knows just what to get to make a gift more than just a gift. And it doesn't just go for me, he did great in picking out Troy's birthday gift too...so good that I thought his ex-wife did it!! :) He knows it doesn't matter the price tag amount or the brand name, but he always thinks about the receiver and what they would really enjoy.

I collect fun socks and here are a pair he surprised me with one day!!

Party!!

2010-10-18T17:43:00.000-07:00

Troy had his birthday party over the weekend. We went and toured the fire station. It was a lot of fun and the firemen made it so special with the hats and goodie bags and letting the kids get in the truck. Troy received a ton of great gifts most of which consisted of Lightning McQueen or Thomas the Train, two of his favorites! It's so hard to believe he is 4, but everyday I realize he is growing up just in the way he talks and thinks. He is very articulate, but sometimes a bit shy. He loves the outdoors and anything to do with bikes or skateboards or scooters and racing them. 4 years ago I was nervous about having a boy and didn't know if I would be able to connect with him, but I realize now that was a silly thought. He is very much like me and in that way alone we are able to connect...and also butt heads, but he is a precious gift and I am so glad to be growing him into who God has created him to be.

And, of course, Teague LOVED the cake!!

Stop growing!!

2010-10-16T07:01:00.000-07:00

Today Troy is 4...I wish he would just stop growing!!

More birthday festivities

2010-10-11T18:24:00.000-07:00

Troy's birthday is still a week away, but Sonja and GG came into town to celebrate early. We celebrated by having the dinner and cake of Troy's choosing and, of course, gifts. Troy got a Leap Frog Tag Pen and different books to go along with it. It's basically a pen that reads the books to him and at any point he can stop on a word and it will re-read that word. He has been playing with it non-stop. It was so nice to spend some time with Sonja and GG, and Troy and Teague loved showing them all their toys. GG kept saying she couldn't believe Troy was turning 4 and really neither can I...only 5 more days with my 3 year old!

Air Show

2010-09-27T18:13:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Chris and I took the kids to the Air Show in town. There were so many fun things to see and the kids really enjoyed all the planes and helicopters and military aircraft. Since Troy's birthday is in a few weeks I decided to take him on his first airplane ride. He was so excited!! When it was finally our turn to go up I think I was more scared than he was! As we taxied out we had to wait a bit and he kept asking "are we up yet, are we up yet?" Once we were in the sky his eyes were so big and just taking it all in. He would look out his window and then my window and then back to his window again. The pilot tipped the plane a few times to show us something or to turn and as I am grabbing the side of the plane to hold on, Troy says, "cool" and when asked what his favorite part was, he will say the tipping. As we landed, he immediately asked if we could go again. I just might have a future pilot on my hands. It was an unforgettable memory that I know I will treasure forever.

MBR

2010-09-25T18:35:00.000-07:00

Chris is a great dancer. Not only did I get a degree from Tech, but that is also where I learned to two step and it is so nice to enjoy that with Chris. Dancing has quickly become something that we try to do whenever we have some free time without the kids because we have so much fun together. There is definitely an art to country dancing. It's imperative for the man to know how to lead and feel the beat of the music and know the correct steps, but there is also something so special about connecting with someone you care about while dancing together. Just one more reason why...My Boyfriend Rocks!!

Amber's Birthday

2010-09-23T19:26:00.001-07:00

Over the weekend we all went to my sister's birthday party. She turned 27, which seems almost impossible since I still see her as a little girl!! We had a great time with all the family and her friends. The theme was Fiesta and mom went all out on the appetizers and food and drinks and cake. After she opened all her gifts we changed clothes and headed out dancing. I don't think me and Blake and Amber have ever all gone out together, so that was a first, but we had blast.

Rainy Day

2010-09-11T04:45:00.000-07:00

It was estimated that we received 15 inches of rain over about two days last week and the flooding was so bad in a lot of areas that the schools ended up closing for the day, but when it rains that much you can be sure of one thing...great PUDDLES!!!

LA

2010-09-07T14:32:00.000-07:00

Over Labor Day weekend Chris took me to where he grew up in Minden, Louisiana. I was able to meet his dad and step mom, step sisters, aunt, uncle and cousins. Louisiana was so pretty and his family is very laid back so it was nice to just relax. He showed me Shreveport and all the casinos, the house he grew up in and schools he attended, and we had a bbq at his aunt and uncle's where he took me on the four wheeler to see all his family's property. Cade and Caitlyn really enjoyed playing with their cousins. For some reason Cade was not into pictures this weekend, but he really was there!! But out of everything I saw over the weekend I think the drive thru margarita joint was the most bizarre.