Laura's Lounge

Snuggles...

2010-03-20T18:30:00.000-07:00

I never get tired of staring at this...

Precious Babies

2010-03-12T11:51:00.000-08:00

Snuggle time our first morning home...

It is hard to believe our little ones are already 2 and a half weeks old! We are savoring every minute...each feeding, diaper change, bath, snuggle and coo. They are so much fun! I am still recovering physically from the c-section but overall doing fine. Adam was able to take off some time from work and my mom has been here keeping the house in order. It is such a huge blessing to have her here with us! Last week my dad also took time off; having both parents here together was a real treat. I love seeing them hold their grandchildren...it is very surreal and special.

An average schedule right now consists of feeding babies, changing them, holding them, nap time, and repeat! I am currently feeding them every 2 hours, so generally I get about 30 minutes to myself between feedings and then we are at it again. Adam has been amazing. He is the best burper, diaper changer, comforter and snuggler I have ever seen! I will feed one baby, then he burps and changes them while I feed the other. With 12 feedings a day, we have the routine down! I am so so thankful for my incredible husband. Forgive me if you have called, texted or emailed and I haven't replied--I haven't checked my cell in days and am giving all my energy to these kiddos and my husband right now. The biggest challenge has been finding time to rest myself, but who wants to rest when there are two babies to cuddle? I'm working on it... :)

I look at these two everyday and can't believe they are here...our children. I start to cry every time I think about it. The other day Annabelle was crying and I started singing to her. Immediately she calmed down and just stared at me. I lost it. I just wept. Couldn't even keep singing. I dreamt of these moments for so long and praise God for the pleasure of loving these children. They are His, and we thank Him for sharing them with us!

Enough of my babbling, here's some pics of the angels...

Sweet Will

Sweet Annabelle

TWINS!!!

2010-02-24T16:18:00.000-08:00

Here are what I'm sure to be the first of many pictures of Will and Annabelle! Will 's on the left and Annabelle is on the right.

It's Baby Time!

2010-02-22T09:16:00.000-08:00

UPDATE #3: No NICU so far! Everyone is doing great.
UPDATE #2: Just heard from Adam that the babies are here! I don't have any other info, but will post when I do.
UPDATE #1: Laura's c-section is scheduled for 4pm.

Hi friends! This is Lindsay, Laura's sister-in-law. Laura asked me to keep you all updated on the exciting events that will be happening today! I just got a call from Laura a few minutes ago, after her appointment this morning, the Dr sent them to the hospital to have the babies. She will be having a c-section sometime in the next few hours. Please keep her, Adam, the Dr's and those sweet babies in your prayers throughout the day. I'll update here and on Facebook as I get news in from them! Yay!

Lindsay

36 Weeks!

2010-02-20T11:45:00.000-08:00

We are at 36 weeks this weekend, praise God! We are so thankful these babies have stayed put for this long. My next appointment is Monday morning. The Dr. will scan them, and if their lungs look mature, he will schedule my c-section possibly as early as Tuesday! We are beyond excited. The last ultrasound we had was two weeks ago; at that point baby boy was 4 pounds 12 ounces and baby girl was 5 pounds 1 ounce. I am so thankful for those weights, but I increased my fat intake the last couple of weeks to try to give them more to grow from! It is hard to eat at this point (the Dr. says my stomach is the size of a grape) so I figure I might as well pack those calories in with each bite. Sleeping is almost impossible--partly because of my excitement and partly because of discomfort--but I love it. I just lay awake thinking about holding them, feeding them, singing to them...my guess is I am just getting a glimpse of our new way of life! Bring on the sleepless nights!

Please continue to pray for the babies' maturity and growth. How we treasure your prayers!!!!

Last night we set up our camera and took some pics for fun...

I seriously love this man!

Adam thinks it is hilarious that he has to lean over to kiss me...

Pregnancy Pics

2010-02-20T07:38:00.000-08:00

Back in January our friend Ashley took some photos of us-I was around 28 weeks. We had so much fun with her! I'm not one to usually post pics of my belly, but this is a special case since it does hold the babies! Here are a few of the pics from our time together...

The Fifth Wheel

2010-02-12T21:53:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, Adam here. I'd like to introduce you to the newest addition to our family. No the babies haven't been born yet, but they have brought along a little, well not so little, friend. The belly. It's been a slow growth; kind of like the mold on that thing in the back of your fridge. It starts out small and you think it's cute that it's growing. Then it becomes fun to watch. And after a while you're astounded by the miracles of God's design. That's where we are now. In the, "How could it get that big?" stage. As all husband/fathers can probably relate to, this is super cool and fun for me to watch. Of course I might feel differently if I had to lug it around. Laura's been a real trooper though, and as she says, bigger belly means better babies! And if you're wondering about the title, there's Laura, Me, the twins, and that fifth wheel friend that's along for the ride (the belly). So here's a brief overview of our lesson in elasticity.

10 weeks

17 weeks

20 weeks

26 weeks

28 weeks

32 weeks

34 weeks

Still 34 weeks...it just cracks me up when she dances with the big belly.

Don't worry...she didn't move around too much! She's being good and laying down most of the time...

Our Birthday Girl!

2010-02-11T19:00:00.000-08:00

Today is Lyric's 2nd birthday! I can't believe we have had this precious pup for 2 years. She is such a hoot...we never tire of her snuggles, kisses and hilarious expressions. The three of us have so much fun. My nephew Sam described us well this past summer when he said "Uncle Adam, Aunt Laura, and Lyric...they're a funny little family." That pretty much sums it up! I have always loved watching her play with our nephews when they are in town. She has kissed away many tears the last couple of years and made us smile everyday; I can't wait to see her with the babies!

Sweet puppy face after her first bath

First snuggles the day we met!

Hugs from Aunt Amanda in October...Lyric's hair was super long and we couldn't help but see what she looked like with a bow in it! Such a patient dog! We had lots of good laughs that night...

Giving Adam a cookie bouquet for Father's Day this past year. Ok, maybe it is over the top, but it was a great excuse to get my man some yummy cookies!

When Adam gets home in a little bit we are going to give her a ridiculously large rawhide and watch as she attempts to chow down on it. Happy Birthday, Lyric Melody! Thanks for making us laugh and adding so much joy to our lives!

30 Weeks!

2010-01-13T16:23:00.000-08:00

As of today I am 30 weeks and 5 days along, praise God! 30 weeks is a huge milestone in development for twins; my next goal is reaching the 34 week mark, and after that, 36. I can't believe we are so close to meeting our little ones. We are busting with excitement! As I type this someone on the right side of my belly is moving and grooving-my shirt is bouncing up and down! The last couple of weeks their movements have definitely strengthened. I love each and every kick and punch, even when they keep me awake. I just see it as a glimpse of our future--lots and lots of time together in the middle of the night!

My last ultrasound was at 28 weeks. Baby girl weighed 2 pounds 6 ounces, and baby boy was 2 pounds 4 ounces. The Dr. said they were right where they should be for weight at that stage. I am praying that they get to at least 6 or 7 pounds. If we make it to 36 or 37 weeks, a hearty birthweight is possible!

My body is definitely starting to feel the effects of carrying two babies. Although I am 30 weeks along, at my appointment yesterday I measured 39 weeks! No wonder I'm feeling some aches and pains! (Belly pics to come--my computer has not cooperated with downloading pics for the last couple of weeks!) Bending over is nearly impossible, and Adam has to tie my shoes for me, put lotion on my legs and pick up things I drop (which happens often because I am even more clumsy than usual). Sweet sweet man. I may feel physically awful most of the time, but I thank God for every stretch, ache and cramp, because that means these two are growing. Come on kids! Make your momma miserable and get as big as you can!

EXCITING NEWS-- my twin friend Corrie is having her two baby boys tomorrow!! Please pray for Corrie this week as they welcome these precious boys and their family of 3 instantly becomes a family of 5!

More updates to come as I coax my computer into liking blogger and downloading pics...

Trucks and Tutus!

2009-10-29T08:58:00.000-07:00

We found out Tuesday that we are having a girl and a boy! We are so grateful that they are growing and thriving. My Dr. said complications with twins tend to surface at 20 weeks, and thankfully everything looks great so far! The pics of our little ones...

Baby A, our sweet girl

A 4D pic of her :) So in love with that precious face!

Baby B, our precious boy

Another view of our little man from the back, love those ears!!!! (He was covering his face in his 4D pic, so I thought this one was a better view.)

Baby girl weighs 12 oz., and baby boy is at 10 oz. Our girl will most likely be the oldest (haha)--she is closest to my cervix and will come out before her brother. We had a blast watching them during the ultrasound...at one point her little booty kept pressing down on his chin, and he was constantly moving around to get away from her hiny. I told her that was the only time it was ok for her to push and shove on her brother, haha! I just love that they have each other in there...I can't wait to see how they interact and play together. The ultrasound tech said our girl had long legs, and his legs were on the shorter side. Does anyone know why we would get a kick out of that?!?! :)

Thank you for all the prayers for my health and our precious babies!

Blue or Pink or Both?

2009-10-26T14:45:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we find out if Baby A and B are boys or girls or both. We are so excited to see them again--8 weeks has felt like forever! Adam and I call the ultrasounds "Watson Family Time." While we know the babies are with us all the time, we just love seeing them, talking to them and watching what they are doing. I can't believe we are already nearing the 20 week mark at the end of this week. It has truly flown by. Here's to more Watson Family Time in the morning!

2+2=4

2009-09-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

"I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him."

1 Samuel 1:27

Coming this spring, life at the our house will radically change as we welcome two babies into our family! We found out in July that we were expecting, and a few weeks later, we were thrilled to hear there were TWO little babies in my belly. I can't wait to meet them!
My sweet parents have offered to buy our cribs, so we went crib shopping with them...we are standing by our favorite, but I'm ordering it in a different color (antiqued soft white).
My mom loves to talk to the babies. She has done this since the day we found out I was pregnant. I love to talk to them too, I just think it is hilarious when she does it. I can't wait to see my parents with our kiddos!

The love of my life, trying out the rocker we liked. How this man has nurtured me these last 3 months! My sickness gave laziness and "dead to the world" a whole new meaning. I have joyfully been in survival mode, making it to work and back home to nap in the midst of daily migraines, nausea and a sinus infection that won't let go. But no complaints here--what a thrill it is to be sick for these two. Take whatever you need from me, kids!

Adam has been amazing. I LOVE YOU!!

Today we are heading out to buy the cribs and furniture. Crazy. This week I am 15 weeks along. I am due in March (18th or 19th) but my doctor said he will be happy if we make it to February.

I still can't believe this has happened. After years of asking the Lord for a child and finally surrendering that desire to whatever He had planned, we are here. In awe. Blessed beyond measure...beyond what we could ever have imagined. God has taught us so much about walking with Christ. We struggled with understanding why we weren't getting pregnant...we searched His Word for some sort of promise or encouragement concerning children. Know what we found? Promises and encouragement concerning HIM. Jesus. Our All in All. And we learned, month by month, that our lives on this earth weren't about getting what we wanted, even if that desire was something holy and good like children. Our lives should be about walking with Jesus and making Him known. We decided to say "Lord, we will serve You and love You for the rest of our lives, whether or not this journey leads us to kids. Our life may look different than we hoped, but our life here on earth isn't about us." I doubted I could ever bear children. There was no explanation medically. No reason for us to take this long. We became passionate about adoption and began to look into agencies near us. But what guarantee did we have that adoption would bring us our child? None. No assurance in the circumstance, whether getting test results from a doctor or researching adoption.

Our assurance was and is only in Jesus.

It is all about HIM.

To God be the glory.

Grease!

2009-09-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had a blast going with Dick (our dear friend, mentor and boss:) to see Grease downtown. We started with a dinner at the Barbeque Inn which was delicious! It is an adorable restaurant that has had the same menu since it opened in early 1970's. The decor is the same, the waitresses dress the same...and the food is incredible! I had chicken fried steak that seriously rocked my face off so much I ate almost the entire thing. Delish.

Taylor Hicks played the role of Teen Angel in Grease and he was awesome! His stage presence was great, and his voice fit the song "Beauty School Dropout" to a tee. What a night! Thank you so much Dick for taking us back a few decades. We loved every minute!

We're Back...

2009-09-17T15:49:00.001-07:00

After a seriously long blog break, we are back! A busy spring turned into an even busier summer, and my focus went to my family, friends visiting in town, the church, and of course most of all, these two...

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

I pray you all have a wonderful Easter celebrating our risen Lord!

The sun is shining, the air is cool and it is time for a nap! :)

That's Sick

2009-02-27T15:24:00.000-08:00

A day after I told my friend Nicki I hate throwing up, I woke up extremely nauseous and proceeded to throw up everything in my body. Go figure. A doctor's visit, 2 shots and one very patient husband later, I am feeling better but still really weak. I hate stomach viruses! Yuck! Thankfully, Adam is not sick, and my fever has broken. There's some nasty stuff floating around out there, so keep washing your hands, friends! I'm off to drink some more Gatorade...

Valentine's Week

2009-02-15T06:37:00.000-08:00

So I have to admit, I am crazy about Valentine's Day. Our first date was February 14, 2001, so the date holds a really special memory for us. I had given up on Adam ever pursuing me--we had been friends for almost a year, and although I knew I was crazy about him, I was determined to never let him know my feelings. I figured if he wanted me, he could come get me without any persuasion! After months of praying, he asked me for our first date, which ended up being Valentine's Day. An RA at the time, I was on duty that night in the dorm, so Adam brought me dinner from Waco--a roast (that his mom had made, hilarious!), rice and green beans. We reheated it in my dorm room microwave, ate dinner, watched Ed (anyone remember that show?) and he held my hand for the first time. Ahhhhh, heaven on earth!

I will never forget walking down my dorm room hallway to let him in the dorm. The Adam I knew had long hair (to his chin, shaved underneath, and interesting style for my punk rocker). That night, he had cut his hair just for our date! It was adorable (I admit, I squealed when I saw him...so much for not letting on...but hey, he had already asked me out, right?) Anyways, he stood there holding a box of chocolates and three red roses. I was tickled he got me anything on our first date, but I wondered, why three red roses? Why not one, or a dozen? Three? Later that evening he gave me a card that I will cherish forever...in it he said I might be wondering why he chose three roses...he said they symbolized the three of us in this new relationship--him, me and the Father. I remember my knees weakened when I read his sweet message. Seriously? Is he really this amazing? I was in a happy state of awe and shock.

10 months later on December 14th, Adam asked me to be his wife. Because the 3 roses had been special to us, Adam designed my ring to reflect that first night. My engagement ring was a solitaire, symbolizing God. When we got married, my wedding band placed a diamond on each side, standing for each of us, with God at the center of our marriage.

We were married the following June, and I have loved every minute! Our tradition on Valentine's is to eat a dinner at home together, just like we did that first night. Sometimes I will cook a roast, although this year, Adam wanted to give me a break from cooking so we picked up BBQ. Sweet man. Add a mattress weekend to the mix and I call that a great Valentine's. We stretched it out and celebrated all week long, ending with a date night out last night. Love you, honey! Thanks for a great week.

Please Pray for Harper...

2009-01-16T20:57:00.000-08:00

A dear blog friend had her precious baby girl Harper today. After trying for two years to get pregnant, Harper was truly a miracle and gift from God. She is now in critical condition, and as you can imagine, Kelly and Scott (the parents) are in the midst of a terrifying trial. Would you lift them up tonight and tomorrow? You can read Kelly's story at her blog: www.kellyskornerblog.com. Thank you for praying for this sweet family...

Thanks-mas

2008-12-26T11:59:00.000-08:00

Cleary this post is a bit delayed...after Thanks-mas (Thanksgiving/Christmas with the Watson clan in Nashville--Adam coined the term this year) our schedule got a bit crazy as we prepared for our Christmas production and Christmas Eve service. I have resigned myself to focusing on only my man and our sanity during our Christmas rush at church; e-mailing and blogging sadly go way down on my list! Anyway, we had a blast with our precious nephews over Thanksgiving...Lindsay and I enjoyed cooking in her beautiful new kitchen and we all made new memories in their new home. Some pics from the week...

Enjoying a yummy dinner at The Melting Pot

Eating at Krispy Kreme (one of Uncle Adam's favorite parts of the trip!) Aren't their smiles precious? LOVE those boys!

Yay! The meal is made--time to eat!

Riding bikes outside; Uncle Adam rode Sam's bike with Gabe. Hilarious!

Adam's Little Helper...

2008-12-13T21:33:00.000-08:00

Adam had a little buddy help him set up our Christmas tree this year...

Our New Little Friend

2008-11-23T14:10:00.000-08:00

Introducing sweet Caroline. Product of God's goodness+Eric and Kim Moore. She is such a sweet little baby! The last couple of months we have had the joy of spending time with little Caroline. Adam and I babysat one evening and our time with her just flew by. We had a blast watching her precious smiles and listening to her joyful squeals! What a doll.

Lunching at Lupes...can you see that sweet little grin? Complete with dimples.

Be still my heart!

Yummm...Lupes with our dear friends the Moores. Can't get much better than that!

Snuggled in Adam's arms the night we babysat.

We love you little Caroline, and your parents aren't so bad either! :) Seriously though, we love you guys! Thanks so much for sharing your sweet girl with us!

Flower Skirt?

2008-11-08T18:55:00.000-08:00

We had some friends over for dinner the other night, and they brought us this beautiful fall bouquet of flowers. Since I was busy finishing dinner, Adam sweetly offered to put the flowers in a vase. This was the result...

"Look honey, its like a Christmas tree skirt, but its on flowers instead!" No longer will I view the paper wrap around flowers as just paper...my life will never be the same.

Husbands say the darndest things.

Ahhh Adam, you are such a dork and I love you like crazy.

Can You Tell What This Is?

2008-10-16T20:05:00.000-07:00

Lyric always follows me around, and if she leaves my side (which is rare) it's almost always to do something naughty. Anyway, a while ago I was packing and getting ready to leave town for my brother's wedding. After a while I realize Lyric is missing, and upon finding her I see that she has managed to fit an entire hanger around her body. Instead of running (her typical response when she has stolen something), she just sits and stares at me, stuck and guilt ridden, as if she knew there was no way out of this without momma's help! Ah, I love my pup.

She hasn't touched a hanger since.

The Latest Randomness

2008-10-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is already October 14th! Where does the time go? Why do I say that every month? I don't have much to say, but here's the latest...

I went to a conference in Charleston, South Carolina last week. I had a blast meeting other worship leaders and Kids Choir Directors...I even met the woman who wrote the 2nd musical I was in when I was 8 years old! That was an amazing moment. The trip was 6 days long, and if you know me, then you know that by day 3 I was dying to be home again. I LOVE traveling with Adam, but I HATE being away from him for longer than a day! It is pitiful and kind of embarassing...but I just thank God that I desire to be with him that much. I just can't get enough of him.

Miracle of miracles, it actually feels like fall here! We had our first cold front after Ike, which was a huge blessing since we had no power that week. God's timing is perfect!

My latest challenge is working on my guitar skills. I have been leading worship for my kiddos on Wednesday nights and it has really stretched me. Adam has been incredible, teaching me new chords every week and helping me figure out good guitar strums (my rhythms tend to be a bit "campy" and cheesy--my punky husband is helping me phase that out!) I freak out every night before I play, but then the music starts and my nerves calm down. The callouses on my fingers help too...before I had those, my fingers were in so much pain!

I have decided that I am head over heels for my puppy and 100% willing to admit it. I went through a season of wondering "Is this normal? Am I over the top?" Really, I just don't care anymore...I have become a dog owner who is obsessed with snuggles and playtime...she is my therapy!

This Thanksgiving I get to see my sis-in-law Lindsay's new home and play with my nephews for almost a week! I think about it at least once a day...we love Nashville and are always rejuvinated from our time with Neal and Lindsay. Can't wait!

I started my sugar-free diet again yesterday. After 7 antibiotics this summer, it was time for my body to get a good cleansing. I have actually grown to enjoy eating this way...after doing it in February and March, I rarely cheated b/c I grew so accustomed to it. Anyways, here's to veggies, fruit and lean protein! Good-bye sweets, potatoes, bread, sauces and anything else with sugar, hello to healthy fats and veggies with every meal!

I am in BSF again this year and loving our study of Moses. The words of God to Moses are incredible...I am humbled as I realize over and over that the God who parted the sea and sent forth water from the rock is the same God who listens to my prayers every day and walks with me. He is so good. I have missed the Old Testament and am savoring this in-depth study of it.

That's all for now...

That Little Thing Called Ike

2008-09-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have blogged, e-mailed or chatted on the phone. A little storm called Ike took them away for the last two weeks...and I have to say, I am grateful.

Thankfully we have power, although 20% of Houstonians still do not, two weeks after the storm. We lost power 3 times, but this time we think it is here t

o stay. But again I say, I am grateful.

This is the tree in front of my parent's house. Trees were like this everywhere, just split in the middle. Others were completely uprooted.

The first two days, I was pretty frustrated. We drove around our area, dumbfounded by the devastation. Fence after fence blown down, trees on homes, power lines laying on the streets...our community hasn't seen such widespread destruction in literally a hundred years. Gas was out, food was gone in the grocery stores, and slowly spoiling in our fridges...

Sure, we may have lost the food in our fridge and a part of our fence, and maybe we had the pleasure of sweating in our home a bit more than I would have liked, but we have a home.

We and our families are safe. Thank you, Lord.

The past two weeks we have built amazing relationships with our neighbors. We also had the joy of housing Adam's mom and my dad (my mom was smart enough to stay in San Antonio!) We ate by candlelight, rejoiced over our gas stove, and relished in little things like having enough ice to keep our cooler cold (when there was no ice to be found elsewhere!) The second time our power went out, a neighbor 4 houses down offered to power up the entire street's fridges. What a blessing! It was quite a sight to see....our little coldesac was laced with extension cords trailing out of every home.

I thanked God for my husband as he boarded our house up and helped me prepare everything, and as he held me while we listened to the sounds of the hurricane (a sound I will happily go without hearing again for the rest of my life!) And I even had the pleasure of hearing a tornado, too. Wow Ike, thanks for introducing me! (said with THICK sarcasm).

Adam boarded up the back of our house; this large window is in our living room, and since every room in our house has a window, we decided to board this up and camp out in the living room during the storm. When the storm hit us full on, around 3 a.m., we went to the living room and waited it out. It chilled out around 6.

Our phones (including cells) were out for days and still have issues...we were contacted only through text. We had two Sundays of church without electricity, and they will remain 2 of my favorite services ever. We have an amazing church, expressive in worship, but this past Sunday, 2,500 believers in our congregation gathered, fans in hand, to worship God in the midst of great loss. They were shouting praises. I have never heard our church sing so loudly. Our pastor brought one of the best sermons I have ever heard him preach. Instead of focusing on ourselves and our situation, he focused on seizing the moment to reach others, serve them and most of all, share Jesus. Praise God.

So that is just what we did. Without power at the church we couldn't do our desk jobs, so for the last 2 weeks we have cleared trees on roofs, fed the hungry in low-income apartments that had lost all their food, and beautified community parks that looked like, well, a hurricane had hit. I have never enjoyed so much being on this staff. What a blessing to serve together, loving our congregation and going beyond the church walls.

One of the days we served together; this day we were taking buckets of water from our house to an area that still had no water a week and a half after the storm.

So, I thank God for that little thing called Ike. I praise Him for being with us, literally, in the midst of the storm. And I continue to lift up those who have lost every material possession, and pray that they would come to know the Truth that they can never lose...Jesus.

You Are Never Ready

2008-09-01T21:44:00.001-07:00

Are we ever ready to lose someone we love? I have pondered this question for the last few months, as I watched our precious friend and mentor, Dick Hill, walk his sweet wife Dot home.

And my answer is no.

We are never "ready" to say goodbye. No matter how long we have to "prepare," the loss of someone we love is truly impossible to imagine until it happens.

And it stinks.

For 8 years Dot struggled with an illness, yet never complained. Her faith and trust in the Lord remained strong. She stood by her husband in the ministry despite constant setbacks in her health. Her eyes were always on the Lord, never on herself or her situation. I never heard her ask "why me?" I only saw her and Dick seek ways to glorify God through their trial.

Their love was incredible. Awe-inspiring. He died to self to be with her, hold her, take care of her. She cared for him by encouraging him, never complaining about his busy hours at the church, always reaching out to congregation members.

I will forever cherish my conversations with Dot. She gave me wonderful advice on how to be a minister's wife, how to balance personal life with the church, how to prioritize my marriage over all else, second only to God, how to trust the Lord in ALL circumstances and worship Him at all times...

Despite the suffering and loss, it is times like these when we see Jesus more clearly. When we realize His promises are real, and because of Him, Dot is more alive than ever, worshiping her Savior. We cling to that truth.

Please pray for the Hill family. Pray for Dick (husband), Ashley and Alison (daughters) and their families, for peace and strength during this time.

THE LATEST...nose vacuuming, laryngitis and other fun stuff

2008-08-18T08:15:00.000-07:00

Today is my 7 week anniversary for illness. Yeah! Yippee! Happy Anniversary to me...

After 5 antibiotics I am still fighting this infection. There have been many blessings in this journey, one of the main ones being my ENT (translation: the sick singer's best friend!) Dr. Chenault has been incredible. He is one of those doctors that wants you to be well as much as you want to be well. My checkup was Friday, and after looking in my nose he paused and stared at the floor, looking visibly disappointed, and said I was still sick with a nasty infection on my right side. Precious! I just wanted to hug him for taking this so seriously. Anyway, he extended my antibiotic (Leviquin, ugh, my tummy's enemy!) and said I am to return in 2 weeks. If I am still sick, he will do a culture, CAT scan and possibly a "procedure" afterwards (during which I will be asleep!).

Did I mention he vacuumed my nose? Not something I desire to experience ever again.
We are praying for complete healing in the next week, so as to avoid any "procedure," scan or anything else.

To add to the situation, this morning I woke up with no voice. And I mean NO voice. It turns out that having no voice as a singer can be a bit frustrating. (haha!) My kick-off for adult choir is tonight, and children's choir is next week...our new contemporary service (in which I am singing, Adam is leading) starts this Sunday. Not a good time to have no voice!

Would you please pray for complete healing? For my voice to return and my nose to clear?

I am well-aware that in the world of sickness this is no biggie...I have thanked God many times that my ailment is not serious. But it is lagging, and I am ready to return to normal life. :)
Thanks!

Happy Birthday, Lyric!

2008-08-09T15:18:00.000-07:00

Today is our little baby's 6 month birthday. I can't believe we have had her for 4 months! Lyric Melody has been so much fun. We have become one of those couples that we used to make fun of; you know, the couples with no kids that treat their puppy like a child. She is our pride and joy! And we are unashamed. :) I always got a kick of out of seeing Ginger--the dog I grew up with--open gifts, so we decided to wrap a few new toys for Lyric and let her go to town. Note: This was also our first mattress weekend since Lyric joined our little family, so that is why there is a mattress in our living room. She has adjusted well to the large bed and loves mattress weekends as much as we do!

Opening her first gift...

A new toy to fetch and squeak!

And a new frisbee! Her first one, sniff sniff. :) Lyric loves to put her toys together and play with more than one at a time. It cracks us up.

She's a fan of the frisbee! Can't quite catch it in the air yet, but we will get there eventually!

Our gift to ourselves was this new storage bin for Lyric's food. Airtight=no smell in the pantry! And the best part? (see next pic)

The food scooper stores inside the lid! Adam was so wowed by this we decided to we had to have it. We both love new storage things...

After playing with her new frisbee outside it was time for her

birthday bath and a nice nap in daddy's arms...

We love you, Lyric! Thanks for bringing so much joy and life into our home. You are precious!

Today Is the Day

2008-08-04T10:23:00.000-07:00

(Clint played matchmaker with Adam and I 7 years ago...

the three of us were in a band together.

This pic was taken during our visit with him 2 weeks ago.)

that our precious friend Clint will ship off to Iraq for the next 7 months. I just confirmed that he is indeed leaving today, and wanted to ask my blog friends and family to pray for him

Will you pray for 2nd Lieutenant Clint Eubanks? Would you also lift up his parents, B.J. and Phil, and his brother, Travis?

Clint is in the Marines and will be patrolling the streets--pretty much the most dangerous job over there right now. Please pray for his protection, for peace and joy, and also that he would continue to impact his 40 marines for Christ. Clint's desire is that these young men (many 19 or 20 years old) would see that his life is different and would want to know the God--the one true God--that Clint knows. That's Clint for ya.

Please pray.

Lyric kissing Uncle Clint

Yeah for Jeff and Sara!

2008-07-28T21:21:00.001-07:00

This Thursday morning our family will grow from five to six! My big brother Jeff is getting married to a wonderful girl he met while studying at Berkeley in California. I am so thrilled for both of them; Sara is just amazing, and we had a great time getting to know her during our trip to California in May. Jeff proposed one week after we got home from our trip, and just 8 weeks later they are getting married! Sara, we are so excited to have you join our crazy but loving family, and Jeff, you sure know how to pick 'em. :) Can't wait to see you both tomorrow!

On the health front, I am still sick, but I got my third antibiotic today, hoping it is my last! My chest infection has turned into a sinus infection. I am loathing the plane ride tomorrow...clogged ears don't feel too great during the landing. My sudafed, gum and cough drops are ready! Thanks for the prayers, they mean so much. I hope to blog after the wedding as a well, drug-less woman. :) I have so many posts from the last few weeks to catch up on once we are back!

Vocal Rest...

2008-07-11T10:01:00.000-07:00

...is stinkin' hard! It is times like these when I realize how much I want to talk and fill up silence with my talking, even with just Adam and I alone at home! I talk to Lyric, I talk to him about Lyric, I talk about work, how I feel, what I want to do, what I wish I could do but can't since I'm sick...I have way too much to say. Interesting that I am realizing this because I am left with these thoughts and can't say them...is God trying to teach me something here? :) (honey, don't answer that)

Why vocal rest? I am supposed to sing this Sunday in church, and next Wednesday Adam and I leave for pre-teen camp to lead worship for 4 days. This is one of my favorite things we do all summer--lead worship together. I love it! I love the connections we make with the kids, the band that we get to play with, the practices and services; all we do is sing or get ready to sing, and I get to do it all with my favorite person in the world. There is something amazing about leading worship next to my husband...we fell in love singing in a band together, so it always brings back those memories, but it is truly amazing worshipping our God together.

Well, that ain't gonna happen with this coughing. I still can't talk without coughing. I actually feel better otherwise, except at night when I get a nasty headache, I'm assuming from all the coughing I have done all day. So, Adam ordered me to stop talking completely to see if that helps with both the coughing and my voice in general. I figure after nursing me back to health for the last 2 weeks he has earned the right to tell me what to do...you know, besides that whole submission thing. :) Anyways, vocal rest...not a bad idea, although now that I am left to my thoughts that I can't say and hearing how much I talk in my head, I can't help but wonder if his "order" is little bit selfish. Ha! He is, however, having to put up with my miming and I'm sure, eventual note writing.

So if you have called me this week (and thank you to my precious friends who have called or commented to check on me! You have encouraged me so much!) unfortunately you won't be hearing back from me for a few days. But maybe, for you, that is a good thing. :)

Side note: For any concerned family members, I did go to the doc and am on some strong meds, so those should eventually help too! My cough syrup helps me sleep like a baby. Love it!

Sick of Being Sick

2008-07-09T13:00:00.000-07:00

Ugh. The last week has been so annoying...it all started with a nasty stomach virus last Tuesday. I got sick in the car on the way home from the groomer (poor Adam, he was driving and had to witness the whole event!) at 7:00 a.m. Tuesday morning. Two fenegran later I am still throwing up, so we were off to the doc to get a shot that afternoon. Thank the Lord for that shot! The "sickness" subsided and I was on my way to recovery.

Fast forward a few days...I am feeling better, eating normal foods, almost feel like going to the gym...and wake up Sunday with a cough. Huh. Must be allergies, I think. But the cough doesn't go away. It grows from a dry, light cough to a gutteral, shake my chest every time I cough-cough. So I guess I am back to the doc again, this time, the allergist will be my doc of choice.

Sorry for the complaining, but I am sick of being sick! It's hard to get on the ball with a new job when I am not in the office! Not much else to report in our household this week, other than Lyric's interesting results from the groomer. I'll have to post on that later. :)

Happy Anniversary!

2008-06-25T18:18:00.000-07:00

Our Anniversary dinner on Sunday

6 years, honey. The best 6 years of my life. I look at you and am reminded of God's goodness...you are so precious to me. And you're stinkin' hot, too! Thanks for taking me to dinner Sunday on our anniversary, and for always knowing how to comfort my heart. That's just like you--to take me out after a long work day even though you are exhausted.

The last two years have not been exactly what we pictured or even prayed for, but still, they have been perfectly ordained by our sovereign God...the God we serve, we love, we worship...you live your life in complete surrender to Him, and I am challenged to do the same, even when we suffer from things that are out of our control. I am so thankful we can go through the rough times together, on the same team. You make the trials--this trial--bearable, even beautiful, and the victories all the more wonderful. To live is Christ, to die is gain. I love you, and I can't wait to see what God is going to do in our life together!

Happy Father's Day...I'll Always Be Your Baby :)

2008-06-15T18:13:00.001-07:00

Today I did something I have never done before and will probably never have the chance to do again; I sang a song to my dad on Father's Day in church. During the song (I'll Always Be Your Baby, by Natalie Grant) a slideshow played with pictures of us together for the last 27 years, including baby pics and wedding pics. I was so excited to sing this song for my dad; I had never heard it before, and it really expressed so much of what he means to me. He did so great on stage...if you know my dad, then you know he is NOT one who loves to be "center stage." But he went up there this morning--completely calm--in front of a few thousand people! It was so special to thank him and all of the dads in our church for being a godly influence in our lives.

Dad, I will forever cherish this morning... as I held your hand during the song, I was reminded of God's goodness and grace in giving me such a sweet daddy. I am humbled to be your daughter, and I love you.

Whew! After the service, knowing we had made it through the song without me completely breaking down into a blubbering mess! Thank you, Lord!

My beautiful Mom, she's pretty cool too!

After church we went to our house for lunch and pie. It has become a tradition that every year for Father's Day I make my dad his favorite, Lemon Meringue. Last year I was so excited that the filling wasn't runny; this year I am pumped about the meringue! I have never made a meringue this high before--I used a "stabilizer" recipe for meringue from my Joy of Cooking cookbook (the best cookbook ever, in my opinion) and it worked! Woo-hoo! (Yeah, That's right, about 2 1/2 inches tall in the middle)
Words to the song from this morning:

(Tip: if you are not yet married, this would be a great song for a daddy/daughter dance!)

Always Be Your Baby

You were my first love, always there for me

you taught me how to walk and how to dream

God gave me your eyes, but it was you who showed me how to see

Now I can stand on my own, but I know you'll never let go

Chorus

I'll always be your baby

no matter how the years fly by

the way you loved me made me who I am in this world

I'm a woman now, not a little girl

Wherever this life takes me

I'll always be your baby

You are my hero, and that will never change

you still can dry my tears with just your smile

The one I've leaned on, from my first steps to walking down the aisle

Now there's another man in my life

but I know by the look in your eyes...(chorus)

Your faith, your love, and all that you believe

have come to be the strongest part of me,

and I will always be....(chorus)

--Natalie Grant

San Francisco/Monterey

2008-06-11T20:13:00.001-07:00

We were blessed to have more time with my brother as we toured San Francisco. We walked around Pier 39, grabbed some great clam chowder, stared at Alcatraz and laughed at the seals (which were a bit stinky).

After lunch we made our way to the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory and indulged in a giant sundae...Adam wanted caramel, and I wanted a banana split, so we settled on hot fudge. :)

My sweet-aholic...less than 5 minutes after our gigantic sundae, my sweetie had to have a cupcake from Kara's Cupcakes, a bakery specializing in cupcakes made from organic ingredients. Can we say kid in a candy store?

We spent a little bit of time walking around the stores downtown...I had to get a pic of the three-story Williams Sonoma! Amanda, my dear cook-of-a-friend, this one is for you! How I wished you were there to look around with me...I only stayed a minute or two because the boys weren't nearly as interested. I could hear beautiful voices singing as I walked into this wonderland! Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah! (Hallelujah chorus, Handel's Messiah, written 1741, am I making you music history buff's proud?!?!)

Our last day we drove around Monterey. We started with a trip to the aquarium, which was incredible. My brother used to read about this aquarium as a child, and now he has a student pass that allows him to visit whenever he wants. We had a blast looking at the huge fish.

Then it was off to drive on Highway 1 and see the beach! Did I mention Adam was sick? The last day of our trip he woke up with a sore throat...by that night he had a fever and chills. Poor baby. He was such a trooper, standing on the cold beach with me! You are the best!

Last week we had a wonderful visit with our nephews and Adam's side of the family--I will post about that soon. Right now we are in Chicago for a music conference at Willowcreek. We are having a good time, but I am ready to get back to my little four-legged snuggle-muffin! I miss her so and am ready to not leave her again for a long time!

The Valley

2008-06-08T17:23:00.000-07:00

After spending a few days with my brother, we drove into Napa/Sonoma for a romantic retreat. I was amazed at the beauty of the hills and vineyards! It seemed every acre was covered with either flowers or vines.

We spent our first afternoon touring and ate lunch outside at Etoile restaurant. The food was incredible and we loved sitting outside in the cool, DRY weather.

The next day we drove to St. Helena, where we saw this statue on one of the estates. Adam said this guy was clearly wearing fruit-of-the-loom...I had to take a picture. :)

We drove around in this green Bug all week long. It was so much fun! I kept trying to figure out why the light green exterior and black interior seemed so familiar, and then I realized they are the colors of my guest bathroom. Ha! We called the car Granny, Smitty, or Granny Smith, depending on the mood of the moment...Adam and Smitty got along quite well. :)

While in St. Helena we dined at the restaurant connected to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). The food was delicious, and it was fun watching the chefs cook as we ate.

I had a plate of "small bites," and the cauliflower soup in this little cup was one of the best things I have ever tasted. When something is really good, and I mean REALLY good, I tend to stop and praise the Lord for it. This was definitely one of those times

where some praise was necessary...

Our final day we stayed at a bed and breakfast in Healdsburg. The breakfast was made with herbs and fruits from their own garden! I was really excited about the popovers they served--my grandma from Canada has made popovers before and I had to take this pic for her.

We also drove to Muir Woods and hiked around a bit...the trees were HUGE! I was taken aback by the beauty of the trees and loved the way they grow in "families," with different trunks using the same root system.

This is a tree stump that fell in the woods years ago...it dates back to 900 A.D!

I have one more post about our trip to San Francisco. As far as the fitness challenge goes, we made it! With all the walking in Berkeley, San Francisco and Muir Woods, we finished the challenge with 55 miles. Woo-hoo!

Loving California!

2008-05-25T21:33:00.001-07:00

Yesterday afternoon we left for California! It has been a long time since we have had a vacation, and we decided to combine a visit to see my brother (who is finishing his PhD. at Berkeley) with a little vacay of our own. We have tried to visit my brother since he moved to Berkeley 2 years ago, so it was thrilling to earn 2 free tickets and finally find the time to travel. My mom and dad kindly dropped us off at the airport and are taking care of our four-legged little one while we are gone.

We hit the ground running (well, rolling on the plane :) and started sight-seeing immediately. It was 5:30 California time, 7:30 our normal time. The first thing we did was drove down the crooked street in San Francisco. I loved looking at all the pretty houses-SO different from ours in Texas!-and also enjoyed the huge incline we drove on to get to the top of the road. I am still amazed at the drivers who have to park their cars on this ramp of a street!

The crooked Lombard street, view going down

Then we headed to dinner. Jeff has a favorite restaurant that overlooks the ocean. On the way to eat, we got a glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset...

Dinner at the Cliff House by the ocean...

This morning we had brunch at a delicious little restaurant, Sunny Side Cafe. I had the most amazing french toast with peanut butter cream cheese and grilled bananas on top, yum! I would eat here every weekend if I could! Delish!

This afternoon we walked around campus and visited the Sather Tower. The view from the top was amazing, and we even got to hear part of a bell concert as we toured.

View from the tower

Huge bells in the tower

We also got to tour Jeff's research lab and see some incredible microscopes. This one is worth somewhere between 3-4 million dollars! That just blows my mind! I can hardly believe he gets to work with such amazing equipment--it is right up his alley. Jeff will finish his PhD this year and then return to Rice/Baylor in Houston to finish his M.D. He has worked so hard; I am so proud of him. It has been such a treat to spend time with him and his precious girlfriend Sara. We are so excited to see them again at the end of this week!

No doubt one of my favorite things all day was our visit to the Rose Garden. I have never seen so many roses so beautifully displayed. It was incredible! We walked around and stopped to smell as many roses as we could...the fragrance was lovely.

Berkeley Rose Garden

A few of the beauties

Jeff and Sara

Clowning around

Tomorrow we leave for the valley to spend a few days in Napa and Sonoma. I can't wait to see that part of the country! Wednesday we are going to Muir Woods to see the ginormous trees and hike a bit.

Did I mention the weather here is incredible? We left 90 degree temperatures and arrived to 60. The day warms up a bit, and the nights are chilly. We love cold weather and are savoring every bit.

As for the fitness challenge, we walked 5 miles today around Berkeley, so I think we are going to make it. 44 miles down, 6 to go!

Fitness Challenge

2008-05-18T19:19:00.001-07:00

Adam and I embarked on a Fitness Challenge with our church on May 1st. The challenge? To run or walk 50 miles in May. May not sound difficult, but when you both work 14-hour days 3 days a week, that makes it a bit challenging...hence the name. We don't know where the fitness part comes in. Our clothes already fit now; if we get all healthy, our clothes will stop fitting--go figure. Anyways, we are almost halfway there, with 24 miles under our belt and 26 more to go. The bummer is we leave for California in a week, which means we either double up miles this week (eeek!) or commit to working out while on vacation. Hmmmm.....any suggestions?

Katie, please note my lack of parenthesis in this post, in honor of you. :)

Honey, I couldn't help but post one of your favorite characters above. Considering how much I loathe the Simpsons, I hope you appreciate it. You are much cuter than Homer when you run...love you. :)

Joy

2008-05-06T18:54:00.000-07:00

is what this puppy has brought into our lives the last two weeks. There have been some scary moments as well, but joy threaded through it all. Lyric is finally in the clear as far as her health goes--we were unsure for a while if she would recover from her bronchitis. 4 vet visits (yeah, 4 visits in a week and a half) and two antibiotics later she is cough-free! Thank you, Lord! We can erase pneumonia as a possibility and no longer listen to her pitiful, painful cough. Poor baby.

We have waited 6 years for this puppy, and she was totally worth the wait. She is everything we wanted...smart, snuggly, sweet, friendly, playful...just a treasure to have in our home. I have always been a dog-lover but had no idea how much I would love having one all to myself! Ahhh, the bliss. Some of my favorite things...

She follows us around everywhere we go, and loves to lay on our feet when we are working in the kitchen. My heart melts every time she does it.
Her favorite toy is a little lamb we call Lambie, who she always carries around with her and loves to squeak. Bunny is a close second. Thanks to her puppy grandmas, she has many toys to carry around and squeak.
She is brilliant. Seriously. She has already learned to sit, lay down, kiss, give a high five, go to her bed, get on the towel (especially nice for rainy days) and is learning to roll over. Oh, and she is potty trained too. YES! I am convinced that by the time she is 12 weeks she will know the entire alphabet and be able to cook as well.
Her favorite treat (recommended by the breeder) is Honey Nut Cheerios. Mommy and Daddy are very grateful for her cheap (and necessarily so) taste. Way to go, Lyric! You are a ministry pup through and through!
She has the cutest little puppy face we have ever seen, and she knows how to work those precious green puppy eyes when she has done something wrong.
She is a snuggler. She especially loves to snuggle after bath time, or before we put her in her kennel for the night. We have a routine...let her out, snuggle, put her to bed. If you know Adam and I well, you know we are snugglers...she fits right in, and we love it.One of her favorite things is to be rocked in our arms like a baby while we rub her little belly.
She has a special love for her daddy's socks, and frequently sneaks them when I am in the laundry room. Yes, it is naughty, but still pretty stinkin' cute. This is only a real problem when she chomps into the socks while daddy is still wearing them.
Every morning I let her out and feed her before Adam gets up (he takes the middle of the night shift, so I am happy to wake up before him!!). After she eats she goes and sits outside our bedroom door waiting for him to come out. It is so precious.
She has the softest fur, and it fluffs up after her bath making her look like a little puff ball. He hair sticks up on her head, and we enjoy laughing at her and her little mohawk. If you saw our Christmas card 2 years ago, then you know like daddy like daughter.
We (ok, me) already have nicknames for her. Liri, Lili, Lyrical...my favorite is when she is in trouble and I use her entire name in a serious voice, "Lyric Melody Watson!!" Yes, her middle name is Melody. Come on, we couldn't resist!
She looks like a little wet rat when we bath her. It is hilarious how she puffs right up afterwards.

Snuggle time after her bath

The post-bath mini mohawk :)

Our Song Has a New Lyric

2008-04-22T18:53:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone, guest blogger Adam here. I wanted to write and explain all the incredibly cute pictures you are about to see. After about 5 years of holding off the urge to get a puppy, we caved. I have bad allergies to most things you can imagine, so I haven't wanted to "contaminate" the house with stuff that would make me miserable. But Laura just really wanted something to cuddle and even I think puppies are just too darn cute. We went to check out the cockapoo breeder and we quickly deemed the little suffering worth it. We had a couple of choices of puppies, but it quickly became obvious which one was right for us. The three puppies were playing with each other a lot, but one kept leaving the pack and coming over to cuddle with us. She kept laying next to me and snuggling up to me. She knew how to work it. I even stuck my nose in her fur and didn't sneeze (breakthrough!). So we chose her and she chose us. Money changed hands and we drove home with a new little furry bundle. After just a few days, we are totally taken with her, and I don't even mind the 3 am potty trip 'cause she's so cute when she's half awake. We think she's brilliant of course since she is already potty training and responding to "No" and her name. We named her Lyric, in honor of her musician parents.

P.S.

We found out today that she has tracheo bronchitis (kennel cough), which can be dangerous for puppies, but we caught it early. So please pray for her to recover. It's ironic that she has bronchitis since Laura and I get that at least once a year as a rule. We're not as cute when we cough up snot, though.

Choosing our pup

She's the one! Snuggling with Adam after wooing him.

Lots and lots of kisses :)

Time to go home for the first time!

Whew, what a day!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Sister!

2008-04-20T12:21:00.001-07:00

Today is my sister-in-law Lindsay's birthday. I am so blessed to have her for my sister...and humbled that God would bring me not just an amazing husband, but through him and his great brother Neal, the sister I have always wanted! In honor of Lindsay and how much she means to me, I just had to list a few (and I mean, this is just the beginning of the list) reasons I love her so much...

Lindsay is an amazing mother. She has the perfect combo of constant love and Biblical discipline of her boys. She doesn't do what I think of as "over-mothering;" she is always there for them and tends to their every need, but at the same time remains so laid back and calm. I want to model her when I have my own one day!

She is an incredible decorator, with an eye for color and coordination that I learn so much from! I always take mental notes when I am at her beautiful, warm home. Everyone feels comfortable and welcome at Lindsay's house, because she knows how to create an inviting place and has such a gift of hospitality. I love it.

She is a faithful, loving wife. Lindsay is so supportive of Neal and joyfully keeps things at the house going--thriving--while he works. With three kids, life can get crazy, but I have never heard a complaint, always joy and thankfulness for the kids God has given her. I think of Proverbs 31:11, "Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value..."

Lindsay is also a true friend. She listens, shares from her wisdom and wealth of experience, holds things in confidence, laughs when your laughing, cries when you are suffering, carries others burdens, faithfully prays...I know she is a blessing to all who know her.

Loves to plan! I love that Lindsay thinks ahead and organizes everything. Again, you should see her house--so organized. When I needed to cull out things in January, I called her for advice. It helped so much! The Container Store should consult her for advice!

Is an amazing artist, especially in photography. Whenever we have a long visit, we love to go have a photo shoot with her. Pictures she took of Adam and I hang all over our house, and we used some for our Christmas card this year. Many people wanted to know where we had them done, and I told them Watson Photography did all the work. I picture her one day--in the right season, probably when the kids are a little older--setting up an incredible photography business. She really has a gift.

And last but MOST important, Lindsay loves Jesus with her whole heart, mind and soul, and it shows in every aspect of her life. She has suffered and stayed faithful, trusting...she has seen the Lord carry her through a tough tough year, and continued to give Him praise despite great confusion and pain. Is that not the essence of the Christian life? We will suffer, but we have hope because of Christ...to live is HIM...Lindsay is an example of that, and I thank God for her obedience and love for Jesus.

Lindsay, I love you and hope you have an amazing day! You are a gift from God to all of us.

Loving on Gabe

Pregnant with little Luke in December

(trusting the Lord day by day to heal him, and He did, praise God!)

Memaw

2008-04-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

Please pray for our Memaw (Adam's grandmother, his dad's mom). She went into the hospital yesterday thinking she pulled a muscle, and now she is in ICU with blood clots around her heart. She is not responding well to blood thinners and is quite concerned (who wouldn't be?). We are so grateful for our praying friends--please pray for her health as well as for her sons, Mike and Wayne--that they would know how to be there for her and help her right now, and for peace as well.

Louisiana

2008-04-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

Adam and I had a wonderful trip in March visiting our family in Louisiana. We started our visit with a trip to see his Memaw, who was recovering from surgery in Monroe, LA. She was such a trooper--we were so impressed with her positive attitude as she continued to heal and prepared to move to a rehab facility. Then we headed over with Lynn (Adam's mom) to see his other grandmother in Winnfield. We were also able to catch up with our cousins Rachel and Jason, and their precious daughter, Kate, as well as Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Helene. I grew up in Louisiana, a different part, but still Louisiana, and I love going back. It stirs up so many memories in me, and I always manage to get my hands on some amazing fried catfish! We enjoyed walking around Grandmother's beautiful yard (her flowers are incredible!), playing with Kate on her swing set, eating Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Helene's amazing cooking and catching up with everyone. We stopped by Nacitoches on our way back home...it is a sweet small town that has wonderful shops and fun places to eat. There are always flowers in bloom and sometimes a live band playing on the street. I always feel like I am in a classic American town when I am there--or like I'm on the set of Gilmore Girls. Anyways, its claim to fame is that it is where the movie Steel Magnolias was filmed. And I really saw a salon named Curl Up and Dye on our way back to Houston. No joke. Ok, enough talking, on with the pics...:)

Kate playing chase with Adam
Wrapping up Aunt Lynn

Flowers from Grandmother's garden

Jump rope with Kate

My hottie hub :)

Like mother like daughter...Rachel and Kate

Eating in Nacitoches

The live Irish band by the river

Ice cream with grandmother

Patriot! (and Kelly and Josh, too! :)

2008-04-11T14:33:00.001-07:00

Our friends Kelly and Josh stopped by our house recently on their way back from a wedding in Louisana. We had a blast catching up with them and playing with their 10-month old son Patriot. He is such a cutie!

I love those big eyes!

Sweet mom Kelly, me and Pate

I think I look kind of evil in this picture, but Patriot's smile is so cute!!

Come back anytime, guys! We loved having you here. :)

Allergies? Cold?

2008-04-01T12:15:00.001-07:00

I have been sick since Sunday with either a nasty cold or allergies that are so bad they have caused a fever for a few days. Ugh. I even had trouble sleeping last night--for me, that is the last straw! Don't mess with me and my sleep. My throat is either itching or burning, my body and head hurts, my nose is a leaking faucet and I started coughing this morning. I can barely talk or sing without my voice cracking, so teaching has been a blast. As soon as I start to think it is a cold, I sneeze or itch my eyes and then revert back to allergies. Anyone else feeling this awful? I love this flowering season, but seriously!

Oh What a Night!

2008-03-30T18:00:00.001-07:00

Friday night Adam and I went out on the town to celebrate a few things, one of them being Valentine's Day. Since V-Day was our first date 7 years ago, we love to make a big deal out of it...but this past V-Day, we were in Dallas taking care of my Pampi and helping out while my mom was there. We did have some time to ourselves at Chipotle that night, but decided to still have a special celebration later on.

We went to one of our favorite restaurants, Mark's. It is inside an old church building sanctuary...picture beautiful stained glass and classic arched ceilings, simply gorgeous. The website shows it better than I could ever describe it! The chef, Mark, prides himself in an incredible seasonal menu, which being a foodie, I really appreciate. We dined on foods such as baby asparagus flown in from France to an appetizer of 5 different types of crab meat from around the country. Delish! We also went all out on dessert...some of you know that Adam and I have been on a sugar-free diet for the past two months. Well, we cheated Friday night and BOTH got dessert. If you know us, you know that we pretty much share everything when we are out so as to 1. save money and 2. not eat too much. Well, we ate way to much, but it was totally worth it. I also found a dress on sale from Anthropologie that I was so stinkin' excited to have for the dinner. It was a great deal, and I LOVE great deals!

Ah, I love special dates with my man! Happy Valentine's Day, honey!

Easter Traditions

2008-03-22T10:30:00.001-07:00

Adam and I started a new tradition when we bought our house 3 years ago. Every Spring, the week before Easter, we go to our local nursery and he lets me pick some flowers for our yard. This year I chose Vincas and miniature Zinnias (in the pic), both flowers that love the sun (perfect for a new yard without any shade) and don't require much water. Can we say low maintenance? We have learned that we are out of town way too much in the summer to have finicky plants. I planted Vincas two years ago and they did really well--proof that they don't require someone with a green thumb--and my mom and I always planted Zinnias during the summer when I was home from college. Anyway, since Adam is gone all day today to prepare for our church service tonight (we are having a Saturday night Easter service plus two Sunday services to allow for more people), we plan on planting them tomorrow.

I love this tradition for so many reasons...obviously, I love buying new flowers in the Spring and brightening up our yard when it is struggling to flourish, regaining strength from the past winter cold. But even more than that, I love planting these new, beautiful, budding plants around Easter because it reminds me of our new life, the life that would be impossible if Christ had not died for us.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come."

2 Corinthians 5:17

Someone told a story the other day that really stuck with me...when he was little, he went with his family to see a 3-hour film about the life of Christ. Towards the end, as Jesus was about to be crucified, he yelled out "No, don't do it! He didn't do anything to deserve this!" His brother grabbed him and said "Shhhhhh...don't you get it? He HAS to die. If He doesn't die, what will happen to all of us?"

How true and profound that such a young boy would grasp the reality of Christ's sacrifice, and the complete necessity of His suffering and death. I look at these new flowers, flowers that will grow and change over the next season, and I cannot help but think of my ever-changing life in Christ. Unlike the flowers I chose, I require much water and care...but the greatest Gardener in the world constantly tends to me. Even when I am wilting, about to give up, there He is, lifting my head and restoring my soul, as He always promises to do.

There are so many reasons I love my Savior...but one of my favorite things is that the story did not end with His crucifixion. We celebrate Easter because of His LIFE--because He is risen! My heart swells every time I read this passage...

"After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

Matthew 28:1:-7

Thank you, Jesus, for paying the ultimate price, and then overcoming death! Truly, you are the Savior sent for us all...the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I love you.

Happy Easter!

Wonderful Ending to a Hard Day...

2008-03-19T20:54:00.000-07:00

Today was a hard day...we just have lots on our minds right now, and both Adam and I are still trying to catch up on some much-needed rest after a really busy month. I was driving home tonight, exhausted, and as I listened to my voice messages I heard the precious voice of my sweet nephew, Gabe. He left me a message, and Sam (our oldest nephew) left Adam a message on his phone too. They wanted to invite us to go to the movies with them...how precious is that? Those messages were truly heaven-sent, given at just the right time to lift our spirits. How we love our precious nephews! Boys, we can't wait to go the movies with you! You are so special to us.

Mac Is Here!

2008-03-03T08:22:00.000-08:00

We are delighted to announce that our precious Mac has arrived.

Born: Wed, February 27, 2008

1:15 p.m.

5 lbs., 15"

Yes, after much saving and anticipation, my precious husband bought his long-awaited Macbook Pro this past week. Adam saved every bit he could of gift money from the last two years, and even sold some of his sound equipment to pay for the computer in full. I teared up as we left the Mac store, just out of thankfulness for his patience and willingness to save for it. Really, with our budget, he had no choice, but I am so thankful he did! Why a Mac? Well, besides the fact that they are incredible computers (yes, I have finally crossed over to the other side, it took me a while), Adam wanted it because it is ideal (and necessary) for quality recording of the music he writes. I am so excited to see and hear what he creates!

Daddy/Daughter Night

2008-02-21T16:06:00.000-08:00

With my mom still in Dallas tending to my grandparents and my husband away for a church conference, my dad and I have decided to have a daddy/daughter date night out. I am so excited! It is rare that I have good, quality alone time with my dad, and I savor every minute. Whenever we are out, we always make jokes that people are going to think he robbed the cradle and I am his young wife. Gross and funny at the same time. Sad though, that in today's society a girl can't hold on to her dad's arm without people staring. Oh well, I don't care! My dad and I are innocent snugglers, and proud of it! We are going to Babin's to have some delicious seafood and relax.

I'm looking forward to relaxing...last week in Dallas was good but exhausting and devastating. My Pampi is not doing much better, and it broke my heart to see him so ill, and my Granny alone. Ugh. The last two days my stomach has been sick and feeling funny, so I am ready to recover from that (and yes, for some reason seafood does sound good, I know that's wierd). I intended to leave for Dallas again yesterday, but my stomach woes prevented me from traveling. The bad thing is I will miss seeing my Pamps and helping my mom...the good thing is I get a date with my daddy!

Pamps

2008-02-11T17:57:00.000-08:00

I know, I know...I am a bad blogger. It has almost been a month. Life has been extremely busy, and I have not even been able to visit my favorite blogs, much less add to my own. I am now getting ready to leave town tomorrow to visit my sweet Pampi and Granny (mom's parents). Pampi has been in the hospital for a couple of weeks, so Adam and I are heading up there to visit and help out some. Unfortunately I am pretty sure I won't have access to a computer, but when I return, I have much to blog about...a lot has happened in the last month! Please pray for Pampi's recovery, a safe trip and a productive visit.

Spring Cleaning in January?

2008-01-19T08:31:00.001-08:00

We had our carpets cleaned yesterday and the house feels so fresh! Since we were getting the carpets done, we went ahead and vacuumed out our closets and high ledges all over the house, even wiping off some door frames. I'm so inspired I've decided to just do my spring cleaning a bit early this year...I've reorganized my bathroom cabinets, cleaned out my closet (complete with new boxes from the Container Store...I'm such a dork, I just love that kind of stuff!), taken donations to NAM, cleaned out the filing cabinet (Adam made that happen), reorganized my Christmas decorations, tidied up my method for storing wrapping paper...somebody stop me! I'm on a roll! Next on the list? Kitchen reorganization, for sure, as well as cleaning out the guest bedroom closets and culling out my recipes. Maybe since I am writing about it I won't lose steam and actually finish the spring cleaning early. I thought about taking pictures before and after, but I decided I just couldn't handle you seeing how bad my closet and bathroom cabinet had gotten! So here's to spring cleaning in January, a fresh start in the house, and less work for me when March rolls around!

God Is Good

2008-01-17T15:35:00.000-08:00

Sweet Luke is totally fine, praise God! I'm sure you can read details somewhat soon on Lindsay's blog, but I wanted to thank those of you who were praying for this sweet little boy. The doctor said everything looked great, and they don't even need to do yearly check-ups on his heart! Wow. God is good.

Luke

2008-01-17T10:11:00.001-08:00

Our sweet nephew arrived on Monday. Please see Lindsay's blog for some adorable pictures. Today they will have some more tests run and determine whether or not he needs surgery on his heart. So far everything looks great, so please continue to pray that he will be healthy and free from any problems!

She's In Labor...

2008-01-14T08:13:00.000-08:00

Please pray for my sister-in-law, Lindsay. She is currently in labor with our third nephew, Luke. I posted about Luke a while ago, but just as a refresher, he has had some heart issues in utero that may require surgery after he is born (you can see her blog to the right for more details). Please pray for healing for baby Luke and Lindsay, and peace for the entire family. I am so impressed with my brother-in-law, Neal (Adam's brother). He has been a phenomenal support to Lindsay and leader of their precious little family. I'm excited to see how God is going to work in this situation!

Dear Friends

2008-01-04T15:44:00.000-08:00

I feel like my last blog was a bit of a downer, so I must go ahead and mention some of the highlights of our holidays. One of the things I love most is the chance to see dear friends who come into town. Definitely a benefit of still living in the town you grew up in!

We were delighted to spend quality time with Sarah and Matt, and for more on the visit (plus pics, I know we all love those!) you can check out her blog. I met Sarah years ago, via teaching her in Bible study and rooming with her on a mission trip. We were fast friends, and she did me the honor of standing with me in our wedding. Matt, her husband, is a wonderful godly man also in the ministry, so he and Adam talk endlessly about what they are learning and how they are challenged. I love the way he adores my friend! What a joy it was to spend time with them.

We also caught up with Josh and Mary. Adam and Josh were in a band together in high school called Superfluous. I also knew Josh b/c we went to the same school. We love Mary, his wife, and had a wonderful time catching up with them. The guys love to dig deep, open up and keep each other accountable, just like they did in high school. Time with them is so refreshing.

This coming Sunday we will spend time with Clint, the awesome guy responsible for setting up Adam and I. We adore him. Clint is a brilliant guy who loves God passionately. His heart is to share Jesus with whomever he possibly can (and not in an overbearing, annoying way), both verbally and through his solid walk with the Lord. He is a chemical engineer and was working quite comfortably for Frito Lay in Plano, but decided that the Lord was taking him in a different direction. So, he joined the Marines and became a 2nd Lieutenant, in charge of 40 men! That's Clint for ya. He is stationed in Hawaii and will ship out to Iraq in the fall. Please add him to your prayer list. If I know Clint and the way God uses him, many men will be impacted by his faith, and hopefully, come to know Christ. I can't wait to catch up.

I always look forward to this time of year...chances to be with lifelong friends, a great gift from God!

Happy New Year...

2008-01-04T10:26:00.000-08:00

I can't believe the holidays are behind us. Maybe it is because we were sick for most of them. After we got back from our wonderful trip to Nashville, Adam and I got really sick with sinus infections, and I had an ear infection on top of that. As Adam so sweetly said, my whole head was infected. We were well enough to enjoy Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but before and after we found ourselves resting a lot and taking our 2-week long antibiotics. Tis the season! (that's for you, Amanda!) Anyways, now that we have more energy, stay tuned for actual posts on Christmas. Sorry I'm behind, but thanks for posting on yours...it has given me great stuff to read while in bed!

Wonderful Visit

2007-12-21T16:35:00.000-08:00

Last week we had the best time visiting Neal, Lindsay and our nephews in Nashville. Adam's mom, Lynn, was so sweet to buy our plane tickets so the three of us could go visit. It was awesome. It had been a really long time since all of us had been together for a , and I am so thankful we were able to make more memories. My nephews are the most loving, sweet, smart and funny kids I know. I am so proud to be their aunt! Some of my favorites highlights...

Hearing the boys ask for their Uncle Adam. It melted my heart every time I heard it!
Reading time with Sam or Gabe. I loved the questions, the pointing at pictures, the little head on my shoulder, so sweet!
Lots of time with my sis-in-law, Lindsay, who is one of my dearest friends. We have been going through the Bible study Believing God, and I have cherished doing that with her every week over the phone. Since I was in town, we were able to sneak away for a couple of hours and talk in person about our study over some good coffee...I am so grateful for her friendship! The Lord has taught me so many things through her.
Watching my husband build all sorts of things with the boys. He loved every minute.
Seeing the beautiful lights at the Opryland Hotel. They were incredible!
Sliding down the slides at Pump It Up with the boys. What a hoot.
Going to Lindsay's shower and celebrating precious Luke...praying for him and meeting all of her friends. That was so much fun.
Waking up to the sounds of laughter as the boys played in the morning. I don't think I could ever get tired of that!
Admiring Lynn as she played with the boys every minute of every day. Non-stop! I don't know how she did it...her love for them is precious.

We were so sad when we left...I actually teared up on the way to the airport. God has richly blessed us through our wonderful family, and I am thankful. Here are some pics...(and there are even more on Lindsay's blog)

My beautiful sister-in-law at Luke's shower

Reading with Sam

Jumping around at Pump It Up

Uncle Adam and Gabe

Uncle Adam building with Sam

Opening presents

Decorating the Tree

2007-12-13T13:22:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful time decorating the tree with Adam's mom this year. She gave us a beautiful 7 foot tree that we love! The three of us drank spiced tea, ate popcorn, listened to our favorite Christmas music and laughed together. Ahhh, I just love Christmas decor in the house!

Christmas Getting To Know You...

2007-12-13T12:43:00.000-08:00

Lindsay posted this questionnaire on her blog and I loved it.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? definitely wrapping paper

2. Real tree or Artificial? Because of allergies we go artificial, but I LOVE the smell of the real tree. Sometimes I will get a little evergreen plant to just get the smell.

3. When do you put up the tree? Different times every year. The Christmas production at church really dictates that one, because the Sunday after Thanksgiving we begin nightly rehearsals for two weeks. This year we actually got it up the first weekend in December, but last year it wasn't until mid-December.

4. When do you take the tree down the tree? Also varies...I wish we could keep it up until February, but it usually comes down the first week of the new year.

5. Do you like egg nog? Not a big fan. But I love flavored lattes from Starbucks this time of year...gingerbread, pumpkin spice, and cinnamon!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Definitely my guitar my sophomore year in highschool. Still playing it!

7. Do you have a nativity scene? No, I'm thinking it will be a good b-day gift idea for next year.

8. Hardest person to buy for? My brother-in-law and brother.

9. Easiest person to buy for? Amanda and my mom.

10.Mail or email Christmas cards? mail

11.Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Yikes, I guess stuff I can't use? I don't know, that's a hard one. (I stole Lindsay's answer on this one!)

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? A Christmas Carol, the old Rudolph (from the 50's?), Elf.

13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? no

14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Spiced tea, pecan sandies (also made by my mom).

15. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear

16. Favorite Christmas song? It Came Upon A Midnight Clear, O Come O Come Emmanuel, Oh Holy Night

17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Adam leads the music at our church Christmas Eve service, so we are always home for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We typically travel around those dates as we are able. Right now we are in Nashville visiting our nephews and Neal and Lindsay!

18. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeers? "You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen. Comet and Cupid and Doner and Blitzen...but do you recall, the most famous reindeer of all...Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer...

19. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We open one on Christmas Eve, usually pj's and then the rest on Christmas morning.

20. Most annoying thing about this time of year? The busy schedule

21. Favorite ornament theme or color? Any of my ornaments with memories.

22. Favorite food for Christmas dinner? My mama's sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top.

23. What do you want for Christmas this year? I want a sewing machine, new camera lens, fun moisturizer for my face, quality alone time with my sweetie...the list goes on...

24. Who is most likely to respond to this? Hmmm...I'm thinking Kim?

25. Who is least likely to respond to this? I never answer this one, like Carly/Lindsay said, I don't like to set up someone to be an under-achiever!

Now it's your turn!

Mattress Weekends...

2007-11-11T16:34:00.000-08:00

...are a favorite tradition at our house. We started them a few years ago as a way to "escape" from the busy schedule we keep and still stay in the budget. Adam and I realized that while we couldn't financially afford to get away to a hotel every few months, we could camp out in our living room and ignore the phones for a few days. We tried it one weekend and were hooked! We came up with the name "mattress weekends," and now our families and even close friends know that means we are "out of town," so to speak. It is awesome! Adam pulls the guest bedroom mattress out into our living room and we camp out. We do everything on the mattress--eat meals, play games, watch too much t.v., rent movies, stay up way too late, sleep in and eat our favorite snack/junk foods (may I suggest Grands Cinnabon cinnamon rolls with buttercream icing?!? They are incredible and have become staple on a Saturday morning during a mattress weekend!) It is amazing how just waking up in a different room makes it feel special. Kind of like making tents in the living room when you were a kid and then your parents letting you sleep in them overnight...did anyone else do that?

A couple of weeks ago I was having a particularly difficult day and had wept to Adam about it. I got home from a late-night rehearsal to find the mattress in the living room on a Tuesday! We had a Mattress Week, and it was so much fun. Adam knew just what I needed to get my mind off of things. We have been asked what we will do when we have kids--will mattress weekends end? Heck no! When our kids are old enough, they'll just join in on the fun!

Well enough talk, I have one more night to enjoy the mattress before we put it up for voice lessons tomorrow. I'm off to make some hot chocolate and find something good to watch!

So Thankful...

2007-11-02T22:23:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here next to my precious, exhausted (and sleeping) husband thanking God for random blessings this week. I had 3 large glasses of mango tea at dinner tonight and can't sleep. Some things I am thankful for...

Free time with my sweetie to sleep in, stay in our pj's and snuggle all day. Love it.
New friends (shout out to Kim and Eric) that we feel like we have known forever. What a blessing to laugh, cry, and challenge each other in our walk with the Lord.
My trip last week with Amanda in New York City--more on that later with pics. :)
Living near family and doing everyday things together. I know that I should cherish this time, because since we are in the ministry we must remain open to a nomadic lifestyle. I knew I would enjoy being close to them, but had no idea how much I would love it. I savor the little things like my mom inviting me over for lunch, or our families watching and worshiping as my husband leads the music at our church.
Mattress weekends (um, again, more on that later).
Chocolate. I'm finding that the older I get, the more I crave it...
The smell of fall. Even in Houston, we have it. Kind of spicy mixed with a humid, musky smell from the wet leaves on the ground. In an odd sort of way it is comforting.
Long baths with a good magazine.
Deep, long talks with my husband after a hard day at work. I love to hear his heart, to be his confidant, his safe place. I am so thankful for his work ethic and desire to serve the Lord...his relationship with Jesus pours into everything, at work and at home. I am honored to be his wife.
E-mail and blogs that keep me in touch with friends far away. Too cool!
Samples at HEB and Costco. I get so tired when I shop, and those samples just perk me right up, not mention inspire new meal ideas!!
An amazing BSF study at mu church and also a Beth Moore study I am doing with my sis-in-law. God is teaching me so much about His character, and I am loving Him more each day. What a gift we have in Jesus! He is my security and sufficiency, and God is continually revealing to me that this life is not about me...it's about Him; making Him known, loving Him more.
My precious nephews that we get to see and love on in a month! Can't wait. And we get one more in just 2 months (Lindsay, can you believe it is only 2 months away??)

Ok, I'm off to get ready for bed. What are some things you are thankful for?

What a Day...

2007-11-01T14:50:00.000-07:00

My friend Margaret and I had a blast yesterday at our local Costco. I have been debating over whether to renew a Sam's membership or try Costco out for a change...she has definitely switched me over, at least for this year. Anyways, check our her blog--she wrote about our ridiculousness yesterday, complete with pictures, of course!

Packers Game Traditions

2007-10-07T17:30:00.000-07:00

We love them. We rarely dabble in the Packers traditions, due to the fact that we have regular cable (good old 12 channels!), not satellite, and therefore miss most of the Packers games. But not tonight! Much to our joy and anticipation, we found out the other day that WE could watch the PACKERS in our home together! Oh, the elation.

One of the first times I went over to Adam's house (Adam and I were just friends at that point, he was still living with his parents) we watched a Packers game. I remember Lynn, his mom, making Cincinnati Chili, everyone wore Packers shirts (Adam let me borrow one), donned their cheese hats and we had a blast. So, tonight when I got home from church (a full day today, up at 5 and home at 7!) I decided to surprise Adam with his favorite winter chili. It is simmering right now, and he should be home within the hour, in time to catch at least half of the game...I'm off to make sure his Packers shirt is clean and ready. Go Packers! And thank you for broadcasting on regular T.V.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Attention Prayer Warriors...Another Baby In Need Of Prayer

2007-10-02T20:24:00.000-07:00

Seems that my blogs lately concern the yet-to-be-born or a newborn in need of prayer. Praise God, Luke, our nephew who will make his appearance this winter, is doing much better. You can read the details on Lindsay's blog. We thank God for the positive prognosis!!

But my cousin Jenny is in need of prayer. She delivered a 9 pound, 14 oz. baby boy yesterday. He's a whopper! And yes, it was most definitely by c-section, thank the Lord. However, due to some serious breathing problems, Sawyer (LOVE that name!) is in ICU, and as of this afternoon, Jenny had yet to even see him. It sounds like he will be in the hospital for at least the next 2 weeks. Please pray for Jenny as she recovers, continues to mother her 4 year old, Gabby, and for little Sawyer as his lungs learn to breathe on their own. Her husband Jason is a great source of support, but because the hospital is an hour and a half away from their home, I know it will be difficult for him to juggle this situation with work. Jenny is a woman of great faith; following a two year bout with infertility, she miraculously concieved after doctors told her their was literally no hope. Sawyer is their precious miracle, and we all rejoice in seeing God's plan come to pass. Now if we can just get them home!! Thanks for praying...

Prayer Needed...

2007-09-12T18:34:00.000-07:00

Please check out my sister-in-law Lindsay's blog and be praying for this sweet family. This has been a difficult year for them, and much prayer is needed for peace in their lives and the health of our newest nephew (at 21 weeks), sweet baby Luke.

Birthday Week

2007-09-08T15:42:00.000-07:00

A little over a week ago we had a blast celebrating Adam's 27th birthday all week long. Since we live in town with family, b-days consist of multiple dinners throughout the week, and we love it! I love having any excuse to spoil my honey. This year it was extra special because Adam's grandmother and aunt came into town. She took us to a delicious steakhouse, Perry's, and we spent the entire day catching up with them. What a great gift! My brother Jeff also came into town, so we celebrated Jeff, Adam and my dad's birthday all together after church. On his actual birthday day, we had some dear friends over for pizza and cake. I decorated our kitchen really cheesy (complete with balloons and confetti) and surprised him with a cookie cake. Low-keyed and wonderful. Here are some pics...

With the family at Perry's

The waiter preparing our Bananas Foster table side. YUM!

Spending time with my one and only (and favorite, I might add) brother Jeff.

It is never boring and I love it!

Our at-home b-day celebration!

Nick and Alia

Nick and Alia are dear friends of ours that we were thrilled to spend time with. Alia and I met while at SMU and became fast friends. She was maid of honor in my wedding, and I was in hers. We have so many memories together...singing late at night in our dorm rooms, sharing fajitas at Pappasitos (a real treat for starving freshman!), meeting the loves of our lives and encouraging each other through each season of life. She is a wonderful musician (violin and singing), an incredible songwriter, and amazing friend. We never imagined we would end up in the same city, yet here we are, and it is wonderful! Nick is one of the happiest, sweetest people we know, and the two of them together are just incredible. We love you guys! It was great to kick back and relax together.

Kim and Eric

Kim and Eric are wonderful new friends of ours. We met them in the middle of the summer and love them already. We were at a Sunday School social for the first time (it has taken me 3 years to get up the courage to go to SS on my own, and now I am loving it! Adam can't go b/c he is always in the church service), and on our way home Adam told me he had a great conversation with a guy named Eric. I told him I had met Eric's wife and LOVED her. We were so excited to find a couple where we both enjoyed time with them, and were thrilled to find out that Eric and Kim wanted to get to know us better, too. (We laugh and think that making new couple friends is kind of like dating. You know...did they have fun? Do you think they will call us? I hope they liked us like we liked them! Haha!) Anyways, this couple has a contagious joy and love for the Lord. They are so much fun to be with, and even like the Target lady from SNL (Yes! It's a match!) Thank you, Lord for new, dear friends!

It was so special to join our seasoned friends with our new ones and celebrate together. We were so refreshed from that evening! Ok, back to pics...

Blowing out (ok, trying to blow out) the trick candles. Took him at least 3 times, heehee!

A cheesy message for my musician...

Adam's thank you for the cake. Apparently it went over well! :)

Looking forward to MANY more years, honey! I love you!

Why Not?

2007-09-06T18:04:00.000-07:00

So last night we were sitting in church and I got a huge craving for cherry pie. Since it is Adam's favorite pie as well as mine, I felt justified in making one at 8:30 when I got home. I'm so used to being in the mind-set of cutting out fun, random things b/c of my schedule at work, that it took me a while to realize there really was no reason I couldn't go ahead and bake late at night! I LOVE working part-time! Anyways, I made the pie and we indulged ourselves (a 'la mode, of course) around 10:30 last night. Why not?

New Job

2007-09-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm still waiting for my student, so I thought I would post again about the latest in our lives. Besides my shift from full-time employment to part-time, Adam's job has changed quite a bit in the last month as well. My husband is a music pastor, and his title is "Associate Minister/Pastor of Music," which means he works alongside our head music minister, Dick, and also leads the youth choirs/worship at our church. Since our church membership averages around 10,000, his work load has been pretty full for the last 3 years. In June we had a bit of a surprise. Dick's wife, Dot, has been sick for many years, and her health has unfortunately continued to decline. In light of needing to be there for his wife, Dick announced that he would be leaving our church for a 6 month sabbatical. Adam would take over most of Dick's responsibilities in his absence, effective August 1st. We were extremely overwhelmed at first; so grateful that Dick was doing the right thing to take care of his precious wife, but SO sad that we would lose our incredible leader for a while. Dick has been more than a boss to Adam; he and Dot have truly been like family to us for the last 3 years. We came here because Adam was so excited to be mentored by such a joyful, godly man, and have treasured every minute! Since Dick left, Adam has been leading the main worship every Sunday, directing the adult choir, sitting in on senior staff meetings, and also maintaining all his previous responsibilities as an associate. It has been a crazy ride, and we are still adjusting to the new demands, but thankful that we are here for this time. I am humbled when I see how God prepared us for this...6 months ago we began to pray about whether or not I should return to teach at school, and both of us lacked a peace about it. I was terribly sad at the thought of quitting my job, but it just seemed like the right thing to do. Wow, are we thankful that was the decision we made! I am so glad I can be flexible with Adam's schedule and be an available wife to him right now. I am still teaching, but I am able to be free on his days off and determine my own schedule. He can work nights or weekends if he has to in order to make it through this time, and I can help him through it. God prepared us to face the next 6 months together. Thank you, Lord! I'll try to post some pics sometime of Adam leading our choir or something, just to give a glimpse into where we are the majority of the time! Give me a couple of Sundays and then I'll post them...

Thunderstorms...

2007-09-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

I am waiting for my next voice student to arrive for her lesson and it is POURING outside. My last student brought all 3 of her kids with her, and it started raining during her lesson. Since she was without an umbrella I escorted them one by one to their car and got soaked in the process. I guess I would prefer rain to heat at this point, but we have had so many severe storms lately! Better go dry off before my next lesson...

Lazy Day

2007-08-30T16:07:00.001-07:00

Today has been the laziest day we have had in a while. Adam took the day off (the church gives them a free day off for their birthday, yeah!) and we didn't do a thing all day long. Last night we were at church, and a sweet lady stopped me to ask how she could pray for us right now. I told her we needed prayer for rest, b/c Adam has not had a day off for the last three weeks. He has been so busy, working on both of his days off every week. I am so proud of him, but a little worried, too! Anyways, God answered her prayers...we woke up at 11:00, ate breakfast and went straight to our big chair and a half in our pjs. It is now 6:00, that is, 6:00 p.m., and I just brushed my hair for the first time! (Poor Adam, I didn't think about what he was having to look at all day, ha!) We are actually going to go work out for a little bit, and then rent a movie and sit on the couch again...ah, what a wonderful day!

Tag!

2007-08-24T12:48:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Lindsay! Here is some life changing info about me...

The Rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules. (**if you’re a non-blogger, you can email them!)
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

8 Random Facts or Habits about me:

1. My name is Laura and I love love love to cook. I also love to eat, so I guess those two hobbies go well together! I've noticed that I tend to bake when I'm sad and cook when I'm stressed. Both bring me great joy!

2. My favorite person in the world is my husband, Adam. He makes me laugh, cry, sing, think hard and also relax...all at just the right time. I thank God every day that I get to share my life with my best friend.

3. I am an aspiring song writer. Key word: aspiring. I tend to write campy, jingly songs most of the time, but I am inspired by great song writers of our time, such as Nicole Nordman, Bono from U2, and of course, my husband. :)

4. I take a bath almost every night. It is my down time and therapy for the day! I'll read a magazine or just lay back and take a short nap, with either bath salts or bubbles. The lights have to be off, with just a low lamp on. It is kind of a ritual, but I love it! I get really sad when we are out of town and I can't have my baths...I know, that is kind of ridiculous. Can you imagine how hard dorm life in college was for 3 years? No bath tubs there...

5. Lately my new hobby is working out, if you can call that a hobby. My favorite is the elliptical, but I also bike and treadmill. I am amazed at how much more energy I have, and I sleep better, too! Not to mention the pants go on a bit easier. :)

6. I am a creature of habit. As mentioned before about baths, I have a nightly routine, morning routine, a method to a lot of things I do. I also enjoy being spontaneous, but I think due to our busy schedule at the church, I enjoy the few things I can keep the same every day!

7. I am a crazy dog lover, I just can't have dogs since Adam is highly allergic. I am blessed to live near my parents and their dog who I grew up with, so I am able to go get some "Ginger-lovin'" fairly often and fill my need for a pup!

8. I love fresh sheets on my bed...the smell, the feel...I heard Oprah say once that she has new sheets everyday, and I fought jealousy over that! Every day? What a treat! I literally smile as I fall into a fresh set.

Ok, now all my blogger friends to the right are tagged! Go!

Perspective

2007-08-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a while since a post. We have been in recovery from our travels and finally getting back in the swing of things.
Last week I got to go visit hospitals with Adam during the day. Once or twice a month he will go make hospital calls, visiting members of the church (or sometimes non-members) that are ill or just had surgery. Since he is part of a large staff, they take turns going and make sure people are visited a few times a week. Anyway, he invited me to go, and I was excited to join him. He has done this for 3 years now, and I've always wondered what it was like. Wow, did it shake me and change my perspective!
Our first visit was with a lady, Jan, who just had brain surgery. Jan had back pain for 2 years that numerous MRIs and tests could not diagnose. She was told that she was imagining it, she needed to exercise more, try a chiropractor...but the pain worsened and continued...then in July, she visited a new doctor who ordered a scan of her brain, and within 3 days was rushed in for major brain surgery (from which she was told she might not wake up). Wow. Turns out she had a large tumor at the top of her spinal cord that was pinching and pushing, causing severe pain. We spent almost an hour talking with her, and I was reminded of how quickly life can change. One day it was just back pain, the next, a life-threatening tumor. She is now in rehab to regain movement on the left side of her body, and has an incredible outlook. Her main prayer request was for God to be glorified through her situation. Perspective.
Next we moved on to visit Rebekah. She was not a church member; in fact, she is not even from this city. Rebekah was in town and while here found out she needed surgery. Without friends or family near, she called our church for support. When we arrived she was not in her room--she was already in for her procedure. I can't even imagine having to go in for a big surgery, much less go without any family supporting me and waiting for me to come out. I also can't fathom being so alone, looking up a church in the phone book and calling for support. But I am so impressed and glad that she did that. We left her a note and prayed for her. She is still in ICU. More perspective.
Our day ended in the NICU. I was looking forward to this more than any other, because it involved a friend of ours, a fellow choir member named Carmen, and her preemie son, Tyler. When she was about 4 months into her pregnancy, Carmen found out that she was lacking amniotic fluid and that Tyler's stomach was not developing properly. Her doctor told her that most often this ends in death of the baby, but that there was a risky procedure they could perform to try to save him. Carmen went forward with the procedure and refused any suggestion of aborting. We all gathered around her on a Wednesday night at church and prayed. It was successful! Yet Tyler is still not out of the woods. He was born 6 weeks early, still has stomach issues (a surgery will be performed later to take care of that) and is unable to breathe on his own. Determined to breastfeed, Carmen goes to the milk bank and pumps every 3 hours (obviously I know nothing about this, but apparently pumping is a bit harsher than regular feeding, and this is her first time to do this--talk about tender!). I told her she is amazing for doing that. Anyway, I was struck in a deeper way than ever before that life is truly a miracle. I think I have taken for granted the healthy births my friends and family have had... I thanked God for my precious nephews and for the many babies born to my friends lately. I prayed for our future children, and I asked God to take care of little Tyler. Another child in the same situation as him died a week earlier. Life is fragile, and God is in control. I needed that reminder, and, well, perspective.

HOME AGAIN!!!!!!

2007-07-21T09:54:00.000-07:00

I am so happy to be back home for good! My bed has never looked so comfortable, nor has my house every smelled this good. Don't you love the smell of your own house? It is so comforting. Anyways, July has been a crazy, busy month for us! One of our dreams since we got married has been to fill our summers with leading worship at camps. Adam and I met by singing in a band together, and leading others to worship God is our passion. Anyways, this summer we were able to live out that dream, and for that we are so grateful! We led worship for two different camps and also had some of our dearest friends come visit in between (more on that later). Our first camp was during the first week of July in good 'ol Lueders, TX. It was fun and completely exhausting at the same time, but that means it was a great camp! We returned home for a week and Chris and Amanda came into town. Then we left again last week for another camp in Alvin, TX and returned today. Actually, only I returned today. Adam left straight from Alvin to go to our high school mission trip in New Orleans. My poor, tired husband! He is my hero. I am so thankful for the way he relies on God's strength, not his own. And I never hear a complaint! My original plan was to go on mission trip with him, but with our busy schedule and friends still in town, I decided to return home. He will get back Wednesday and hit the ground running with his ever-changing job (more on that later, too. Sorry, I'm just too wiped to write about it now!) We had another camp planned for the end of the month, but due to Adam's changes at work, we had to cancel it. :( I have to say though, it really is nice to be home for good...here are some pics of what we LOVE to do more than anything!!!!

Lueders, TX
With Liz, the camp director (and our fun friend!)

Alvin, TX (this past week)

Our little worshipers :)

New Blog!

2007-07-12T15:00:00.000-07:00

I am excited to announce that my sister-in-law, Lindsay, has officially joined the blog world! Now you can see even more pics of our adorable nephews! Check out her blog via the link at the right...

Weekend in Waco: Babies Everywhere!!

2007-07-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday we were finally able to make it to Waco to see Kelly and her new baby, Patriot. We still hadn't seen Nicki and Tristan, or Amanda and Gracie, and in less than 24 hours we were able to see all three moms and all three babies! Everyone was so great to find time in their schedule to fit us in, especially when it was so last minute. We had a blast spending the night with Josh and Kelly...she is such an amazing mom, and wow, what a journey in parenthood they have had already! Patriot was 4 and 1/2 weeks early and in and out of the hospital a couple of times before they were able to settle in at home (their new home, by the way, that they had yet to move into. Kelly went into labor after signing the papers on their new house!) I can't imagine that...recovering from a surprise labor and delivery, and then not even settling in at home until a week later. But no complaints from Josh and Kel! They just went along for the ride and gave God all the glory. Patriot was just precious, and Kelly was so sweet to let me hold him after EVERY feeding. I was in heaven holding him, and stayed up with her until 2 a.m. Thursday night just talking and laughing at the precious things Patriot does. Ok, enough babbling, here are some pics from the 24-hour trip...I was especially touched at how much Adam enjoyed holding him, too!

Beautiful new mom, Kelly and Patriot

Sweet baby Patriot

Nicki and Tristan (I LOVE how much these two look alike! So precious!)

Handsome Tristan

Amanda and Gracie

Adam snuggling with Patriot

Me snuggling with Patriot (these were my favorite moments, I have to admit!)

There was a common thread I saw amongst all of the young mothers--all of them were radiantly beautiful. I mean striking. Motherhood fits them...they all seemed to have blossomed into this new season of their lives, with beautiful babies in their arms. Whether staying up all night constantly feeding their child (shout out to Kel here:), tending to their baby while dad is out of town (Amanda, way to go!) or stopping by in the midst of errands, working out and seeing Grammy (Nicki, I still can't believe how great you looked first thing in the morning running around! How do you do it? With a 4 month old?!?!), they all looked incredible and joyful to be moms. It was so special to see them and to see their little ones!

Happy 5 Year Anniversary!

2007-06-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

Friday, June 22nd we celebrated our 5-year anniversary. I can't believe we have been married half of a decade! Crazy! This year we decided to make it extra special, and we both did some fun things for each other. Here's a tour of the weekend, complete with pics...(some of them are fuzzy or blurry b/c I had to take a pic of a pic with my camera--no scanner in our house!)

It all started with the Anniversary cake. If you have been reading our blog, you have probably figured out by now that we are foodies. I love to cook, and we love to eat! We LOVED our wedding cake--it was made by a woman who makes all of her cakes in her home, and they are incredible. So, every year since we have been back here, I order a sample cake (a small 2-layer 6 incher) for our anniversary and we eat it all week long. Adam especially loves it, since his favorite cake is white-on-white. The cute thing is, even though I do this for him every year, he still forgets, so it is always a surprise!

Friday we left for downtown to stay in the hotel we stayed in the first day we were married, the Four Seasons. I remember walking into the room on our wedding day, and they had a plate full of goodies on which they had written "Congratulations!" This time we walked in, and they had this waiting for us...

I loved that is said "Happy Anniversary"...I take such joy in the fact that we have such a beautiful history together now, and we can look back on all of our memories as a married couple.

But I'm getting off topic...after we checked in and I ate a ton of this chocolate, we went and had dinner at Brennen's, a nice New Orleans style restaurant.

Some of my favorite things about the hotel were the fact that they turned down your bed for you in the evening, and the HUGE breakfast they bring to your room (once again, food...I know, it is kind of sad!) I loved the breakfast so much that Adam took a pic of me eating it 5 years ago, and we had to take a pic of me eating it now...it was just as delicious!

Then...

Now...

Funny how my hair is fixed and I look awake in the first pic, but 5 years later I look like I couldn't care less. How things change in 5 years!

In the lobby of the hotel with my sweetie

We also got our fill of movies...we saw Oceans 13 on Friday, and watched Spiderman 3 in the Imax theatre on Saturday. We rarely go to movies in the theatres, so we went all out for a double feature.

I am so thankful for the gift of marriage, and grateful for God's grace in giving us these 5 years. Who knows what He has in store for the next 5, but if they are anything like the last, what a blessing that will be!

We also saw my bubba (brother, Jeff) this weekend, and I will post pics of our visit soon!

Father's Day and A Piece of Pie

2007-06-21T16:25:00.000-07:00

First, let me start with a story about the pie. Last Father's Day I made my dad his favorite pie--Lemon Meringue. It was a Paula Deen recipe and it tasted great...but it came apart as I served it and formed puddles of yellow on everyone's plates. Not very appetizing. My dad said it was the best pie he had ever had and thanked me over and over again...one of the many reasons I adore my father. Anyways, this year I thought I would give it another shot, and voila! It worked! I used a recipe from The Joy Of Cooking (an incredible cook book I highly recommend) and it actually set up! Adam took a pic of it because he knew how excited I was. My dad, once again, said it was the best pie he had ever had. I'm convinced he would have said that if it was burnt, tasteless or soupy again...but I'll say again, one of the many reasons I love him! Pics from our time with my fam last weekend...

Digging into the pie!

Snuggling with Dad

My beautiful, wonderful Mom

My adorable hub! (I just had to throw one in there of Adam!)

I love celebrating Father's Day, because it is such a great excuse to make a fuss over my dad. He is one of the most selfless and caring people I know. Some of the reasons I am crazy about my father...

He loves Jesus with all his heart and partnered with my mom in raising us in the the Truth.
He adores my mother, and she adores him. They share an incredible love and connection with each other, grounded in Jesus. They still hold hands in church, sneak a kiss in the kitchen, and enjoy just having fun together...I am so thankful for their example of commitment and love.
He was the perfect dad of a little girl...he always reminded me that he loved me, and complimented me often. I am thankful that he made me feel so special, even at times when I absolutely hated the way I looked. (Can we say junior high? Amen?!?!)
He is one of the quietest people I know, but not without a purpose. He is always observing and taking things in...and at just the right moment, he will say something insightful or funny.
He is a snuggler. Some of my best memories with my dad are spent sitting on the couch, just holding his hand. When I was little, I had MAJOR fears of monsters in the closet, and he would sleep with me until I fell asleep. Most of the time he fell asleep first!
He is a great example of a godly man. I have him to thank for the husband I have today, if that makes sense. Because of my dad's example, I knew it was possible to have a man who loved God and would be faithful to his family. And God brought Adam into my life!
He can do a stinkin' awesome impression of Bullwinkle! Hey, Rocky...

Dad, my list could go on forever. You are truly amazing, and I thank God for all you are in my life. I love you!

Weekend With The Fam

2007-06-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago Adam's brother, Neal and his family came and visited us. We had a blast! Our two nephews could not be more precious...Sam is 4 and a half, and Gabe is 2. Here's some pics of our time with them...

Here we are playing the guitar and drum with Gabe at our house. He loved playing the instruments!

Pool time at Mimi's!

The brothers

The sisters (in-law)

We had a great time with them and were sad to see them go. Since they live in Nashville, we usually see them twice a year, and we always have a blast! It was especially fun having them stay with us for the first time...I loved waking up in the morning to the sound of my precious nephews. They have the sweetest little voices! I also had a great time with my sister-in-law, Lindsay. I'm so thankful for her friendship...we are so similar in our styles and even in many ways our personalities, but just enough different to click. It is so easy to be around her...she is such an encourager and fun person to be with. It's funny with how different the guys are, and yet they picked two girls who are very similar. I guess they just have great taste, heehee!

Paint Update

2007-06-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

We are on day 7 of painting and counting...I can't begin to express how tired I am of the sight of unfinished walls, paint brushes, drop cloths and paint cans! I am so ready to be done. We have just a few walls left. Every spare moment away from the church has been spent edging and rolling, edging and rolling, and we are almost there. Unfortunately this comprised our entire last week, so no fun news, but I still plan on posting on our weekend with the fam.
Ok, back to the paint...

Check This Out!

2007-06-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

A guy I knew in middle school and high school is starring in this new show on ABC! His name is Matthew Bomer, and he is the character Jay, on the far left. We have been watching the show for 2 weeks now, and it comes on every Wednesday night. I'm pretty sure it is just an ABC summer miniseries. How fun! Matt and I went to the same church growing up (his dad is still en elder there, really sweet family) and were in some musicals together in highschool. He was a fun guy with extraordinary talent (all the girls in drama were ga-ga over him), and all of us are freaking out to see that he has gotten his big break! On last week's show, he was in a pretty cool fight scene, and all I could think was, "WOW! He is actually in a sweet fight scene on national television!!" Kind of surreal. Anyways, if you like suspenseful shows, check Traveler out, and root for Matt with us!

Paint Paranoia

2007-06-04T20:45:00.000-07:00

I am preparing to paint my living room, entry and hallways all one color tomorrow. I get so stinkin' nervous about painting! I have a really light yellow kitchen I love, and a blue dining room I adore, but I think this room makes me especially nervous b/c it is bigger and will take a LOT more work. I know it is time b/c I am so tired of the cream walls, but the idea of colored paint everywhere just kind of overwhelms me. I will post pics of the results when we are done. It has taken me 3 days to just pick the color (we have settled on a very neutral brown called Cafe au Lait from Restoration Hardware--we will just do a color match) and now tomorrow morning I will slap it up on the walls. My dear friend Kristi is coming to help so I can get a lot done before the weekend. Whew, I'm nervous! Ok, I'm going to stop babbling and start taping for tomorrow.

We had a special weekend with family--I'll post pics and details soon! Off we go to paint!

Congrats, Kelly and Josh!

2007-06-02T19:27:00.000-07:00

Our dear friends Kelly and Josh have welcomed baby Patriot into the world. What a wonderful blessing for an amazing couple. He was 4 weeks early and is currently in the nursery so they can monitor his breathing, so please pray for Patriot's health and Josh and Kelly's sanity. They are wonderful friends--please lift them up this week as they adjust, a month early, to parenthood! You can read more about them at Kelly's blog--see my link to the right!

Extreme Home Makeover

2007-05-29T10:13:00.001-07:00

After months of neglecting our yard, Adam and I decided we needed to do some serious work on our beds to improve our curb appeal. We have watched all sorts of weeds spring up over the past few months, and recently figured out that the two large "bushes" in the front were actually trees that shouldn't be near our foundation. That meant we had to move them! Besides their large root systems, we also didn't like the way they covered up half of the front of our house. We also had some random plants in pots and did I already mention a forest of weeds? Anyways, since we were already buying the dirt and mulch, we also decided to make a bed in the back near our swing and add the bushes there. I can see the swing from our living room, and wanted to have some pretty flowers and greenery around it to see from our home during the day. Now that I am teaching from our house, I wanted to spruce things up a bit. Here are some before and after pics...

Front Yard Before

Front Yard After

I think I am most excited about the pink knock-out roses and my crepe myrtle (which up until last week I thought was "crate" myrtle. Wow, shows you just how much I know about plants!) I also chose plants that would attract butterflies, like pinta, lantana and butterfly weed. I'm hoping we will have some pretty visitors this summer! I just want to add a hydrangea to my doorstep and then I will be done with the front.

Here's the back before...

And the back after...

I still need to move the swing back to its spot (diagonal against the bed) and buy a climbing rose for the trellis, and then we are done! The swing is a special spot for us...this swing used to be in Adam's parents' back yard, and it is the honorary spot of our first kiss! (And wow, it was a good one! :) When his parents moved, they passed it on to us, knowing that it was the first place sparks flew for the Watsons! Haha!

Anyways, stay tuned for more pics on our home makeover this summer. I do not decorate year-round, rather, I choose to do it in spurts over the summer when I have more time to do so. This summer we are painting our living room/entry/hallways one color, hanging curtains, and getting some furniture, so I will post the changes as they take place!

It's Over!

2007-05-26T09:21:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can hardly believe it. My first day of summer is finally here! After a couple of days of sadness (missing the kids, mainly), I can confidently say I am LOVING this. Thank you, Lord! I can go to church with Adam Sunday and actually focus on him and our ministry instead of rushing home to get ready for school the next day. I don't think the fact that I am not going back has fully hit yet...I think the reality of not going back will really hit me when August arrives and I can continue doing what I am doing now. My voice studio is close to full already, and I am thankful for that as well. Job security is a good thing!

Anyways, today we are doing some yard work and picking up the house...I will post before and after pics later of our yard. We have really neglected it this year and decided to spruce it up a bit. Have a wonderful summery Saturday!!!!

Decisions, Decisions...

2007-05-19T14:42:00.000-07:00

I hate making them. I am kind of a go with the flow, do whatever sort of girl, unless I have a particular craving. I love it when my friends pick where to eat, what movie to see, what game to play...I prefer to just go along for the ride. It is kind of embarrassing, but sometimes the smallest decision can stress me out, especially if I'm tired, and the big ones just completely overwhelm me. I am thankful, however, that whenever those big decisions arise, God is always faithful to guide me, and gave me and incredible husband to make hard decisions with.

All that to say, I have been praying about a huge decision since last fall--whether or not to work full-time next year. Financially, it made sense for me to keep working full-time until we had kids. But schedule-wise, it has been killing us. Because Adam works at a large church as a minister, he is gone 3-4 nights a week, and is understandably gone all day on Sundays. Thankfully, he has Fridays off to compensate and rest, but I do not. I get home wasted on Fridays and fall asleep ridiculously early. The first year it was okay, but this year, we have really missed the time together we used to have in the middle of our busy schedule. We are lucky if we have a few hours on a Saturday to relax...other than that we generally end up working 6 or 7-day work weeks. We never get to go out of town to see friends or family (he can't be gone on Sundays and I can't be gone on Fridays, so we never leave), and I have had to step back from my church involvement on Sunday in order to be energized enough for my very physically demanding job as an elementary teacher (Adam is generally gone from 6:30 a.m. to 8 or 9 p.m. on Sundays, and I usually get groceries, do laundry and get ready for the week during that time.) We have also had to turn down singing jobs because I work full-time, and we still desire to pursue a singing/leading worship career on the side.

I love my school. I love the kids. I love everything I do there, and I love everyone I work with (the pics are of me directing our 1st grade program this year). I love my principal--she is an incredible, godly woman who has been at the school for 25 years--and I couldn't imagine a better place to work. But my spirit has felt led to serve alongside my husband, to be an available wife again, so regain some quality of life...

So two weeks ago, I resigned. I officially have 5 days left. Half of me is celebrating, the other half, mourning. I think about all the great stuff we will be able to do now because I won't be pulled somewhere else 40+ hours a week, but I also think about the precious faces of 700 students I have taught (I teach music, so I see all of them!) and how much I will miss hearing their precious voices singing and watching them grow from year to year. I don't have children yet, and these were, well, my kids.

The great news is, whether I am celebrating or mourning, I have a peace. God made this clear, very clear to us over the last 6 months. My husband is ecstatic, and I'm looking forward to seeing him, as well as the rest of our family and friends, more! I will still work part-time, from our home, teaching voice lessons, a few days a week. The rest of the time I will be up at the church planning youth activities or scheduling singing opportunities for us elsewhere. July is already packed with 3 camps, so we are excited about that. We move forward, trusting that God has led us into a new season.

Monday Milkshakes In May!

2007-05-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

This might just be a H-town thing, but for those of you who LOVE Chick-fil-A, they have an AMAZING special right now! If you get one of their milkshakes on a Monday in May, which, btw, are incredible and worth every calorie, you get an 8-pack of nuggets FREE! Like I said, this might just be at ours, but why not check it out? That is at least a $3.00 value, and what a great excuse to indulge in a milkshake alongside some delicious nuggets? I highly recommend the chocolate. :) I have been sick all week, first with stomach issues and then a nasty chest cold, so while I was home by myself last night, mad about being sick, my mom picked me up and took me to take advantage of this awesome deal. Suddenly everything seemed better! How many Mondays left in May? 2? 3? You'll know where to find me...

An Aspiring Gardener Seeks Advice...

2007-05-11T13:35:00.000-07:00

Dear bloggers, who have beautiful blooms filling their yards...I need some gardening advice! We have no beds in the backyard, and I am making it my summer project to beautify the area. We have our swing back there, and the plan is to put some beds on either side of it. You can see the swing from our big living room window, and I'm thinking it would be nice to see some color out there as well. I might also throw out some hearty herbs like rosemary and parsley for my cooking. Anyways, any advice for healthy, strong flowering plants that do well in full sun? Maybe some big "stay away from these" or "make sure you don't do this" ?? I need some hearty suggestions...I am new at this, and have a tendency to not take care of my yard as well as I should. I guess that's why this is my new project. Since we don't have kids yet and we can't get a dog (Adam's allergies) I've decided I need something to nurture!

Lightning!

2007-05-11T13:24:00.000-07:00

We had an amazing storm hit our area last night. It went from a light, bright day to a dark, ominous stormy one in a matter of 5 minutes. I have been ill this week, and my mother-in-law, Lynn, had brought us some dinner. We sat together watching T.V. when a flash of light ran across our living room/television! It was mix of red and white--truly amazing and freaky at the same time. Our T.V. flashed off and on (we are surprised it is not fried!) and our alarm system went off. Nothing we could do would shut off the alarm, and it is loud! We finally reached someone from our security provider, and they are working on fixing it today since the system appears to be baked. I am thankful that nothing else in our house was ruined (our computer was plugged in at the time but it is OK) and that the hail missed us, too. What a night!

OUCH!!

2007-04-27T15:40:00.000-07:00

I am such a klutz. I've known this all my life...if there is something to trip over, I will trip over it; if there is something slippery on the floor, I will slip on it; if there is a thoughtless driver out there, they will hit me (ok, I guess that one isn't my fault, but the many car accidents I have been in never are...but I digress), if there is a pole to run into, I will run into it...you get the picture. I must admit, I had forgotten about my clumsiness because it has been a while since I had injured myself...until yesterday. I was walking out of a very important meeting (of which I will be able to discuss in a few weeks, but not yet) and was deep in thought when my platform shoe gave out on me (ok, my foot rolled over) and I lost my footing. As I fell towards the concrete, my purse and the papers I was carrying went flying into the air, along with my body. I managed to hit every possible joint on my way down...knees, elbows, hands, even my toes have scratches. I quickly got up, afraid someone might have seen me (and extremely embarrassed!). As I started my car, I noticed my knee was throbbing, and my hand and elbow were bleeding. I called Adam and told him what happened...for some reason I felt like I needed moral support on the way home with my minor bleeding injuries! A few hours later I noticed a rather large bump on my knee that isn't normally there, so I put some ice on it. I did however manage to still teach voice lessons upon returning home and triple a recipe of homemade spaghetti sauce, but after that, I was down and out! Today at school I oddly resembled many of my precious little boy students who often bear scrapes and band aids...and many of those adventurers were anxious to hear how I got my wounds.
Suddenly I remember just how klutzy I really am...

Dreaming of Summer...

2007-04-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

...it is just around the corner! I got tired of seeing my Dove lotion on my blog, and decided to post about something else. This week has been pretty uneventful, and all I can think about it that summer is only 5 weeks away! 5 weeks until freedom--I can't wait! I love summer for so many reasons...

1. The fresh fruits and veggies are delicious and in season, which means they cost less at the grocery store!

2. When we are in town, I have time to cook more and try out new recipes.

3. I never have time to do spring cleaning with school and our annual mission trip, so I'm looking forward to summer cleaning...those who know me well know that I find cleaning to be very therapeutic, especially when I have the time to do a good deep scrubbing. I'm most looking forward to organizing my kitchen!

4. Visiting family...we are planning on seeing some family this summer, and I just love catching up and spending time with them.

5. Our anniversary! We were married on June 22nd, so June remains my favorite month of the year, even with the heat. This year is the big 5, so we are planning on doing something really special.

6. Cold treats. I always feel that it is necessary to dive in to ice cream and snow cones during the hot summer months, more so than usual. Bring on the sugar!

7. Camps, camps and more camps! Adam and I have prayed about leading worship at camps together since we got married. We have been able to do one or two every summer, but this summer we are completely booked in July with three camps and a mission trip. I am so pumped! I feel like we are watching a dream come true.

8. My best friend Amanda and her husband Chris are coming to stay with us. Although we will be gone quite a bit in July, I can't wait to spend quality time with her when we are here. We have been best friends since I was in 3rd grade (our 20 year anniversary is coming up next year) and I love spending time with her...they are family to us. Here's to the 3rd annual McMaster/Watson Summer Retreat!!!!

9. Swimming. I have to admit, I have not taken advantage of our neighborhood pool since we moved here. I am dead-set on enjoying it this summer!

10. Visiting my friends...I have a lot of friends who have become mommies in the past year, and I am dying to see them and meet their children. I'm hoping we can find a way to do that this summer.

Might I Suggest...

2007-04-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

...this fabulous tanning lotion?!?! I have never tried self-tanners before because I was afraid of the end result (you know, orange, blotchy, darker areas and lighter areas with uneven application). However, with all the information on skin cancer and wrinkles, I have decided to say "No!" to looking like a raisin at 50 and having surgery done on my skin because I had to tan and got skin cancer (a dear friend of mine just had a patch removed from her face). Don't get me wrong, I am not saying "No!" to time outside. Those who know me well know my time on our swing in the backyard or outside by our lake truly revives my soul, and I believe the sun is good for us, in ration. In fact, I don't know what I would do without it! Yet I admit, although I do not want to fry my epidermis, I do long to have a healthy summer glow, even in the early spring when I pull out my bermuda shorts, skirts and capris. This self-tanner beckoned to me because it was "subtle" and takes a week to show a huge difference. Also, I LOVE Dove's Real Beauty campaign. Bring it on, ladies...that's right, real beauty is on the inside, and how God created you on the outside, not how we feel we have to make ourselves look. Be proud of your curves, gray hair, and cellulite! Anyways, so I thought, why not? Here are my results after a week and reasons why I like it SO much:

1. It truly is gradual. Every day I noticed my skin getting slightly darker, but nothing too substantial or scary. I liked feeling like I could stop it any day and not have too much damage done if I didn't like the results.

2. It is a great moisturizer. Light and soothing. One of the ads is "tan while you moisturize" and it's true!

3. It smells nice and clean--not too strong. I feel clean and rejuvenated! I have bad allergies to many smells, but this one is great. No sneezing here!!

4. I have heard that self-tanners can be sticky, and this one is not at all. It dries within 5 minutes, and you are good to go!

5. Indeed, I have a tan now, and it is not orange! Adam said he noticed a difference, and it looks natural, too.

6. It was one of the cheapest self-tanners. Yeah, Dove! Some of them were as much as $20.00 (like I am going to pay that for something I might not even like!) and this one was around $7.00.

7. It comes with a facial tanner as well. I have been unable to find it, but when I do, you better believe it will be on my face!

8. You can choose your type, either "fair skin" or "medium skin." I picked "fair" because I didn't want anything too dark, and even with the "fair" type I have seen a difference.

Well, there's my analysis of this fabulous product. I wish I had taken before and after pics! Oh well, maybe next time. Happy Tanning!!

Happy Easter!

2007-04-06T07:34:00.000-07:00

This was too funny, I had to share it!

Yeah For My Little Singers!!

2007-04-01T15:57:00.000-07:00

This week has been a tough but rewarding one for me. All week long my co-worker and I were gearing up to take 90 (yes, that is 9-0, 90) 3rd, 4th and 5th graders in our school choir to sing at a vocal competition in Brenham, an hour and a half away. They have worked all year for this...we meet twice a week before school (7:15-8:10, before classes start--it makes for long Tuesdays and Thursdays!) to rehearse. They prepared two pieces, both with two parts, and truly sounded incredible. I was praying that they would do just do their best Friday and have a positive experience. Well, after we sang, the monitors brought out the scores and were carrying a trophy. "I don't remember a trophy being a part of this" was what I thought as they walked towards us. Come to find out, not only did my little ones get straight "ones" from the judges(which is the highest rating they can get) but they won "Outstanding Elementary School Choir" (hence the trophy)!!!!! I was so surprised and proud at the same time that tears sprang to my eyes, and the kids just hooped and hollered. It was such a great moment. I am so thankful for their sweet spirits, beautiful voices and hard work. Gosh, I love those kids.

Girl Time is Divine!

2007-03-27T15:29:00.000-07:00

(Above--mom and I celebrating our b-days together and hamming it up in Nov)

Ah yes, the importance of girl time in my life is all too often forgotten. With our busy schedule, my rare free moments are spent with my precious hub (which I love!), so time with the gals is all too rare. Except for last night...I enjoy having girl time with friends, and I also love just hanging with my mom. For the first time since we moved here, my mom and I had a girls night all to ourselves. Adam left town for a ministers' retreat, and my dad traveled off shore for his job, so it left just the two of us! We had a ball. Because I have choir on Monday evenings, we met up for an early dinner, ate way too much, and topped it off with Starbucks. I'm surprised I didn't fall asleep in the middle of choir! Once I got back home, she spoiled me with a luxurious bath and we laughed our heads off about random things. We then went to bed (I took my dad's place so I didn't sleep alone!) and I found out this morning that Adam isn't the only one who claims I am a cover-steeler (oops, sorry guys!) To top if off, she correctly assumed that I didn't take my lunch to work today because I wasn't home last night, and surprised me with lunch (and another Starbucks, ahhh, the joy!). Wow, what a treat. I have learned to embrace the moments I have with my mom...it may sound negative, but we don't know when God may decide to take any of us home. Also, in the ministry we don't know when He might move us away from Houston! I have decided to savor these moments with our parents nearby. Mom, I love you! Thanks for being you. I cherish our time together. You are amazing.

Ok, What's Next?

2007-03-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

"O Lord, you are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot."
---Psalm 16:5---

This is an excerpt from a book I was reading this morning that really encouraged me...

"In my own pictorial view of seeking God's will I see a rushing stream in the mountains or fields, with stones big enough to put a foot on to cross. I picture God showing me on stone big enough to start across on, and then one stone on which to put my foot next. And then the waters whirl around, and I am to stay where I am, on that particular stone, until He shows me the next step. To rush ahead on my own would be disastrous...It is a warning to watch out for impatience in wanting to "get on with it," whatever "it" happens to be. God tells us that to be in a fog, a dark place, to have no clue of what comes next, is to be in a place where we need to trust Him and keep our hand in His hand, waiting for Him to show us where to go or what to do next...
All right--you and I often want to know, "What comes next?" God is saying, "Trust Me." He is saying, "Stay in the place where you are until I show you [in a variety of ways, usually not mystical at all] what comes next." He is saying, "Blessed is the person who waits in the dark, holding My hand." (Edith Schaeffer, Common Sense Christian Living)

This devo summarized our life so well right now. I love how she says God will lead us, and not in some "mystical" way. Adam and I believe that God gave us His word, prayer, and brains to discern His will. Not that miraculous things do not occur, but I think most times the answer we are looking for is right there in scripture, and we are searching in vain, looking everywhere else to find it. And sometimes that answer is simply "no" or "wait". We have been in a place of searching for the next thing, both in our professional lives (although NO, we are NOT looking to leave our church, we love it and Adam loves his job there!) and personal lives. We have been asking, "God, what is next? What do you have for us?" And we have been resting in the place of feeling like we do not know anything, except that God is faithful, and His Word is true, which actually, is knowing everything. I love Wayne's song that says "I'd rather walk through the darkness with Jesus, than walk in the light alone." I am willing to wait, Lord, wait for Your perfect plan to unfold. And we cherish this time in the unknown, because you are with us.

Still Embarrassed....

2007-03-04T14:42:00.000-08:00

A really embarrassing thing happened to me this weekend. You know how sometimes people will ask you to share your most embarrassing moment? This one definitely takes the cake for me.
Adam and I led worship for a marriage conference at our church yesterday. There were 4 different sessions, and we led some songs before each one. I was really excited to sing with my sweetie; we love having the opportunity to sing together and dream of doing it more often. We have sung at weddings, youth services and camps, and have talked about wanting to sing at marriage conferences, but this was our first time to do one. Since we had yet to do a marriage conference before, I had no clue what to wear. I knew people coming would be in anything from sweats and jeans to nice outfits, and I figured since we were on stage we should look nice, but not overly nice. My sweet hub sensed my stress and took me shopping Friday night to find the perfect outfit: a pair of dressy jeans and a cute top. Perfect...nice, but not too nice. What a relief--I had found something to wear!
The first session went smoothly, and as my morning coffee hit me, I raced to the bathroom before it was time for us to sing again. I made it back in time, we sang again, and then sat down to listen to the speaker. I grabbed my notes to begin writing, and noticed that the front of my new jeans had a hole in them...no, not a hole...you guessed it, I had left my fly undone!! In my hurry to get back, I totally forgot to zip my pants, and then proceeded to lead worship with my fly open! I was horrified, to say the least. I asked a fellow pastor's wife if she noticed and she insisted no one did, but I can't help but wonder who saw my fly open! I am still embarrassed just thinking about it. I can honestly say that I have never left my fly open in public. Leave it to me to do it for the first time on stage in front of a crowd of people from our church!
I finally started to laugh, and I cracked up at the thought of the Lord saying to me, "It's not about what you wear, Laura. It's about making sure your pants are zipped and you aren't flashing everyone." Ahhh, yes...I will double check my zipper from now on! And maybe not stress as much about what to wear?!?!

Happy Pig Day!!

2007-03-02T14:25:00.000-08:00

Ok, it's day late, but Happy Pig Day anyway! At my school, we celebrate pig day by wearing pink and petting pigs. I love it. At home we take a second to celebrate and eat some bacon!

Seasons

2007-02-21T14:00:00.000-08:00

I was abruptly reminded today through our warm, muggy weather that the seasons are about to change. I should be thankful...rarely do we even have a year where we feel like we experience seasons. We just alternate between muggy, hot days and muggier, hotter days! But still, I can't help but be sad that the crisp, cool air of winter is about to be gone for another 8 months...while I know we may have a few nice days in Spring, I am preparing myself for the onslaught of Texas heat! I guess it is the Canadian in me that prefers the cooler weather.

There is a song by Nicole Nordeman that compares the seasons of the year to our life in Christ. It is such an incredible song. The winter is compared to our life being dead without Him, and the Spring represents new life through His sacrifice. It is awesome.

I have been pondering lately not just my life in Christ and how that changes, but also the seasons in life that we experience as we grow older. I am amazed looking back at the seasons...growing up and going to school, then experiencing the freedom and sometimes shocking truths of life revealed in college, next marrying the man of my dreams, working in the real world for the first time and finishing school, and finally settling down in a town for more than a year as a young married couple. It has been really cool to see how different seasons have shaped us and continue to change our view on life and even of each other in our marriage. I have so enjoyed watching my friends transition into yet another season as they experience motherhood for the first time, and I enjoy dreaming about the day when Adam and I will enter into the season of parenthood together.

I can't help but thank God for never abandoning us in our seasons...some are definitely more enjoyable than others. Sometimes we are on the mountaintop, savoring every moment of beauty and happiness, while other times we are anxiously waiting for the pain to end as we suffer for a little while (or sometimes a long while) in the valley. Sometimes we are walking close with Him living out His word, while other times we make decisions that are not in line with His will. Yet through it all, He is there, perfectly planning the seasons in our lives and orchestrating them to bring Him glory. How good it is that we can trust Him through it all, knowing He is walking with us.

Out of My League?!?!

2007-02-08T21:07:00.000-08:00

I experienced a first as a minister's wife tonight. For the first time since we have been at the church, all of the pastor's wives got together to honor our new pastor's wife, Beverly. *After a 2 year search, we finally have a head pastor as of a month ago and he is amazing! More about that in another blog!* Anyway, initially I was a little intimidated at the thought of hanging out with these amazing women, most of whom I never see and barely know, and then freaked out when I found out we were supposed to share a "nugget of wisdom" with our pastor's wife to encourage her. Me? Share a nugget of wisdom with essentially my husband's boss's wife? Shouldn't she be sharing a nugget with us? Who am I to try to give advice?

We had dinner together (since we are at a large church, there were 15 of us total) and it was nice to talk and of course, eat. Then came the long-awaited sharing time. We sat in the living room and each shared who we were married to, what their job was, how long we were at the church, and our nugget. We all relaxed when we realized that we were all nervous about our "nuggets," and soon jokes were intermixed with tears about the ministry and how much we loved our husbands. I was humbled when I realized that we were all coming from the same place and just needed to let our hair down together. What a blessing. I went in a bit nervous and stressed and came out refreshed and blessed. I love how God does that!