Time flies....

I'm not exactly sure how it is the middle of July already, but it's been way too long since I've been posting regularly!  Time has been flying by.  Just trying to catch my breath, do our laundry, keep up with work, take care of our house and have some fun on the side. 

I'll bring you up to speed and give you the Cliff Notes version of the last couple of months or so....

• I've been traveling A TON.  I've been to Minneapolis at least 3 times since the end of April, Orlando, multiple trips to San Antonio, Houston & Corpus.  And that's just all for work! 
• I had a chance to see one of my best friends at work tie the knot on a perfect Arizona day.  She was a beautiful bride!
• While I was there, I also got to see God's goodness as the ultimate healer. We nearly lost my grandma and He is healing and restoring her.  Praise Him for that! 
• Blake and I took a much needed vacation to beautiful St. Lucia to celebrate our one year anniversary (again).  It was so wonderful and so relaxing.  I'll post some pics soon of our travels!
• My sister and her boyfriend (our friend Tommy) visited us in Austin since they were here in town for a wedding.  Great time together! 
• Bonus!  We got to have lunch with my parents on Sunday since they were here for a marriage conference.  So nice to all be together. 
• Blake headed to UMARMY with the church we grew up in.  He had a wonderful week serving. 
• We headed to East TX for our annual trip to Lake Quitman for the 4th of July with Blake's family
• We just got back from a wonderful trip to the Pacific Northwest.  We got to tack on a few days of vacation to a work trip.  We had some awesome time with Blake's family there and even got to explore Vancouver BC. 

I can't wait to share pictures and more stories about our summer adventures.  There has been so much going on!

This was a good week....

I can't believe Friday is already here!  This week flew by, but it's definitely been a good one. I don't usually sing the praises of my Monday-Fridays but this one was a good one.  I also know that this week is usually about my non-work life - but I wanted to share the great work week I had as well....

Sunday was spent catching up from the fun weekend and then spending some much needed down time with B since I kicked him out of the house all weekend for girls time.  He was such a good sport.  :)  We headed to church later that afternoon and then joined some friends for a Superbowl Party and indulged in some junk food.  My Superbowl highlights were the Usher cameo during the Black Eyed Peas halftime show and watching the hilarious commericals. 

Monday was a busy work day after having multiple distractions the week prior due the power outages and snow.  It felt good to check a lot off my to do list.  That night I made tasty dinner and we enjoyed a glass of wine too and just had some one on one time to catch up. Our sweet friend, Tina, joined us later too.  SO glad she came over! 

Tuesday morning I headed out early to a team meeting in San Antonio.  We stayed at Hotel Valencia on the Riverwalk.  A really productive meeting filled with good brainstorming sessions, team building and goal setting.  I love feeling motivated and energized to go be my best after meetings like that.  That evening, we went to the San Antonio rodeo to see Reba and eat tons of fair food.  I think I gained 20 pounds this week between the Rodeo and the Superbowl!  The best thing we ate was a fried PB&J.  YUM!

Wednesday we wrapped up our meeting session and then I drove back to Austin.  Blake and I had a nice dinner at home and then he headed off for his small group.  I had some awesome time with the Lord.  It's amazing how just being alone will quiet my heart and allow me to focus on Jesus.  I sipped on some decaf coffee and read cozied up under a blanket.  Just what I needed.  Why don't I do it more and more and more and more?  God's working on me in discipline and consistency.  Thank you Lord for grace.

Thursday evening was my night for small group.  We met for the first time last week, but had the full group this time around.  I am so blessed by the honesty, vulnerability and love of this group.  It's going to be a good one.  I know it.  A couple weeks back I wrote about craving the intimacy of the girls group I had in AZ.  Look what the Lord has now abundantly blessed me with!  He.  Is.  Good. 

And today, Friday, we both decided to take the day off to head to Shiner, Texas for a pre-birthday celebration for B.  I know we will be enjoying some BBQ and Beer and most of all eachother.  I love our roadtrips!  Can't wait to tell you about it when we get back!  Pre-Valentines dinner tonight too.  I can't wait to try this place....I've wanted to go there for years!  Yay for celebrations!

Here's to a great week and the start of a great weekend!

Today I'm thankful for...

A heater that is pumping warmth into our house!
A warm jacket and boots
Seat heaters
A satisfying bowl of corn chowder to warm your insides
Not having to be at an airport or traveling this week
A disciplined, hard working husband
An encouraging evening with girlfriends
A comfy bed to crawl into at the end of the day

Simple things.  All things that the Lord has provided.  I am thankful. 

Loosening My Grip

These verses calm my heart.....I'm so grateful for the Word and the way God uses it to change my heart, help me understand who He is, allow me to loosen the controlling grip I try to have on my life and surrender to Him.  His Word reaches deep into my soul. 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”  (Jeremiah 29: 11- 13)


“But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.” (Proverbs 1:33)


“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5)


“I will instruct you and teach you in the way should go; I will guide you with My eye.” (Psalm 32:8)

“For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death.” (Psalm 48:14)

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass … Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.” (Psalm 37:4,7)

Thank you sweet Jesus. 

Happy "Birthday" Dad!

Praising God for what He has done in my dad's life during these last 4 years. 
So proud of you Dad!  I love you!

In Honor of the Wednesdays....

I. Miss. These. Girls.

It seemed fitting to write about the "Wednesdays" on Wednesday.  These lovely ladies (several are missing from this pic) were some of my closest friends while we lived in Arizona.  Weekly, they brought truth, joy, laughter, comfort, celebration and true friendship into my life.  I miss this group for the tight knit community of women and the aspects of life we experienced together.  I think it's truly remarkable that such a large group of girls would meet together and do life together week after week together - especially at our age!

It's been so fun to see so many of these ladies have such exciting things in life happen to them in the past several years that i've know them.  Engagements, new jobs, weddings, decisions to go back to school, graduations, moving back home, etc.  I loved knowing their stories. 

So many of us have now moved away from Arizona.  We never quiet understood what God was doing as he gave and took away so many of these girls.  It was so hard to let go - but He was faithful in always providing more women to bless us.  These ladies were never replaced, God was just growing our circle.  Wednesdays always seemed to be a constant.  Even on the days I was tired and dragged my feet to get there, I was always glad I went in the end.

Kathy was a our fearless leader.  Weekly she poured hours of effort into teaching us the Word and bringing the text to life in a meaningful and applicable way.  She desired us to be intwined intimately and really be real with one another.  I love her love for Jesus, for us and her servant-hearted leadership that pointed us toward Christ. 

I'm continuing to pray for a community of women like this to surface in my life here in Texas.  I've certainly been blessed by a few here and there, but continue to pray for unity and community to grow more richly in our lives! 

I love and miss you Wednesdays!

2010 In Review

2010 has been one incredible year for me.  Just thinking through some of the highlights of my year, I'm blown away by God's goodness and rich blessings!  Hope you enjoy reading through this recap as much as I did reflecting on the year that's now behind us......

I started my 2010 as an engaged woman.  I kissed B on new years knowing that next new years I would be kissing him as his wife! Though we had a little longer of an engagement than we both would have liked, our pre-marriage counseling experience was most definitely one of my highlights of the year. We had the opportunity to sit in the home of Heath and Lisa Taylor and do life with them for weeks on end. We loved watching them parents their kids, talk through potential road blocks with us and pour truth and God's love into our minds and hearts.  We felt so loved and encouraged by the entire body of Old Town Bible during our engagement season. We grew so much as a couple during this time and I think this opportunity got us off to the best start possible in our new marriage.

Bittersweet, since we had to leave them, but definitely a highlight, were the friends and community that we had in Arizona.  From Old Town Bible to the large circle of friends we were blessed to call our own - God was overwhelmingly gracious to us in providing solid, meaningful relationships in our lives. We were honored that so many of our friends would travel to Austin for our wedding to celebrate us in April. I have so many great memories of potluck dinner parties, FBR golf weekends, hikes or even road trips to Cali.  I also had the sweet blessing to be near all of my grandparents, several cousins and aunts and uncles in Arizona.  I cherish that time we had while we lived there.    

In April we tied the knot.  Marrying the love of my life was by far the best highlight of 2010.  Our wedding day was everything I dreamed of, even with the rain, a day I will never forget.  I have been amazed by how much I've learned this year as we have started into our first months of marriage - about the Lord, about myself, about B and about us as a couple.  God's goodness has shown up in so many ways through this sweet and intimate blessing.  Marriage has been richer and deeper than I could have imagined.  I'm so blessed to be married to my very best friend for the rest of our lives. This takes the #1 spot for 2010, hands down. 

After our wedding day we took a wonderful honeymoon in Costa Rica.  We loved our stay there and felt like we only experienced the tip of the iceberg of all that you can do and see.  We had the perfect mix of relaxation and adventure with days spent by the pool enjoying our all-inclusive drinks in the cabana or taking surf lessons, snorkeling, kayaking, zip lining or exploring the volcanic mud-baths.  We wished it wouldn't end!  We are already planning our next beach trip to celebrate our one year anniversary!

Having the opportunity to move back to Texas this summer has been an unexpected and incredible blessing for the year.  We landed in a wonderful location in Central Austin on a fabulous street, with fantastic neighbors and have loved exploring this city once again as "adults".  We've had numerous visits by family and it has been so special to be able to go back and forth to see them and not have to hop on a plane to get there for a visit.  We've had the chance to travel to Blake's grandparent's house on Lake Quitman and have been able to venture home for other celebrations too!  This has been such a blessing and one that we did not expect to have happen in the way it all fell in place. 

Within a few weeks of coming back to Texas, God led us to Providence Church.  We felt like we had clear direction to be a part of the church as it was in the core team phase, looking to launch in early fall.  We were so blessed by the community that quickly loved and embraced us.  It felt like we were almost immediately surrounded by friends we felt we had known for a long, long time.  Providence is such a perfect name and so pertinent to what we have experienced by God's grace this year.  He's provided in so many ways for us and in ways we don't deserve. We are so excited about what God has in store for Providence!

This winter we spent our first holiday season as a married couple.  The biggest blessing is the way our families have blended so well together.  Our dads are nearly inseparable and love spending time together working on projects, racing their mustangs or just being "dudes."  I love that our moms are so similar, yet so uniquely different.  They also have enjoyed shopping and lunching together.  They knew each other through Bible study before Blake and I even considered dating!  The holidays were a wonderful time and each family made it so easy on us to be a part of all of the celebrations and really "share us" well.  After all of the horror stories you hear - we really have it easy.  So happy to be able to have both families under the same roof on many occasions as well. We couldn't have asked for a better situation.

There are so many other highlights that have made 2010 wonderful.  To name a few...but I know there are so many more....Visits from Loren or Jen to Austin; weekly date nights to musicals, the ballet, concerts or trying out new restaurants; a getaway weekend in San Diego before we moved; weekends filled with hikes and being in the great outdoors; seeing almost all of my family this year between 2 family weddings; standing up for my cousin Jessie at her wedding in Chicago; traveling to some amazing hotels and sites this year for work including the Trump Tower; having a stable job and the opportunity to start a brand new role and build it from the ground up; having a fantastic bachelorette party in Austin - a weekend not to forget!; and a second 80's themed party in Scottsdale; throwing showers and attending weddings for several dear friends; the list goes on!

So, so, so blessed by 2010.  Can't wait to see what's in store for 2011.

Our First (Married) Christmas

Blake and I have spent quite a few other Christmases together as a dating couple, but this year was our first time to have our first official married Christmas together! It was a really special holiday season celebrating the birth of Christ. One of my favorite traditions that we experienced this year was Advent at church. It was such a great time reflecting on anticipation and hope of God sending His son to earth in the form of a man. It truly prepared my heart for the season and what it is truly about.

 We have had a tradition during the last couple of years to have a "Holidate" together. This year, my sweet husband, took me to see the Nutcracker after a nice dinner at La Condessa, a restaurant we have been wanting to try. Blake had never been to the Nutcracker before. My favorite post ballet comment was, "Those guys have an easy job; how hard is it to life a 90 pound girl? The hardest thing those guys have to do is wear those tights!" He's a funny one. I enjoyed the show and it certainly got me in the spirit of the holidays. La Condessa was delish! If you go - I highly recommend their ceviche.

We also enjoyed a few holiday parties, including a progressive dinner block party, a white elephant gift exchange with our Gospel Community Group and each had a company party to enjoy. No wonder December flew by! We also had fun decorating our home together. It was fun to combine some of the decorations that we have each been passed down from our families. One of our generous neighbors loaned us their Christmas tree and with some help from my mom we pulled together some decorations for a woodland inspired tree. I'm still enjoying how it turned out and how festive it looks around here. B also did a wonderful job decorating the outside of the house with luminarias and big bulb white lights. Watching Elf while we decorated makes any task more fun!

We headed home to our parents' a few days before Christmas with wrapped presents and several batches of cookies in tow. It was a relaxing few days spent taking walks, prepping for the holiday meals, heading to the movies, playing with cousins and wrapping a few more gifts. Our families bless us in such a big way since they make it so easy on us to get from one house to another during the holidays without missing out on too much.

For Christmas eve we had dinner with my aunt and uncle and Tommy joined our family too. We had fabulous BBQ Shrimp. I hope this becomes our new tradition! Afterwards, the Parrish, Moseley and Erwin families came over for desserts, coffee and Brandy Alexanders. YUM! It was so nice to have everyone together. We made it all the way to 11pm (after a few cups of coffee) for church at KUMC, then headed to bed with Sugar Plums dancing in our heads!

Christmas morning might have been one of my favorite memories of our trip home. Dad woke us up with the traditional Winter Wonderland medley. He handed us each a spoon and we danced around the house. Blake was a bit overwhelmed, but he caught on fast :). We dug into our stockings and had traditional breakfast casserole and Blake's family's Cream Cheese Bread as we unwrapped gifts.

We quickly cleaned up and then headed to the Parrish's. We were excited to not miss Paul and Whit before they had to leave and we all opened our gifts together. It was so sweet of them to wait so I could enjoy watching them open their gifts (that's my favorite part!). Another treat was the fact that the Brown family joined us for Christmas Dinner. I've never had the chance to celebrate with a friend before and it was so great to catch up! We had an incredible meal and spent a relaxing afternoon sitting around the table chatting.

Next we headed to Don and Jill's house for my family's dinner. The kids were going crazy over their new toys and loving playing with their cousins. Too cute. I missed my cousins and it was great to have a chance to chat and hear what's been going on with them. The Parrishes came over (grandparents too!) afterwards to taste test our cookies and watch some football while some of the boys sat by the fire.

We were exhausted by the time 9pm rolled around and headed home to relax and go to bed. It was such a nice day overall. I will cherish our very first Christmas together!

Will you take me back?

Dear readers,

....or maybe there aren't any at all.....I honestly could be just throwing words out there into a black abyss.  But I've decided that's completely okay.  I think this blog is more for me than for anyone else.  (Well  maybe for my parents who enjoy reading to know the details of what we have been up to).  I have had a couple requests to start writing again - so thanks to those who have encouraged me to get back in gear!

At any rate, if you are out there, will you take me back and forgive me for being gone for so long?  I've once again shown you my lack of commitment to this blog.  I can't believe I haven't written since this summer! 

So much has changed since then and lots of exciting things have happened in our lives.  We are settling into our new marriage (quite nicely if I say so myself).  We've learned so much about each other in the last several months.  Already into month 8, we have managed to weather the storm of a relocation to Austin, Texas, new roles at work and jumping into a new community and new church.  We are loving being back closer to family - just 3 hours away.  We have already spent a couple weekend with each set of parents and cherished not having to get on a plane to travel for the holidays.  God has been so faithful to us in this time.  He's provided wonderful friends here in Austin and a church we are so grateful to be a part of.  We also love our home and exploring new parts of Austin that I never touched as a college student. 

TFTN has a new look for the new year.  I decided I wanted to take it a more simple route.  I'm hoping to still include more pictures as I write in coming months as well.  Would love to know what you think!

Bye for now!

Ashley in AZ!

My sweet friend Ashley is coming to visit me this weekend. I couldn't be more excited! Ashley lives in the Czech Republic and is on staff with Young Life there. She has been serving there since we graduated college -faithfully and diligently. She LOVES LOVES LOVES the Lord. Her heart bends toward Jesus and she loves others with passion and grace. Ashley and I have been friends since high school. We are birthday twins too!

Ashley is home for a few weeks to see her brother graduate and be a part of one of her friend's weddings. I am so honored that she would choose to come and spend some time with us in Phoenix. I will cherish the short but sweet time we have together! Here are some fun pics of us through the years....

Ash and I at Thanksgiving at the Brown's our Senior Year of college

Ash visited me in Austin all the way from Mizzou!

This picture is just funny now.....ohhh how things have changed. (This is the night where Blake and I realized we had a little spark that we never knew about!)
I can't wait to spend some quality time together and show her a great time in the Valley of the Sun!

Wedding Rewind: The Week Before

Since I took a little break from blogging during the month before and after my wedding, I wanted to take a little time and put all my thoughts on paper so I can remember every detail I possibly can to archive it all. I'm not much of a journaler these days....I think my blog is turning into my journal for the most part. I'm more of a verbal processor - so this can be my keepsake mostly for me - but also for anyone else who might be out there reading our story....

The week before the wedding B & I headed to Houston to be with our families and prepare and prep for the upcoming festivities. We actually flew home on my dad's birthday. I rarely get to spend birthdays with my family since I live so far away, but it was really special to actually be able to celebrate him in person. When we got into Hobby, Paul and Whit picked us up and we all decided to grab some lunch together and catch up. We ate some sliders and sat outside on a very cloudy and windy day. I don't' think it really hit me that I can come to Texas this time as a single girl and I would be leaving as a married woman. It had finally arrived, we had finally arrived - but it didn't seem like it was here at all. All I really could think about was the to do list in the back of my mind and the looming dooming weather forecast that I incessantly kept checking on my iphone. Anxiety.

Our dads ended up joining us for lunch after they had spent the morning racing their mustangs together. It's amazing what great friend they have become and how many similar interests and passions they have. Some people say that this is one of the biggest challenges in getting married, but for us we have been blessed to have an extremely easy merger of our two families. They have become close friends during our dating years and it's been so fun to watch. Thankful.

The next few days were spent in Kingwood. My mom and I wrapped up some last minute projects. We honestly didn't have a ton to do because of my parents incredible efforts to organize, reorganize and inventory every single piece of decor we had DIY'd together and separately. We got plucked, pedicured, waxed (torture) and spray tanned - all of those girly things a bride and her mom must do to get ready for the big day. It almost felt like we were getting ready for homecoming or a dance competition like we used to in high school. We shopped for finishing touches for our rehearsal dinner outfits and just spent some much needed girly time together. It was so nice to spend some one on one mother daughter time. I had missed my best friend - the world feels right with her by my side. That's what moms do for us. Grateful.

Unfortunately, the wedding stress seemed inevitable for all of us. We had been working so so hard on this "event" for the last 11 months and we wanted all of our hard work to come to fruition. To be honest, I think the dreadful forecast was the biggest stressor. My dad was our rock and our glue during those days. We came close to high stress-near breakdowns but he was able to put things in perspective for his two emotional ladies, calm us down and help us tackle what was left to be done. He's so constant in his emotions and so amazingly rationale and logical. I'm thankful for that in him. So many of those characteristics I can find in B too...I guess people say you marry someone like your dad. :) I ran to let my stress out. Boy did I run. I'm not usually much of a stamina runner, but it was the perfect way for me to clear my head and focus on what was truly important - Jesus and the fact that He lead me to this week where I was going to get to marry Blake. That's all that really mattered. Exhale.

Mid week B & I got to have one last date night together as an engaged couple. Our friends Jordan and Chris did this and we thought it would be a great idea to do the same. It was so great to step away - not talk about wedding details and have some quiet time together. Over a glass of wine and some fish on the lake we sat across the table, grinning from ear to ear about what was about to happen in a matter of days. Giddy.

My Uncle Don had called us and asked if we wanted to come up a day early to Austin. He thought it would be a good idea for us to have a little extra time to get all the things we had planned to do done before our guest started to arrive at the hotel. Mindy & Nathan were kind enough to open their home for us once more. We toyed with the idea and then decided to take him up on his advice. Wednesday night we packed up the car with all of the bins, boxes, bags and wagons full of decor and gifts and made the trek to the ATX. It's starting.

The drive was incredibly beautiful. I was in Austin 5 weeks prior for my bachelorette weekend and everything still looked dead and suppressed by winter. This was so different, what a contrast. My mom best described it as if, "God had taken a paint brush and placed splashes of vibrant color on a sea of green." The wildflowers were eye popping beautiful. Even if we did have a gray & rainy wedding day - we were going to have a colorful one as we were getting married at the Wildflower Center. We worshiped Him and His creation during our 3 hour drive. I know he knew we needed to see His beauty. He's so good to us. Awestruck.

We were greeted by excited cousins, aunts, uncles and God children. It gave me so much peace to be with my family as soon as we arrived. I jumped on the trampoline with my second-cousins and held my God-daughter. Not the most "bridal" thing to do - but having to redo my nail polish for wedding day was well worth the giggles and laughter and time with those sweet kiddos. We got calls from more family that had gotten into town. Excitement was building. It still didn't feel like they were all here for me and B. I felt like someone else was getting married or graduating and everyone happened to be in town for the event. Could this really be for us? Surreal.

Avery let me sleep in her bedroom so I could get a good night's sleep. Everyone knows that it is the princess room according to miss Avery. I guess being the bride gives you special treatment. Again, it just didn't feel like all this excitement, planning, travel, and fuss was supposed to be over me. Humbled.

I was up the next morning early - restless with so much running through my mind. I broke open my computer, cleared out a few work emails, checked the forecast (still not looking too promising) once again and then starting writing B the card that I had planned to give him on our wedding day before I walked down the aisle. Tears were flowing. I just couldn't wait any longer to be his wife and they day was almost here! I was so so so ready to have all of the wedding to do lists and tasks behind me and just be his wife. That's what I really wanted from day one of our engagement. It's amazing how much we had to get through and get done in order to get to this day. It does seem silly in hindsight. I calmed my stomach with some out of this world breakfast tacos (Austin's specialty) and then my mom and I jumped in the car to go drop off my dress to be pressed and then check into the hotel. On the way out the door the kids joyfully and proudly handed me some pictures they drew for me. Carter had drawn B & I at the alter on our wedding day and Caroline & Avery gave me some beautiful shapes and scribbles on pink and purple paper. Too sweet. I'm ready get this show on the road. Here we go.

We got to our room and checked out the suite and waited for the dads to arrive with the bar supplies and snacks for our guests. Mac arrived in ATX after her drive from Houston this morning. I was greeted with a huge hug and a well stocked survival kit - what a fabulous maid of honor. It was so good to finally get to see her. We grabbed a tea and a latte and she and I walked to a nearby nail salon to fix up the mess I made the night before and get some sister time before the chaos started. The lovely ladies of my bridal party were on their way from their various cities. The texts were flying in. I was so excited to get to see them all and have so many people that I care about in one space. I was truly trying to savor every moment. It still didn't feel real - entirely. The butterflies were starting but my head and my stomach hadn't yet connected and to let me in on the fact that this was actually happening. The last of my quiet moments were wrapping up... deep breaths.

To be continued.

Backyard Gems

These little beauties are blooming in our pond this week. I think spring is still holding on and trying to not let summer rear its ugly head in the PHX. These make my day along with this perfectly wonderful weather. Nothing is better than still being able to sleep with your windows open at the end of May.