Friday, May 4, 2012

From The Beginning!

We have decided to move to Dallas!  Makes it sound like we just spontaneously decided that ha.  This has actually almost been a year in the making.  We got back from our wonderful cruise last June and were super down in the dumps for about 2 weeks after that, it was just so neat to go somewhere new and beautiful.  We asked ourselves why we live here, we don't have to.  Of course our friends, family and jobs play a huge part in that but we were bored.  Bored of going to the same old places we've been visiting since we were kids, bored of the ugly scenery around here, bored and tired of this dry windy weather.

We love our friends, family and jobs! It's going to break our hearts to leave them but if we don't do it now we will never go.  We have roots here and if we stay any longer they will get too deep and we will never be able to pull them out.  We can't always go but we can always come back!  Landon's work was sooo understanding and he is extremely sad to be leaving them but even the CEO told him if we ever came back he'd have a job with them.  Oh what a blessing that job and those people have been to us!  I don't want to be pulling Brielle out of Junior High or High School, so it's important for us to decide where we want to be for the long term now. 

It has been amazing to sit back and watch God work out all the details.  He has made it easy and made it clear we are making the right decision.  I have peace knowing he will always take care of us! 

Here is our junk, Holy cow did we accumulate so much more since our last move!
 

Neely concerned, actually she was thirsty...she sits in the tub to try to tell us she needs a drink.

Almost packed

Brad, Kenneth and Trent helping us load up

Ok now she's concerned Ha!  She gets nervous when we pack like we're gonna leave her.

   I had my wisdom teeth taken out the Monday before we moved, then on Wednesday I got severe strep throat.  It was awful, I was hardly any help or packed a thing.
My mom had us over for dinner since I hadn't cooked in days.

Colombian Cuisine!

Landon's parents helped us pack up, they even cleared the driveway of pesky tumbleweeds.
That thing was ginormous!  

My sister Sherry Ann and her boyfriend James helped us so much. She almost cleaned my whole house!
 

We loved that home and if it was the only house we ever got we would still feel extremely blessed!




This was the hardest thing to leave behind.  How do you leave the house you brought your baby home to!?  Landon and I just stood in her room and cried.  Special memories will forever be in our hearts anytime we look at this picture!  When we brought B home from the hospital and when we showed her, her room she was just in awe.  She was so peaceful, just looking around at all the colors taking it all in.
  Sweetest thing!

Goodbye 6506 Nick St.

My sweet friend Trena spoiled us with food!  She made us a delicious meatloaf, sides and soup.  She is always offering to help me with anything.  She has one of the most giving hearts.
 People always say, "let me know if you need anything"
 sometimes I can't help but feel they are just saying that,
but with Trena...I know she means it!

Of course Khara was right there to help too!  I remember 6 years ago, a month or two before I got married a huge fire broke out in a field not far from my parents house.  They asked people to evacuate ...guess who called me and was super worried about all my wedding stuff and my dress.  My best friend of course.  Khara was already headed to my house to help pack stuff into her big SUV.


Ever since that day when I think of Khara I think of this song!  I don't know any other way to describe her..... ok yes I do...... but this is so her!


You find out who your friends are
Somebody's gonna drop everything
Run and crank up their car
Hit the gas, get there fast
Never stop to think 'what's in it for me?' or 'it's way too far'
They just show on up with their big old heart
You find out who your friends are


.............That's My Khara!


Hart, Kole and Brielle

This is her future husband you know!

We sold our house (for sale by owner mind you) in 2 weeks! 2 weeks! If that isn't God's hand then I don't know what is!  Landon's dad has a rent house right next door to his home.  The lady who lived there had been there for about 10 years.  When all the sudden she just couldn't afford it anymore and moved out a week before we had to be out of our house. So once again the Lord made a way and we were able to move in.  No pet deposit, no neighbors smoking up a storm and it flooding into our apartment, no 30 day notice.  It was perfect!  Only problem...it was only 500 square feet haha!
 

Our new home......


Welcome to our living room/bedroom...there was only one bedroom and we decided to put Brielle in there.  It was a little crammed.


 Society makes you think you need bigger and better all the time....that you've outgrown your house or outgrown your car.  It's so stupid. Now I'm not opposed to moving up and getting bigger and better things, if you can afford it and your doing it for yourself and not to impress or keep up with others.  Lord knows I like my fancy things.  I just don't ever want to get to the point where I think I NEED or DESERVE that stuff.  I can get by with so much less.  We are so very blessed to live in a country where we don't have to!   You realize what little you can live without and how simple things can be when you're forced to live that way. We were just fine too!  Sure I had a couple of moments where I was a little down with adjusting to our new situation and it was annoying not having a dish washer or garage or enough counter space for me to cook on, but it just makes you that much more thankful!

I've always been one to feel extremely blessed and proud to have everything I do.
Others may look at us and think..."your stuffs not that great and your not that rich."
Compared to a lot of people probably not, but I feel rich, not in money...just in everything!
 I'm beyond thankful for all that I have and for all the wonderful people in my life!

 In a weird way Landon and I kinda liked making ourselves suffer a little bit, We don't want to forget what really matters in life, and it's not our stuff, even though I like my stuff.  I wish Brielle was older so she could have learned a good lesson from all this.  Many people do live like this for real and even waaaaay worse.  It would have been neat to point that out to her and have her experience it but know that she is one of the lucky ones who will get a house again....that we chose to live like this, others less fortunate don't.

That darn heater....You know how windy it gets around here...well every time the wind got bad the heater would go out and Landon would have to light it again!  So you know that happened a lot!  Remember, we were living there November through January, worst months for that to happen in Ha!  We're crazy!

Our bathroom slash my closet!
 

This is normally where the washer and dryer would go, but those were in storage and since we lived right next door to my in laws they graciously let me use their washer and dryer.

Brielle's room...Landon's clothes were in the closet.  This was just our winter stuff, we had to pack all our spring and summer clothes.

Brielle's clothes hung in the corner of her room.

Since there was not bathtub, we bought a storage container and that's what Brielle took her baths in.  Boy are we gonna look back in a few years and just laugh at the ghettoness we lived in!  Can you believe we chose this, we are crazy haha.....actually we're just cheap frugal.

Our storage unit

I do miss my stuff, we worked hard for that stuff!

So if moving once wasn't enough...my mother moved to Dallas and my daddy wanted us to move in with him and help with the transition and cause he felt sorry for us living in such small quarters ha.
  After living in a 500 sqft home for 3 months a regular home sounded pretty good.

Dad brought B and I breakfast in bed before we moved again, Hud's my favorite!
 

Poor James.  We keep telling Sherry Ann he's gonna leave her just so he doesn't have to move her family every 10 minutes haha!

My dad moved into one of the spare rooms and gave us the master.  Their master is huge. considering we lived in a normal house we pretty much had the same set up as the rent house haha.  We were just as crammed.  Only difference is I had a kitchen with tons of counter space, a dishwasher and we were able to put one car in the garage!

Welcome to our living room slash bedroom.
 
 
Now my sister still lives at home therefor all the bedrooms were taken...so where do you put the two year old.  The master bathroom of course.  I can't help but bust out laughing while I type this.
 It sounds so ridiculous!  Bless her heart...
Brielle I promise someday soon you will have a wonderful room of your own again. 

I foresee about two more moves ahead of us before we get where we're going.  Lord help us.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Lot's Going On

We have had a busy past couple weeks so I'm gonna squeeze it all into one post.
A couple of weekends ago we took another mini trip to Dallas.  I got to see my aunt who I haven't seen in 7 years and my cousin Oscar who I haven't seen in 14 years, since I went to visit Colombia!  He still looks the same, isn't he handsome!

I finally got Daddy out of the house to go watch one of Landon's softball games.

Someone was very proud of her Daddy
 

We've had some beautiful weather this summer.  Can't wait to go to the pool, in the meantime a tub of water will have to do.
 
 
 

CHEESE!

That ball is about as big as the Eskimo, but she loves it,
 she'll drag it around everywhere and into the house even.
 
 

Party on the patio with some great friends.

University sing was last we, We were dressed to support the Chi O's!
 
 
 

She was just clapping away!  She kept asking, where's the Chi Omegas? haha!
 
 
 
Now the dancing begins!  She was watching the girls on stage and trying to mimic their every move.

 

Dinner with Gigi and Gannpa.

Oh how I'm gonna miss that big baby belly when it's gone ha!

Blow them a kiss.
 

That clump of blanket next to her is her baby all wrapped up tight.  She's such a good little mommy!
 


Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Last Amarillo Bible Study and Softball Game

This week was my last mom's bible study here in Amarillo.  I have soooo enjoyed spending my Monday mornings with these women.  There are some pretty inspirational ones in the group!   I'm so blessed to be able to do these types of things during the week, there's nowhere else I'd rather be!

This semester we studied "Resolution for Women" by Patricia Shirer.  It has been my favorite book so far, I highly recommend you read it.  It is very easy reading and applies to every aspect of your life. I fell in love with this book, I've never taken so many notes of marked up so many pages in my life!

Here are some of my favorite highlights from some of the chapters in the book.....

Surprisingly Satisfied: By staying surprisingly satisfied you give yourself permission to enjoy fully the things you have, the person you are, and the life you're currently living while continuing to harbor the dreams that keep you growing and stretching into the future.

Purposefully Feminine:  You, God's woman, are designed both strong and vulnerable.  Powerful yet tender. More than able yet willing to yield.  You are smart, wise, capable, equal in worth and secure in yourself as you relate to others yet content in your God-given role.

Authentically Me:  In God's eyes-the one who chose you, set you apart, and appointed you to bear fruit.  He has loved you enough to make you like no other, and He's given you a  task that is yours alone to complete with His abundant help and empowerment.
RESOLVE TO BE YOU, THE WAY HE LOVED CREATING YOU.
  ( I just love that phrase!!! I want Brielle to always remember that especially when she is a teenager)

My Best:  To resolve to offer the best of yourself is not a call to perfectionism.  You are invited into a life of wholeness and completeness.  That's what the biblical word of perfect means.

Loving My Children:  A mother is the child's soul shaper.  This is her life's work, and she protects her investment at all costs.  She refuses to allow the pollutants of mindless entertainment, vile suggestions, and godless teaching to take center stage in her children's psych.  She doesn't take the night off by sending her "life's work" over to someone's home she barely knows or letting them participate in an event where she's not clear on the kind of activities and supervision will be offered.

Loving My Husband:  To be Quiet. In Greek means hesychois.  And much to my delight doesnt' mean to be silent, never uttering a work or offering an opinion.  It means to be well ordered, to live a peaceable and discreet life, thus lightening the task of the one in authority.  Lightening the load of your husband.

Living With Grace:  Grace my definition is "favor or kindness expressed to the undeserving."  It means giving someone a break when it's the last thing they deserve to get.  When people in your home and life know that you won't look down on them or lord their inadequacies over them, you have given them a great gift.  An overflow of the gift given to you. Grace.  The gift of being able to stay authentic,
knowing they'll be accepted just as they are. 
Give them a break
I know they don't deserve it.
But neither did you.
Grace came anyway.

On another note...look who came to work with me this week!  I love my little job!
 
 

Are you done yet mom!? I'm so bored!

And my awesome sweet boss/friend brought me treats!

Landon played his last softball game in Amarillo this week.  9 years of softball here.  Kinda sad.

Oh and I just had to post pictures of my kid who dressed herself haha. She was already wearing that shirt but she pulled those big ole pants up to her waist and put that crazy headband on her head haha!

She's gonna hate me someday for posting these!