Best of 2011!

WOW! Reagan and I cannot believe 2011 is coming to an end.  It has been a crazy fun year and we cannot wait to see what 2012 has in-store for us! Here are the top TEN things we want to remember from 2011:

1) We celebrated One Year of Marriage... A rough first year, but it was worth it all to be on the journey of getting closer with each other.

2) I graduated from TCU!! Go Frogs!! It was a crazy ride while there, but I am so glad that I graduated with a bachelors of child development... wouldn't have it any other way!

3) We moved from Mansfield to San Antonio.  This was bitter-sweet... We hated to be leaving all our sweet friends, but were very excited for the new chapter of our lives to begin in San Antonio.

4) Reagan started a new job as a oil and gas equipment salesman and has loved every minute of his job... he is amazing at it and it is great to see him smile!

5) I was given the opportunity to work with an incredible elementary school and work along side such a wonderful Godly lady.  I have met so many great people on this journey and I wouldn't change loving on the sweet kids in our class for a second!

6) We found a church that we are proud to call our church home.  Through Crossbridge, God is showing us what we need in a church right now and that is so comforting.  Excited to be joining and becoming members in 2012!

7) I started an amazing bible study on Wednesday nights with an incredible group of women.  I do not know what I would do without these ladies... we have laughed, cried and rejoiced with each other. Cannot wait to see what God has in-store for this group of ladies for 2012!

8) The large forest fire that occurred in San Antonio because of the drought (literally behind our townhouse in the field) caused us to evacuate for hours... so scary and made our townhouse smell like a burning fire pit for days!

9) All the dinners we have had with family and the events we have been able to be apart of has been incredible.  So glad we are back in San Antonio and able to make such wonderful memories with our families.

10) My dad fell from a 12ft ladder this Friday, December 30th while trying to trim a branch in my parent's backyard. He shattered the bones and joints in his right arm/wrist and had to have a 5 1/2 hour surgery today to put all the pieces back together.  This is not a happy memory but definitely how we ended this year.  We spent all today in the hospital (with our incredible closest friends and family) praying for him and the surgeons to have the wisdom they needed.  The doctors feel that the metal plates, screws and metal bars that were placed in his arm/wrist should help the healing process to begin.  I am just so blessed to have my dad here with us today, because I know the accident could have been so much worse.  2012 will bring physical therapy for him and wearing a cast for several months.  Tears come to my eyes knowing that God and my dad's guardian angels were watching over him when he fell and that I get to spend another year with my dad... praying for full recovery as we bring in the New Year.

This year has been great and we cannot wait to see what God has in-store for 2012.

We hope everyone has a blessed beginning to 2012!

"The unfailing love of the LORD never ends!  By His mercies we have been kept from complete destruction.  Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each day.  I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!'" -- Lamentations 3:22-24

Love Christmas Break

The perk to working in the education system is having a holiday break just like the kids.  It is so nice to have these weeks to just unwind and not have a strict schedule to live by!  It has been nice to not have to wake up to an alarm, sleep as late as I would like and just enjoy the time off... oh and study for my certification test... the time is coming... January 3rd is right around the corner-- please keep praying for me and this test and that I will pass on the first try!

So our Christmas break has been packed to the brim thus far.  We started off in Nebraska, where there was no snow yet again this year (I must be bad luck).  It was nice to spend time with Reagan's mom, step dad and little sisters... these two are the perfect age to Love Christmas... it was so great to see their child like excitement.  We flew back on Christmas day (which was definitely not my favorite thing)... it was a long day of flying and I was exhausted by the time we made it back to San Antonio.  Though, it was nice to hug my family and to see how excited they were to have us back.

Once we got back on Christmas day, my family had cooked a big dinner for us and Reagan's dad, step mom and brothers came too.  It was nice just to visit and relax after a long day of flying.  After dinner we opened presents -- man we were spoiled this year!  We all got some amazing and thoughtful gifts!

To end our Christmas celebrations, last night we had dinner at Reagan's Nana's house.  She is such a good cook and it is so great to see her face light up when she has us all over.  This year, she decided that she did not want to give us money, but to buy personal gifts for all of us.  It was so great to see the smile on her face when we opened our gifts because she really enjoyed shopping for us that much!!  I loved that she got me my personalized necklace that I created off Etsy... she did a wonderful job!

We are glad the celebrations of Christmas are over, and we are excited to see what the New Year will bring... I cannot believe 2012 is just around the corner... does not even seem possible.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful time celebrating with friends and family... there is so much to be grateful for.

OH... and there are tons of pictures to come!!  I received a wonderful high tech camera from my hubby for Christmas so I am becoming the photog princess.. so I took pictures galore! Love it!

Before I forget (sorry for the long post) -- PLEASE PRAY for Reagan's aunt.  She is in ICU and has pneumonia, but they also think a bacteria has entered into her blood stream and is causing her to have very high fevers and she experienced a 20 minute seizure last night.  Please pray that the doctors will have wisdom to understand what is attacking her body, that her children and family will feel the Peace of the Lord at this scary time, and that God will provide a divine health miracle in her circumstance, and will bring her back to good health.   Thank you for the prayers in advance... they are much appreciated!

"Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.  Remember the wonders He has done, His miracles, and the judgments he pronounced." -- 1 Chronicles 16:11-12

What a week.

Have you ever felt like you are being pulled in 15 million different directions?!  That is definitely how I have felt for the past couple of weeks... like I am being pulled way too thin and I am about to go crazy!! With school coming to a break for Christmas the kids get crazier by the minute and I am literally counting down to next Tuesday at 3 pm when the break officially begins.  Not only are the kids ready to be out but I think all the teachers are too... we are just tired! Along with crazy kids during the day, there have been so many holiday parties for school and with Reagan that we haven't had a free night in a while.  Do not get me wrong we have loved celebrating the holiday season with friends and family, but we also like our normal routine.. at least I do! ;) I love this time of year but I am ready for things to get back to normal and calm down just a little bit.

Though, through the craziness of this time of year, I am constantly stopping to remind myself that Jesus is the reason for this season.  Let me tell you-- there have been moments when I needed this reminder because I just couldn't shop anymore and just could not wrap another present.  So today, I am putting in the forefront of my mind that when the craziness gets to me just Remember all that Jesus has done for me and Celebrate in His love... because if I let the craziness take over this season I will really forget what this Season is SUPPOSED to be about... Our Wonderful Lord and Savior!

Praise the Lord tomorrow is Friday! I hope everyone has a fabulous Thursday!!

"Thank you Lord for reminding me daily that you are the reason for this season.  May my focus be fixed on YOU in the days to come."

It's beginning to look a lot like....

Here in San Antonio, it is beginning to look and feel a lot like Christmas!  Last night, the celebrations began and we kicked off with my work Christmas party.  It was so nice to see all my school teacher friends outside of work and having a good time and not worrying about students!  It was also fun to meet the husbands of teachers I know!  Such a fun time with my school family last night!!

Today, we woke up to cold and rainy weather and it has been like that all day.  So after church today, Reagan and I came home and started decorating for Christmas.  We finished tonight and our house definitely has Christmas cheer.  Since it was so cold out today, we decorated with a fire going, coffee in hand and Christmas music playing.  I love Christmas, but Reagan is a fanatic about it.  So it is so fun to watch how excited he gets about decorating and how precise he is about our tree -- this is definitely a characteristic he gets from his mom because she LOVES Christmas too!

~Christmas Tree 2011~

Today was wonderful, and I am glad I got to spend it with my hubby.  So nice to have the house decorated for Christmas and the festivities beginning.

This is how we kept warm today while decorating for Christmas!!

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! Enjoy this holiday season and remember what Christmas is all about!!

“So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.” Luke 2:16-18 

Thankful Thoughts

This year, Reagan and I have so much to be thankful for.  Though, this week off from school (I definitely missed my little pre-k cuties) went by in an absolute blur.  With so many different families that we needed to see everything just flew by so fast, though this week we were able to reflect on all that God has given us and we have been so blessed!

We are so thankful to be back in San Antonio with our family.  It is so nice to spend time with all of them and just pour into each other.  We love family dinners and getting to see our family whenever we want... so special and so wonderful.

We are so grateful for our jobs.  Reagan absolutely loves his and still has the ability to work and also work on his seminary degree.  I love my job and all the wonderful people I have met and the opportunity this year has given me to get my foot in the door for a full time teach job next year... hopefully fingers crossed and praying I pass my certification test on Jan. 3rd -- would LOVE all the prayers I could get!

We are grateful for our friends.  Though we miss those that live far away, we are grateful for old friends we are getting to reconnect with and our sweet friends that we are getting to keep in touch with in different states thanks to technology!!

We are grateful for our wonderful townhouse and the memories that we are making here.  Even though we are looking forward to the day that we will buy our first home, we are loving the coziness of our townhome.

We are so grateful that Jesus went to the cross for us and died for our sins... what a gift we were given that we did not even deserve.  How gracious our Father is -- so grateful for grace and unconditional love!

We are grateful for the availability to travel and see Reagan's mom and step-dad and sisters.  Though, we are hoping that this summer will bring them closer and that there will not be anymore plane rides for us in our future because they will be living in San Antonio, Texas!!

We are grateful for good food, friends and laughter... what could possibly be better?!

We are grateful for this new season of life and the plans God has already shown us and we are anxious to see what is to come in the next seasons of life.

We are so grateful for the love God has given us as a couple.  I am so grateful that my husband loves me through the good and the bad and I love him the same way.  It has been such a great journey (not easy) but we are loving learning how to love each other more and having each other to share the journey with along the way.

We have so much to be grateful for and we feel blessed beyond measure.  We thank the Lord each day for the many blessings that He has given us and we cannot wait to see what life holds for us in the future!  I hope everyone has had a Wonderful Thanksgiving holiday getting to spend time with the ones they love most and making memories -- we definitely have enjoyed our week of loving on each other and loving on the ones we love most!



Psalm 107:1 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

To Nebraska Only ONE will Go

So Wednesday night after women's bible study I started feeling yuck.  I just thought my allergies were acting up and that everything would be fine with a little sleep.  Well throughout the night I kept waking up and my left ear was throbbing.  I just thought maybe I had slept on it wrong and tried to go back to sleep.
Thursday morning came and when I woke up I definitely wasn't feeling 100% but thought that it was just allergies (still) and a little cold so I got dressed for work and went about my day.  By about 1 pm yesterday I started feeling really worn down and thought "WOW, I need a nap!!"  By 4 pm when I met my mom to get my nails and toes done for the event in Nebraska, I felt like I had been hit by a train.  According to my mom I also looked like a train had ran over me -- I was so weak and exhausted and my body just hurt.  All week, kids in are classroom have been sick or been out because they were sick.  I knew sooner or later I was going to catch whatever they had, but I didn't think I would feel this horrible. By last night, it hurt to swallow and by 8:30 pm bed was calling my name... so I climbed in and tried to fall asleep and eventually succeeded... it seemed to take forever, but Reagan said I was out the minute I laid down.
This morning my sweet hubby got me up and took me to the doctor.  In my mind I thought I just had a really bad sinus infection... because I keep getting them quite frequently lately!  For the past couple of months, I have been sick with sinus infections and just haven't been able to get to 100% after I take all my medicine... so when I got to the doctor he wanted to take some blood work just to make sure that my immune system was okay and that I was able to fight whatever I was sick with since I have been getting sick a lot lately.  I told him that a lot of the kids in my class have been sick and he decided he wanted to run a strep test just in case, but thought I only had a really bad viral infection.
Well we were both wrong-- I tested POSITIVE for strep and my count was very high... it took him aback that I even had strep because I didn't have all the symptoms, but he said that the results (for testing positive) were so high he was surprised I didn't have fever -- Yes, we can all conclude I have a very weird body!! So he wrote me a prescription for a Z-pack, lots of rest and fluids and told me I was RESTRICTED from FLYING. 
When he said this last thing I almost started crying in his office...  RESTRICTED from FLYING?!?! You have got to be kidding me!!!! Reagan and I have looked forward to this trip to Nebraska to be there for his mom's event for so long.... holding back the tears was hard to do, but I managed not to until Reagan and I got in the car and then there was no holding back.  He preceded to tell me that he just didn't feel like it was a good idea for me to get on a plane since I have been sick a lot lately and there are so many nasty Germs on planes that he was afraid I would get even more sick (which is definitely not what I want).  He also said that no one would want to sit next to me on the plane if they knew I was contagious with strep throat... which if I was sitting next to someone on the plane that had that I would be freaking out and putting anti-bacterial on my hands every 5 seconds.
He told me to call the airline and ask for paperwork to be sent to his office to say that I had been restricted from flying per doctor's orders so that we could get reimbursed for my ticket.  So, Reagan calls American Airlines and let's them know the situation.  They tell him they stopped doing reimbursements a while back and that all he could do was refund him half of what my ticket costs and that the other half would go to being charged for not being able to fly on my designated flights today-- awesome, punish me because my doctor says I am contagious and can't fly --- that sounds like a brilliant idea... NOT!  It is definitely not my fault that I cannot fly and that my doctor doesn't want me getting on the plane and getting others sick or for me to get even more sick... doesn't make sense to me at all.  But like Reagan said, we need to do what is best for me and that is getting better and sleeping this weekend and that in the end it is just money and that my health is more important -- what an incredibly sweet hubby I have, I just love him to pieces. :)

SO, to say the least, I am bummed.  I couldn't go to work today and see my beautiful kiddos, I can't go to Nebraska this weekend and be a part of the fabulous event, my husband will be gone all weekend and I get to stay in bed and rest (which sounds amazing since I am so drained) but I am missing out on ALL the FUN and I definitely do NOT like that!!!!

So, please pray for Reagan as he flies to Nebraska today, and for my body to start healing and for me to get the much needed rest I need this weekend.

It is going to be a long weekend without my hubby... I hate when he has to leave and I am sick, but I am glad that he is not sick also (my sick germs haven't attacked him yet) and he is able to be there for his mom and her big event.  Luckily my parents live right around the corner and will take great care of me while he is gone!

I hope everyone has a better Friday than me :(

"Lord, I pray that you keep my husband safe this weekend while he travels and that you lay your healing  hands over me."

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.”

To Nebraska We Will Go!

This weekend we are headed to Omaha, Nebraska.. (thanks mom and dad for house sitting while we are away!) This little weekend trip was a surprise for Reagan's mom and her big event that she is participating in this weekend!  To hear the shock and surprise come out of her mouth when we announced the big surprise over the phone for her birthday was pure bliss... she was so excited and could not believe we were coming.  As her kids, we were so glad that we could make her so HAPPY :) and be there for the last time she participates in her special event!  We will definitely be cheering her on and supporting her in every way!
Reagan and I are excited to be doing something different this weekend and making a mini travel trip together -- it should be lots of fun!  We are looking forward to colder weather, getting all dressed up on Saturday night and getting to spend time with all the family up there! It should be a good weekend!

Now all I have to figure out is how do I fit all these winter clothes I need to take in just one carry on suitcase... this could be just a little problem since Nebraska is super cold already (well at least to this Texan) and I need layers!!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Hump Day!

Oh and be looking for pictures to come-- I will definitely be taking quite a few ;)


Jeremiah 31:3, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” -- I am loving this verse this morning and I thought I would share it on here so that everyone could enjoy it... Love the LOVE of my Heavenly Father!!! 

Real World?!

Let me just say, lately there are many days that I wish I could go back to college.  Where life was so good and the only thing to stress me out was studying for tests (which at times I probably would not want to go back to taking tests because they definitely had a way with stressing me out).  Looking back now I loved college and learning-- the tests were the only down side (the time it took to study was a pain in my butt)!!!  But, I loved learning from incredible professors at TCU, seeing my friends everyday, sleeping in and honestly not having a care in the world but going to class and turning in stuff on time... it was the life.  If people would have told me how crazy the real world was, I would have enrolled in graduate school right after college.  Now do not get me wrong... having a job is wonderful, but I am just having to learn a lot of new things and how to handle different situations with people.  The real world is fun but it is definitely not easy.  Also, being in the real world my interests continue to be sparked and I cannot decide for the life of me what I should be doing for the rest of my life (besides becoming a mommy one day).  Being with kids every day makes me wonder if teaching is my life calling or if the other things I am finding so interesting that involve working with kids is what I am supposed to do... honestly this is the question of my LIFE and I think my husband is coming to a point where he is tired of talking about it and just wants me to Pick Something... Anything... Already and just pursue it!  Honestly, I have asked God this question several times this week-- if it is bad that my heart has so many passions and so many things I would love to do to help kids and their families... I have not heard a "No" yet, so I am taking that as a good sign; all I can say is that I am passionately in love with working with kids and families... whatever capacity that is, I hope God reveals it to me soon.

So that is life... and it is crazy, and hectic and sometimes I just wish I could set the alarm clock to go back to college... the days when life was easy and tons of fun!  But, I do not think that God wanted me to stay there for forever because I am on information overload from Him already and I am only in my first semester of the real world... I better buckle up tight because I have a feeling God has a lot more to show me and there are a lot more lessons I need to learn!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Thursday! YAY for tomorrow being Friday... if only y'all could really experience my excitement... I am Elated!! :) The weekend could not come soon enough!


"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8

Things that I Love

So today I have been thinking about all the things I love and my heart is just a little overwhelmed and overflowing-- God has blessed me so much and I am forever grateful.  There are definitely things in life (little and big) that make me smile a real/true smile.  So today that is where my head and heart is... So without further waiting... Here are some of the things I love!

I love the way that my husband loves me and that his hugs can pretty much fix anything-- whether I am happy or sad it is the comfort of his arms that makes me feel safe while here on this Earth.

I love that my Heavenly Father is gracious and merciful and that He spoke to me so much through the One and a million bible study I just finished with my ladies women's group.  WOW is all I can say-- it was an incredible journey that God is definitely not finished with.

I love that the ladies in my group are real genuine women who go through every day life and try their best to seek after the Lord and have a pure and humble heart-- it makes my heart smile because my prayer before moving here is that I could find women to plug in with that loved the Lord and I have definitely found that with this group of Ladies! I love them all and am so grateful for having the opportunity to meet them all.

I love long hot showers and bubble baths.. silly I know but such a wonderful way to end the day.

I love a good book.  It is my way of winding down and passing the time with something I love to do. Nothing makes me more content than sitting down and becoming consumed in a book that I just cannot put down! Any good book suggestions you have please tell me -- I am always looking for a new good book!

I love a good long and hard workout -- it makes my body feel so much better afterwards and I feel as if I accomplished something... working out for me now has definitely gained a new perspective than it once was for me... it is all about trying to be healthy now and content with who God made me to be.. definitely a work in progress each day!

I love working with Laura (my pre-k sidekick) and just the pure joy and laughter she brings me each day and her love for the Lord is so incredible... without her I am not sure I would love teaching as much as I do today.  I also love the smiles and hugs on our sweet kids faces... it is absolutely priceless and I would not change meeting those sweet children for the world.

I love family dinners now that we are back in San Antonio.  The dinners are good for my soul and make me even more grateful for the family we have.  I love living close-- my heart is definitely content in that area!

I love pretty clothes and shoes (which I could definitely do without) -- BUT... nothing is more fun than getting dressed up for a date night with your man :)

I love sleeping... I could go to bed early and sleep late -- my body loves sleep!!!  (I am still not sure if this is a good or bad thing.. we shall see when we have kids one day-- my body may hate me... HAHA!)

I love candles and the smell they bring... especially the pumpkin cinnamon ones we have right now... DELICIOUS!  Seriously, it is the small things like this that I take for granted!

I love fall and the changing of the leaves (do not see that too much in Texas, but I still love the cold weather we get... eventually!)

I love that we have found a church that we both love and that the pastor brings the word of God each Sunday.  It is so comforting knowing that we feel God has brought us to a place that could be our church home -- it is so exciting and so many emotions rolled into one.. relying on God each step of the way.

I love cuddling with my husband after a long day-- doing nothing but just relaxing with each other.. it makes me so grateful for the times when there is nothing to do.

I love cooking.. it has become even more fun for me since we have moved to San Antonio.  I love making yummy healthy things and getting to enjoy dinner while talking to Reagan about our days-- definitely something I am catching up on since I missed those dinners all last year!

I love puppies/ dogs/ four legged furry cute friends. I want a dog so bad.  A small little one... that I can cuddle and love. I need one and I hope Reagan gets the picture sooner or later, or I just may go out and buy a dog and bring it home and say, "SURPRISE!!" ;) But seriously... I want a dog!

I love sweet new friends.  They warm my heart and I love the journey of getting to know new people.. such a sweet time of learning all about each other and where we have been!  It is so amazing to see how God is bringing so many new and incredible people into my life... I can only sit back and be amazed at how God is answering prayers that I felt were never really spoken but hidden within my heart... My Lord truly amazes me!

I love friendships that have been forever and lasted through thick and thin.  I love the familiarity of them and just how they make my heart overflow with pure joy... without these sweet friends I honestly do not know where I would be... God knew I would need amazingly sweet and bold friends like this in my life.

More than anything, I love what God is doing in my life right now.  I love that life is not all "roses" and that I am having to walk through difficult things/situations with people, but that God is teaching me new things about me along the way.  I am in a growing season of my life and for the first time ever I am excited to see where this journey may lead, and what kind of person I will be once I have walked through this journey... I am embracing who God is needing to mold me into.  I am coming to a place where I can feel God's hand in this journey and His Word is bringing me more comfort than I could have ever fathomed.  I am in a place where God is growing me leaps and bounds and I am loving the triumphs and tribulations I am having to walk thru to better learn how to overcome these obstacles so that I can be a better me that God needs me to be.

"Life is such a beautiful gift that we must stop and thank the Lord for all the blessings (big and small) that He has given to us."

Falling on my knees in Prayer

Wow, I do not even know where to begin, today has just been one of those days.
Two big things are weighing so heavy on my heart tonight.

The first thing is for my mom's sweet friend and her family.  I found out this afternoon that her 5 month old beautiful baby boy (their only child) stopped breathing while at the sitters and passed away this afternoon.  My heart hurts for this family and the only thing that brings me comfort is knowing that sweet innocent child is safe in the arms of my Savior.  I wish there were words I knew to say to this family, but I am at a complete loss for words -- there are no words to say to comfort a sweet family who lost their little boy so unexpectedly and suddenly.  Please just pray for this family and that God's peace and love would overwhelm them at this time of utter sadness. I know that God will provide all that they need if we lift them up to Him.

Psalm 34:18, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Psalm 18:1-2a, “I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in 
whom I take refuge.”

The second big thing is I think I may have found/stumbled up an opportunity to apply for a practicum program this summer that could allow me to apply for an internship that I have wanted to do for quite sometime, but did not know that the opportunity could be available for me once we moved to San Antonio.  The crazy thing is that the practicum (would be first) and internship (would come second -- and would have to apply for this after I am accepted into the practicum) only accepts three people for the summer practicum and 2 people for the internship... so I have to outshine a lot of people to be picked... WOW that scares me in and of itself -- that is just intense!!  I know that if this is God's plan for me to do the practicum this summer that it will definitely happen, but it is scary for me as I begin to pray about it because I will be putting all my efforts into one place.

Oh yes... and on top of applying for this practicum I will also be studying to take my teaching certification so that I can still have that certification done and under my belt-- yes I know you all think I am crazy... I just LOVE kids so much, what can I say?! So my prayer is that as I seek wisdom from God for whether or not I should submit all the information needed to be evaluated for the practicum that I would hear God's voice and follow the direction He is laying before me.  As I also go through this journey, my prayer is that God will give me the strength, determination and wisdom I need to pass my certification test. Sorry, I know that was a lot to digest -- it is a lot for me to even be able to put into words sometimes!!

Psalm 18:6a, "In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help.”

I know that God is working in a mighty way in and thru out my life and that I need to allow myself to follow the directions He is giving me.  My prayer is that my Will aligns with God's and if it does not that I allow myself to see what God has in-store for me that will be even better.
I have lots to pray about and I am ending the night with a heavy heart and a lot on my mind.  If y'all could be in prayer with me, I would appreciate it so much! Love to all!!

Matthew 11:28-29, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and 
ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.”

Wednesday's

Every week I look forward to Wednesday.  On Wednesday nights I get the lovely opportunity to go to a Bible study at a friends house and learn about God's word with other ladies who all have such a burning passion for God and learning how to love Him and grow with Him more each day.  When I very first got invited to this Bible study by a lady from my school I was hesitant because I knew no one but her (and I had just met her when school started, but we had mutual friends so I knew I would LOVE her).  Well, since we have moved to San Antonio God has been stirring in my heart that I need to get out of my comfort zone and meet new people.  So, when Kacee (my friend from school) invited me I said "Yes" because I knew this is the opportunity I had been praying about and waiting for.  Let me just tell you -- WOW.  I have learned so much from this study and from these ladies.  I am the youngest one in the group, but I do not mind at all.... these ladies have so much wisdom and are teaching me such wonderful things.  Their passions for the Lord amaze me -- even though their lives are so busy with a family and young kids they are teaching me how to make time to grow with God which is such a beautiful thing.  I am also loving learning about all the women and their lives and who they all are... they are all just so amazing.  Seriously, every Wednesday night I come home and tell Reagan that I hope I can gain as much wisdom as these women have -- they teach me so much and our study is diving so deep.  The study we are doing is about being in the wilderness and learning what God is trying to teach you through the season by drawing closer to Him.  The study is called One in a Million and it is by Priscilla Shirer and it is exactly what I needed for where I am in life -- if you haven't done the study I highly recommend it -- it has opened my eyes to how to draw closer to God thru the different/difficult seasons of life.  So tonight, I am very grateful that God placed me on Kacee's heart and that she invited me to the study -- I am loving these women and loving that through this study I am falling even more in love with my God.

I hope everyone is doing well and that this week is bringing much joy and happiness!  I know here in San Antonio we are all smiling because COOLER weather has arrived and a cold front is coming!! Oh and the Farish household is all smiles tonight because the RANGERS WON!!! Just one more game and we are going to the WORLD SERIES -- WOOHOO!!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful night!  :)

"The wilderness is a season of life which God uses to remind us that He is yours and that we are His children; God is able to give us unspeakable Joy even in the most difficult seasons of life." - Priscilla Shirer, One in a Million

Just the two of us

Tonight Reagan and I had a date night!!! It had been a long week for both of us and we definitely needed some time spent with just each other.  We started our evening off at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants in San Antonio, Aldacos!  It is delicious and the view is incredible :)  After dinner Reagan had the great idea to go to Target and buy a game we had never played before and then go to a coffee shop and hang out and play it -- he is trying to get creative with dates since we have been together for so long!!  Well, we got to Target and realized there are hardly any 2 person games -- so we wondered around for a while and finally decided his artsy/creative idea is not going to work... he tried to come up with something creative we hadn't done -- I give him props for that!  So with no game in hand we wondered to the costume section.  Reagan loves dressing up for Halloween and is always known for crazy costumes.  Though, he refrained tonight since he couldn't find the perfect one! HAHA.  So with no game, no Halloween costume or coffee in hand we decided to head to the outdoor mall and walk around and browse.  It was nice just to hold his hand and be together and just talk!  It was also great to walk around so that we could work off all the Mexican food from dinner! ;) Now we are at home cuddled up and watching a movie... nothing could be better than this! Even though our night didn't turn out like he had planned I loved every minute of just spending time with my hubby and loving on him.

"It is the simple things in life that make a girl the happiest in the world."

Weekend WhirlWind

This weekend was just a little crazy busy but it was great to get to see friends we have not seen in a long while!

On Friday afternoon, we embarked on our road trip to Dallas.  A trip that we thought would only take about 4 1/2 hours ended up being almost 7 1/2.  The traffic was horrible in the most random places and Austin officially has too many people on the highway at crazy times of the day.  So when we reached Dallas let's just say we were a little stir crazy and wanted out of the car.  We stayed with our newly married friends Nathanial and Lindsey in their new apartment... absolutely adorable decor (LOVED their place)!!!  It was so great to catch up with them and just hang out-- we definitely miss them and wish they lived closer!

On Saturday morning, we had breakfast with our friends Jace and Karlie -- they had a busy day ahead of them so breakfast was the only option to see them and we were so grateful!  It was so nice to talk and just catch up and hear about all that God has in store for them!
After breakfast, we headed back to Nathanial and Lindsey's house for just a little bit longer so that we could hang out for a little bit more and then we said our good-byes and headed to Mansfield for dinner and to see the Riggins Family!!
Reagan and I decided to do On The Border since we don't have those here in San Antonio (we have yummy Mexican food, don't get me wrong) but, On The Border was a place we went a lot for dates when we lived in Mansfield so it was nice to go back!
After dinner we got to see the Riggins clan (my Heart was filled with so much joy and love).  I miss this family so much and wish that they lived closer or that I could rearrange the states on the map and bring Oklahoma closer to San Antonio.  It was so great to catch up with them and just chat -- that is one of the things I miss most about not living 5 minutes away from them anymore!!  Even though our time was great with them, it was too short and I needed more time to love on them!  Hopefully a visit to see them will happen soon!
After yogurt, we went to visit our sweet friends Raniel and Shannon and see their new baby boy, Sawyer.  Let me just tell you I took full advantage of getting my baby fix in and I LOVED every minute of it!  Newborn babies smell so delicious -- I honestly did not want to leave or put him down!  He is such a handsome baby and we are so happy for this new addition for their family!
After I got my baby fix in, we headed to David and Coleen's house to spend the night.  We love this family so much and we were so grateful that they opened their house up to us!  We loved chatting with them so much that time flew and we didn't get into bed until way after 1am! Though, the time spent talking with them and loving on them is one thing I miss about not living close to them! We are definitely looking forward to their visit down to San Antonio soon!! :)

On Sunday, we went to church at our old church TCAL.  They were celebrating being a church for 5 years (Wow how time has passed so quickly, I can remember when as a church we were brand new).  It was so wonderful to see all our friends from church and just get to reconnect with them.  There was not enough time though for us to love on and talk with everyone which definitely made me sad!  Though, it was great to hear that our old church will be moving very soon to a new building to house their church-- such an exciting time for them and I know God is going to use this new church building for His greater good!
After church and visiting, we had lunch with Paul and Shannon and the Riggins and all the kids at Paul and Shannon's house.  It was great to just all sit around and hear what everyone has been up to.  After the short visit over lunch it was time for us to get back on the road, since we were fearful that it would take us a bazillion years to get back to San Antonio.  The drive home was long and it did take longer than we expected -- I wish we had a traveling time machine... that would definitely help with the long rides! Since we don't we just blare our music, chat with one another and just enjoy the company of each other!

All in all, it was a good weekend and it was wonderful to catch up with friends that we love and miss!  Though, it was so nice to be back home last night and have Reagan and I snuggled up in bed together -- nothing like being home and sleeping in your own bed!
Shout out to all our friends who opened their homes to us--- we were so grateful this weekend and we are so blessed to have you all in our lives!  To all our friends in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area... we miss you all greatly and wish we could have had more time to catch up -- hope to see you all again soon!

PS: I stink at taking pictures-- I totally have the great thinking of wanting to document all this fun stuff and then either forget to do it in the moment or feel like everyone will "hate"me when I say, "Ok let's take a PICTURE!!" So I need fun and creative ideas to do pictures so that I can document all these fun happenings with the people we love the most!

"Friends are a wonderful source of happiness."

Emotionally drained

I am going through a season in life where being a grown-up is hard stuff. Never before did I think life after college would be so difficult and that the real world is not all sunflowers and smiles.  I am learning that working in the real world is also difficult and that not everyone is going to love you or your personality... which is hard for me since I hate conflict so much.  There have been days in the real world that I have cried because I honestly do not know how I am going to make it through to the next day -- sometimes the tears are good to cry out but other times I am so frustrated that all I know to do is cry.  Loving on little kids is my passion and learning is what my heart desires right now, but sometimes my life passions and pursuits is not where others around me may be and that makes me sad.  I cannot control anyone but myself -- which is hard for wanting to be the peacemaker on most days.  So today, I am tired, sad and just reaching out to God on my tiptoes hoping that I will feel His presence even more when I am out in the real world.  My prayer for the past couple of weeks has been, "God show me what you need the desires of my heart to be and where you need me to be."  I have not gotten a clear answer, but I do know that my passion for loving on kids cannot be smothered.  I need to hold my head high and remember that my worth is not found through anyone but my MAKER.... He is the one that will give me the strength to make it through each day.  Some seasons in life are filled with wilderness moments -- where God needs me to take a journey and humble myself so that I can trust in His divine plan even more.  I am definitely on a wilderness journey and my heart hurts, but I know that God will be with me every step of the way and we will make it through together.

"Lord, help me to feel your presence each day I walk through this wilderness."

Will this week ever end?

This week has been a long one.  One that quite frankly never seems to end.  One that I wish would come to a close so that I could start over with a fresh week.  The kids have taken it out of me this week.  Just been too much hustle and bustle.  It is all too much! Though, I thank the Lord that today is Hump Day and Friday is almost here and I can wear jeans and not have to worry about ironing clothes for work... PTL!

We have both been busy with work this week and Reagan has been out of town and got in late so that has worn him down too!  To top it all off, it is still warm in San Antonio and the first day of Fall is Friday, so I really need to pray harder for some cooler weather... I am tired of sweating when I walk outside... NOT OK!

Even though we have been busy and hot there is one thing new in my life this week!  I got invited by one of the counselors at my school to be a part of her women's bible study that meets at her house so that I could meet new ladies and fellowship with them.  I feel so blessed to not only be able to work with her daily, but so humbled that she invited me to their group ... I feel great about what God is already showing me through the Bible Study they are doing (it is called One in a million by Priscilla Shirer ... the first week has been fabulous!)  So, this is definitely something new I get to look forward to every Wednesday night and I am super excited... not only for the study but to make new friends!

I hope everyone isn't as tired as I am and have made it successfully to hump day!  Just a couple more days and then the weekend ... WOOHOO!

Have a fabulous evening!  I will update soon on how my first night at the new bible study went!

"Lord, give me endurance to make it through the rest of this week.  Help me to find my strength in you.  Thank you for the love you pour out to me each day. Amen."

Farmers Fight... Gig 'em Aggies... WHOOP!

This weekend we spent time in the good ole' town of Bryan College Station -- I was raised an Aggie (since my dad is an alum) so always going back to this town brings back childhood memories and all the fun Aggie stuff we went to!

This weekend, we ventured up College Station for a lot of fun festivities!

On Friday night,  we got to watch Reagan's brother, Jon, dunk his Ring!  He is graduating this May from the Business school at A&M, and we could not be more proud of him!!  We love Jon to pieces!  It was so much fun to be a part of the Aggie Ring Dunk Tradition with him and see all his friends and family there that love him oh so much!  All our family came in -- Reagan and Jon's mom came in all the way from Nebraska (she doesn't miss the important stuff in her son's lives for anything), their dad and step-mom and brother came in, my parents and my brother came (Hunter had to work.. BOO!) and Jon's aunts and uncle and cousins came -- it was one big family gathering plus Jon had a bazillion friends come and be a part of the fun.. so it was a blast!  It was great to just celebrate and love on Aggie friends -- they are such sweet people!

Reagan and Jon after Jon Dunked His Ring -- Reagan is one Proud Aggie Brother :)

Jon, Reagan and their Momma celebrating after the Ring Dunk!

So, where did we stay while in College Station.... Well one of my dad's good buddies offered to let us use his huge RV for the weekend!  It was so much fun to stay in there with my family and Reagan and tailgate before the Aggie game on Saturday night.  That RV had everything you could ever need in it... great way to travel!

Saturday, we tailgated and then headed to the Aggie football game that night!  They killed Idaho, so it made for an even better game!  The game was a blast and we had wonderful seats, thanks to my Aggie Alum Dad!  Reagan loved the game, especially the Aggie touchdown tradition (every time the Aggies score the crowd kisses their date!  Reagan got a lot of kisses since the game was such a high scoring one!)  Between all the kisses he got and all the Aggie yells he got to do, he was one happy camper... I greatly enjoyed every minute too.. being at the stadium brought back so many great childhood memories!

Reagan and I at the Aggie Game! We loved all the traditions!! Even considering going to Texas A&M San Antonio for Grad School... we shall see -- WHOOP! :)

This morning, we finished the weekend out with a yummy breakfast (Shipley's donuts -- SO FREAKING GOOD and a childhood favorite!) and then we packed up and headed home!  Now we are all ready to relax a bit and get ready for another week!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend... we sure did!

Jon, thanks for having us it was an absolutely wonderful weekend! Hope to see you soon and love you bunches!!!

As all Aggie's say: "Thanks and Gig 'em!"

Prayer

The power of prayer amazes me... it leaves me speechless at times that God cares enough about me and loves me enough to listen to my every prayer. Whether I think my prayers are important or not, God always listens -- that is so incredible to me.  This thought alone overwhelms me and leaves me speechless at times, because my God is just this big and great... WOW what a mighty God I serve.

Lately, I have found myself not knowing the answers to a lot of things in life... which frustrates me because at times in life I just want the answers right now-- I am learning this is not how God's timing works -- (ex: how to be the wife my husband needs me to be, what plans God has for my future, etc.)  These things I know I cannot figure out on my own, and quite frankly it stresses me out even more when I think I need to figure these things out on my own.  A dear friend told me the other day, just go to God in prayer... He knows what is best and will let you know the plans for all things on His time.  Such a great reminder I needed.  All I can do now is pray that God opens my heart and shows me even more how to be the wife Reagan needs me to be (there is always room for improvement as a wife... I am learning this) and future plans for my life is something I have to give to God every day.  Giving Him the desires of my heart definitely pleases the Lord, but in the end the thing that pleases Him the most is when I listen to His guidance and follow the plans He has laid before me...so hard to do at times when I don't understand His plans, but definitely what God needs and wants me to do and when I look back on these times of my life it is so incredible for me to see how God used others to work through me and how God used me to fulfill the plans He had for me life -- the result is definitely so fulfilling.  So as I continue to pray that God gives me peace and guidance, I also need to be diving deeper into the Word so that I can hear Him even more clearly.  I know the more I read His Word the more clearer I will hear Him for the direction I am needing in my life... I look forward to all that God is going to show me in the next couple of weeks.

Also, becoming even more intimate with my God is a desire of my heart this year also... learning how to get closer with Him and be more consistent (it is so hard to slip and blame the craziness of life on not having time to spend with God... but this year I am going to keep going even when I mess up, because God does not want me to give up -- all He wants is for me to pursue Him with a humble heart). I am excited to hear from my God and love and look forward to the intimate time I am able to have with Him in prayer... it seriously overwhelms my heart at times.

Thank you to all my sweet prayer warriors who are praying for me right now as I seek God's wisdom for my life... it means so much to me.  Don't know what I would do without my prayer warriors!

"To walk out of God's will is to step into nowhere."  - C.S. Lewis

September is Here!!

Praise the Lord, September is here!! I could not be more excited!!! Seriously, with today being the 1st day of September that means fall is coming and the HOTT temperatures will finally start to decrease (I am definitely ready to be out of triple digits)!!! Fall is such a wonderful time of year in Texas -- it's not too cold and it's not hot (well let's hope it's not -- this fall better be just like the ones before) the temperature is just right!  I love fall clothes-- I always have... boots, sweaters, long sleeved shirts, jackets!! I have pinned lots of fall clothing ideas on Pinterest and I cannot wait to do a little shopping (Reagan would be glad if I didn't), but I need to add some new fun things to my fall/winter collection! Not only do cute clothes come with fall but everything yummy and pumpkin comes with fall too... Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Pie... YUMMO!  So to say the least, the Farish house is ready for Fall to begin... we are done with all this hot weather!

This week has been busy but good for us... other than going here and there we have had time to just sit and relax with one another which has been super wonderful! Love me some time with my hubby! :)

YAY for tomorrow being Friday and TCU playing Baylor tomorrow night-- cannot wait to watch the game... SO EXCITED that college football has begun!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Friday and a relaxing LOOONG weekend!

This verse was part of my devotional this morning and I am really working on memorizing it because it is so important for me to remember... especially when people hurt my feelings or treat me how I do not think I should be treated... just a great verse to hide in my heart.
John 15:12 -- "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."

Oh Pinterest!

To all my friends out there who kept peer pressuring me, I finally broke down and got one... I finally gave in and got a Pinterest account -- WOOHOO!!  Honestly before I got it I had no idea what all the hype was about (the only thing I knew was that multiple people were telling me that I needed one and that I would love it and that they just couldn't stop pinning).  Well, to say the least, I am IN LOVE!  More like addicted and cannot stop pinning pictures myself... it is a very bad habit.  I just got my account last night, and it consumed most of my night -- Reagan was very confused as to what I was doing, until I showed him the yummy recipes I had found and then he was totally ok with it ;)  So to say the least, get an account and start PINNING!  It is definitely a must and there are some awesome things on there that you pretty much can't live without!  So enjoy yourself and start pinning pictures that you love because it will definitely make you smile... I sure did :)

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Tuesday! But seriously, get a Pinterest account now-- you will thank me later!

"I like things that make me smile in life... it makes the day so much better!"

Tired

Today was a loooong Monday.  One that never seemed like it was going to end!  I was so tired all day (but this may also be due to the fact that I was up a lot with my tummy last night-- we were definitely not friends to say the least).  So, my eyes were definitely droopy today and I did not feel rested at all.  I am counting down the hours to bedtime and don't know if I have much energy to do anything this afternoon... I was planning on going to the gym this afternoon but that is definitely out of the question-- with how tired I am I would probably fall right off the treadmill!  I promise I will make it to the gym tomorrow afternoon as long as tomorrow is a decent day and I have enough energy -- these little kids are taking it all out of me!

This weekend was one that was a little busier than expected.  We had dinner on Friday night (last minute) with our friends Eric and Shavaun since neither of us could get motivated to cook.  It was so nice to have dinner with them and chat and the night got even better once we got FROYO!  Saturday, Reagan started his online Greek class for seminary, so that consumed most of his day.  We did make it to the gym to work out and I got groceries for the week and some house chores done.. woohoo -- Saturday's are not as eventful as they once used to be before we got married... TOO MANY ReSpOnSiBiLiTiEs!!! Sunday, we visited another church and really liked it but came when the lead pastor was out of town-- so we will definitely be going back to hear him speak.  After church we had lunch with Reagan's family and then back home to study... yes study-- Reagan had more Greek homework and I had chapters to study for my certification test.. yuck!  For dinner we went to my parents and had yummy bar-b-q... Reagan was one happy man!  Then it was back home to get ready for the week.  Having a job is a lot of work and is definitely tiring!  I am looking forward to this weekend since it is a three day weekend... YAY for Labor Day!

I hope everyone had a Marvelous Monday!

"God thank you for walking through today with me... I needed the extra encouragement You provided me with!"

First Week Complete!

The First Week of School is complete!!! WOOHOO! Some of us thought it may never get here but it finally did!  Even though it was a long and crazy first week I enjoyed every bit of it!  I am enjoying getting to know my co-workers more and more and learning each of the kids personalities!  I am loving working alongside Laura and could not be happier for all she has to teach me this year.  One thing I learned this first week is that I love being in the school... it just feels like me when I walk down the halls or work with the kids in the classroom -- so please everyone continue to pray for me as I study to take my certification test and also pray specifically that I pass it the first time! Thanks for the prayers in advance :) I think the hardest part of this week was teaching our little kiddos about routine... I know eventually they will all get it and it will make perfect sense (one day hopefully) but it was so awesome to see that by the end of the week some of them knew exactly what the morning and afternoon routine was... made my heart so happy!  Before work today we had a birthday celebration lunch for two ladies on our pre-k team.. I loved just getting to sit and chat with them-- I am definitely blessed to be able to work alongside these awesome ladies!  Other than getting used to being exhausted by the end of the day (kids have a lot of energy) it was an incredible week!  I hope everyone had a fabulous Friday!  Enjoy your time away from work this weekend and love on your family... I know I sure will!!!

"Lord, thank you for walking with me through this week; I definitely could not have done it without Your strength and provision.  Help me to continue to give You the praise through all things You do through me this year!  Thank you for Your love and guidance."

Happy Hump Day!

Wow, it seems later in the week than just Wednesday!  I am having a blast with the kids and learning all about their little personalities (some have very big personalities in a little body... haha!!).  These Pre-k kiddos are definitely full of energy and are wearing me out... by the end of the day I would love to just crawl into bed and go to sleep!!  I know once the first week is over and we are in a better routine it will all get easier and hopefully I will not be as tired... here is to wishful thinking!  I am definitely learning a lot and loving the teacher I am getting to work with-- it is truly a blessing to see how she interacts with the kids; she is amazing -- absolutely love learning from her!  Well tomorrow is a new day and we get to wear a shirt that represents our summer, I will definitely be representing TCU and that chapter of life I finished in May... I definitely miss college (being a grown up is hard, but I definitely don't miss all the school work that comes with being a student!)  I hope everyone had a wonderful day!

"Never forget to smile, because life is too short not to smile!"

First Day of School

Today was a great first day of school!  Everything went just like it was planned to go... at least in our classroom!  Surprisingly none of our pre-k children cried when their parents left... we were all shocked to say the least!  The day went by so quickly; I felt like I blinked and it was time for the kids to go home!  We have a great bunch of kids who seem eager to make new friends and learn new things.  In just one day, I learned so many great teacher tricks... I cannot wait for all the others I will learn!  Even though the day went by so quickly, I am tired but feeling so blessed with the job God has provided me with.  All in all, I could not be more happier and I think this year of experience is going to make my future journeys that much better!  I work with a great team of teachers who have such a passion for teaching and instilling important lessons into my life!  So, here is to a great year with the kids and me learning as much as my brain can put away!  I hope everyone had a great first day of school and is excited to go back tomorrow!

Ps: please keep praying for me as I am studying to take the EC-6 test!  I know God is going to give me everything I need to pass this test the first time I take it.  So please keep praying and I will update you as soon as I take the test! (I just wish there wasn't so much material to study for it!!)

"Thank you Lord for the new beginnings you have given me today.  Help me to be grateful for each day of this new chapter whether it be good or bad.  I am overcome with joy for the blessing you have given me in being able to work alongside such amazing teachers and serve such amazing kids.  You are so faithful Lord."

The Help.

My life became complete today (ok nothing as special as getting married or anything like that)... BUT, I finally got to see the movie, The Help with a dear friend of mine, Shavaun.  We (Reagan and I) had lunch with Eric and Shavaun today after church and we had planned on going to a movie we could all see but the husbands had a different plan.  We went on a girl date movie and the guys got an action packed movie.  Shavaun and I were completely fine with seeing our girlie movie without them... we had heard awesome reviews from other women so we couldn't wait to rate the movie for ourselves!  Shout out to Eric and Shavaun... thank you so much for opening our eyes to a delicious new sandwich shop, spending the day with us and just hanging out with us.  It was great to have not only couples time but guys and girls time. Love y'all both to the moon and back!

Let me just start off by saying, I will be buying this movie when it comes out on DVD.  It was such an incredible movie and it did the book great justice.  If you have not read the book, I highly recommend it... you will laugh and cry throughout the whole book.  I did not cry in the movie today but there were several places I got choked up (I was surprised I held my tears in.... I usually can't, but I think I was just so focused on the movie that my eyes never left the screen and I was too focused to be crying.. LOL!).  Though, I will say there were tons of women crying and laughing so loud in the theatre, and there were also older men who were also enjoying every bit of the movie... we had an older man sitting behind us and he cried through several parts of the movie -- we think it brought back old memories for him, which was super touching for me.

When the movie was done, I heard an older couple say out loud "Wow, they did an incredible job of portraying how life was back then."  It just made me stop and think and really re-evaluate how others should be treated, and it broke my heart to think that people back then were treated so wrongly because of the color of their skin.  Race nor color should matter how we treat others, and it definitely does not matter in God's eyes... so I think we could all work on being less judgmental to those who are not like "us." It makes me think of the song I used to sing in Sunday school... "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, red and yellow, black and white, they are all precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world."  With this song in mind, I want to work on being even better at loving people like Jesus loves.  It is so easy to get caught up in the world, and make judgements and stereotype people based on what society thinks.  There is NOTHING that makes us better than anybody else... God loves us all the same.  This movie really helped me remember these key things today... that I need to show compassion to all and LOVE like Jesus loves-- if we all stopped and did this more often the world would be such a better place and people would truly see what it means to be a Christian... Just food for thought since my mind is going crazy with thoughts tonight!

So with all that said, that is what I took away from the movie today, and the book even hit me harder-- it all really touched my heart and made me re-evaluate things. I love books and movies that stop and make you think.  Seriously though, Read the book and watch the movie and then read the book again and watch the movie yet again.... it is just that good!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! School starts tomorrow! I am off to bed so I can be ready for those sweet little ones tomorrow! Hope everyone has a fabulous Monday :)

Mark 10:14 -- "Let the children come to me, Don't stop them!  For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."

Thankful for today

Wow what a whirlwind today has been. I am just getting an opportunity to collect my thoughts from today. Let me just start off by saying that my first day of work was fabulous and I am in love with the people I get to work with... they had me laughing all day long! It was so great to be at my school working with other people who truly care about kids... Seriously I was overcome with so much emotion today-- pure joy and gratefulness. There were times today were I just sat there taking it all in because it just didn't seem real that I get to work with such amazing people.  Today, I got to work alongside with the teachers I will be working with all year and I already learned just so much from them in just one day... we have a great year ahead of us!!

Today was busy with getting stuff ready to meet the students tonight. We had so many last minute things to get in order and praise the Lord it all got done! I got to do my first bulletin board (all by myself) today for our room... Let me tell you what-- my creative juices were flowing and I think it turned out absolutely fantastic! Our theme was monkeys and let me tell you what, people were going bananas over that bulletin board... Haha!!! I would have loved to take a pic of my beautiful work but it had our students names on it, so that's a BIG NO.NO... So seriously just take my word, it was great and I was so proud of my hard work!

I think we are going to have a great group of kids this year... Little pre-k kiddos in a big brand new elementary school.. What could be better?! When we met them all tonight, their eyes were so big... There were so many toys to see and people for them to meet, you could tell it was all just too much for them to take in!! I will be the first to admit, new beginnings take a while to get adjust to, but by the end of the year I know we won't want to let any of these kids move on! Though today I fell in love with so many of the students I got a chance to meet-- they were absolutely melt your heart precious!! There were so many that I just wanted to give big bear hugs to or pinch their cute little cheeks... They were that stinkin' cute! I cannot wait to see what God has in-store for this year... I know I have so much to learn -- not only from the other teachers but these kids. If you can't tell I am a little excited. A little overwhelmed. But extremely grateful.

Oh also... Please be praying for me.. I am studying (every free moment of my time) to take my certification tests.. So many prayers needed. I would like to pass them all the first time around! Much love and thank you for your prayers in advance!!

"God, You are so good to me and Your plans for my life amaze me. Help me to continually give You the praise for the great things You are doing in my life!"

Stuck.

Ok all you people out there who love to exercise.... I am in need of help... I am stuck in a rut... I am bored with my exercise routine.  With school about to start back and wanting to make time for the gym once the kiddos leave, I need new ideas while working out!  I am still going at least 3 to 4 times a week but I am just so bored with the routine I have going.  I need some new weight lifting tips, cardio advice.... pretty much anything that will make me excited to go to the gym and will show me results (I am seeing results now... well kinda, it's just going slower than I would like).  So, flood my comment box with ideas or videos you love or whatever you do in the gym that makes you want to go back for more and push yourself harder!

Happy Hump Day everyone!

"Live a life you love to live!"

Loooooong Weekend.

This weekend has been non-stop busy.  So busy that I think I need another weekend just to rest... thank goodness I have a couple more days before I have to be up at the school! Wow.. school starts for the kids next Monday-- my how the summer flew.  We had a ton of big changes happen this summer, which seemed to make the summer go by even faster-- I need more time!!

So I bet you are all wondering how are weekend could have been so long and busy?!  Let me begin with Friday.... the first official day of our weekend. 

So on Friday, Reagan and I had to make a quick trip down to Corpus Christi to see my grandma
(Mee-Maw as us grand-kids call her) and take care of some business she needed me to do.  So we thought we would make it a trip and go see her.  It was great to see her and take her to dinner and wonderful that I got everything taken care of that she needed me to.  On the flip side, it was sad to leave her.  She is getting so old and her health is not well and she lives all alone and it just makes me super sad.  I wanted to pick her up in my arms (yes she is that light) and put her in my car and take her back home with us.  We had planned on staying the night with her but realized we had so many errands to run on Saturday that we had put off all week that we needed to head back Friday night late... we ended up getting home around midnight (a super short trip made for a lot of Driving on Friday).

On Saturday, we had a bazillion errands to run.  I needed to get my car inspected, we needed to go to the grocery store (our fridge was way too empty), then to the gym we went to work out and then we finished Saturday night with a birthday celebration for our friend Eric.  By the time we needed to go to the party we were ready to go to bed because we had not stopped since we woke up that morning.  But, we are glad we went... It was great to see our couple friends that we have known for some time and catch up with them!

On Sunday, we got up and got dressed for church.  I was very resistant about trying another church that Reagan had picked this morning.  Surprisingly, it turned out really well and we knew some couples that attend the church.  So the church looks promising and we will definitely be going back to check it out some more!  After church, we headed to Reagan's Nana's house for a birthday lunch for his step-mom and aunt.  Once lunch was done then we headed to Reagan's other grandparents house to help Jon load some sofas so that he could get all packed up to go back to college station.  Once the couches were loaded than we went to Reagan's parents house to finish helping Jon load everything (I was more of a supervisor than a mover... let's be honest.... I stayed inside with Julie and talked... it is just way too HOT outside to be moving)!!!  Once this task was complete (after several hours) we were finally able to come home since Reagan smelt horrible and needed a shower.  You would think our day would be done now and we would be plastered to the couch... oh no, we are headed to my parents for a yummy grill out.  Even though we are tired, we are loving all this time we are getting to spend with friends and family!

Happy Sunday Everyone!

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever!"

Getting Excited!

Being up at the school and helping my teacher get her decorations and bulletin boards up makes me excited for the school year to begin so I can meet all the kids!  Honestly, education was my calling.... I get so excited about school supplies, decorating bulletin boards so cutesy, and meeting all the kids it is ridiculous.  I had the teacher I will be working with rolling with laughter today because I am so giddy about meeting the kids and making the room super cute for them.  Let me just tell you, I am extremely grateful to God for this opportunity to get my foot in the door with such an amazing education system here in San Antonio and could not be more excited to work with such an amazing elementary school and an incredible group of teachers.  Sometimes lately, I have to pinch myself because it is all so real, and I have high hopes that because of this year and all that I will learn from others that I hope one day in the future I will have a classroom of my own that I can love on those sweet kiddos and teach them all I have learned and more from this year. Wow!! I cannot even begin to truly express how grateful I am and how full my heart is with just pure excitement and love for the passion I have for working with kids and the incredible teachers I will get to work alongside this year.

I hope everyone has an incredible night... I am off to relax with the hubby!

"Lord, thank you so much for answering my prayers and providing me with a job that fulfills my passion to work with kids.  I feel so blessed for the opportunity you have given me, and I pray that each day of this year I love on these kids like you love on me everyday God.  Thank you for the provision you have over my life; not my will but Yours oh God."

Busy as can be

These past couple of weeks have been super busy. I feel like there is not enough time in a day to do everything I would like to do. Reagan has been busy with work and traveling; he is loving his job, learning a lot, and absolutely enjoys the people he works with! He has had some great sales and I am so proud of him for working so hard and learning so quickly-- he is a natural born businessman... No wonder he loved his major so much!
I on the other hand have been keeping the house in order and getting ready for the school year to start. I bet you are all wondering... School?? Didn't she just graduate??? Yes I did just graduate and no I am not getting my masters! I am going to be working as a teaching assistant for a brand new elementary school. I am so excited for this year and the learning experience it will be. Also, I am studying and getting prepared to take certification tests to be able to teach the following year! I love the teacher I will be working with this year and feel like she has so much to teach me and I have so much to learn! So God has definitely answered prayers in providing me with this opportunity and Reagan having an incredible job... We are feeling very blessed!

On top of the crazy busy schedule of life, we had our first townhome visitors this weekend. Our friends Jace and Karlie came to stay with us for the weekend. It was great to have our
couple friends come and visit with us and be able to spend time with them. The trip was short, but we got a lot in for the little time they were here! Can't wait to see them again!!

So after these past couple of weeks that have been so busy, we are ready for things to slow down a bit so that we can enjoy each other before work starts up for me!
I hope everyone has had a wonderful Monday!

"thank you Lord for the incredible new beginnings you have given us; may we embrace each step of the journey to the fullest."

Trying to find our place...

So this summer, Reagan and I have been searching for a church home here in San Antonio.  Before we started the search, I did not think it would be very difficult since we had a list of must-haves... boy was I wrong.
With having so many weddings that were out of town on weekends it has not left us with many weekends since we moved back to start finding a church.
Though, the couple weekends we have been in town we have gone to different churches and have not found the "one" yet for sure... there were pros and cons we both felt but more than anything we just were not content on this is where God needs us to be.
Before going to the churches we have been to, we thought the churches sounded great from their online profiles, and than we got there and it was definitely not what we expected.
The reason this is such a big deal for us is that we want to get plugged into a church so that we can volunteer, meet new people and build lasting relationships with others.
So, to say the least, I am getting a little discouraged because I feel like we are never going to meet awesome couple friends like we had back in Dallas (SHOUT OUT to our amazing community group in Mansfield... y'all will always hold a special place in our hearts and the incredible couples we met through our church!!!)  Reagan continues to reassure me and tell me that it will all work out in God's timing... I completely agree with that, but I am also wanting some friends... so the best of both would be awesome!

Church searching is also really hard for us because we have always known where we would go to church since we were little.  Both our families were plugged into churches when we were young, in high school our families ended up as members at the same church and that is how we met through the youth group (and then Reagan and I fell in love-- God definitely had his hand in this situation), and then when we both went off to college (I went to Fort Worth to TCU and Reagan went to Dallas to DBU) we both knew we would go to our friends new church in Mansfield and that is where we have been all through college and since we have been married (that is also where Reagan served as the youth pastor).
So we definitely know what it is like to be involved in churches we love, but we just have not found that yet.

So the reason for this post is... I would love for friends and family to pray for us that we find a church home because we are desperately wanting somewhere that we feel comfortable in worship, learn from the sermon, find a place to serve and connect with others.  We both know that in God's timing He will open our eyes and hearts to the church we are supposed to be at and it will feel like a perfect fit-- so as we wait we will continue going to new churches, pray for God's guidance and wait for God to open our eyes and hearts to the "ONE."  So, we would love all the prayers from everyone... because having too many people praying on your behalf is never a bad thing!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Friday and a fabulous weekend... I am looking forward to relaxing with my hubby and family! :)

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever."