Merry Christmas!

So this post is just a couple days late.. OOPS! We have been quite busy with family festivities.  Christmas for us this year started a little early so that we could spend time with the people we love the most.   We had lots of people to see and it just could not be done in one day!

So the Sunday before Christmas, we had lunch with Reagan's Nana.  She made delicious food and we had a great family afternoon watching the Cowboys game and opening presents. After time with family was over, we rushed to the grocery store to grab and appetizer (which took almost 45 minutes since Christmas Eve was the next day and the lines were crazy) to take to our friends Christmas party that was that same night! Good food, friends, and a fire pit... what could be a better way to celebrate the holiday's?!

Monday morning, we both got to sleep in and be lazy since it was Christmas Eve and Reagan did not have to be at the office.  We made breakfast together... waffles.. mmm so good. We watched movies and stayed in our pj's all day and wrapped presents.  It was such a nice and lazy time together and I loved every minute of it.  We hardly ever get that much time to just slow down and do nothing but be with each other.  Though, once the presents had been wrapped we were off to get dressed and head to Reagan's dad's house to celebrate Christmas with them on Christmas Eve Night.  We had a yummy Italian dinner.. (my favorite) and opened gifts and just hung out.  It was nice and chill... just what I needed to end my day.
Oh, and that night we found out some EXCITING news!!! One of our sweet couple friends are expecting their first baby! We are so excited for them and cannot wait to meet their precious bundle of joy.  Love you bunches Teri and Nate!!!

On Christmas Morning as soon as we woke up I felt like the day was going to be a blur.  We got dressed quickly to head over to Reagan's mom's house to celebrate Christmas with them.. which included brunch and opening presents.  I honestly forget sometimes what it is like to be a kid on Christmas morning.  Reagan's little sisters were so excited when we got to their house they could hardly sit still.  It was fun to be a part of their excitement and remember the magic of Christmas for a child!  For brunch, it was eggs benedict and homemade cinnamon rolls (a tradition that is oh so good).  Then we opened gifts and listened to the girls squeal with excitement after every present they opened, and we finished the morning with them by doing the annual Christmas scavenger hunt.  The one thing I love about Christmas with Reagan's mom... there are a lot of traditions they do each year and I love hearing the meaning behind each one.  After our time with their family we headed home to grab gifts for my parents and headed over to their house.  Every year my parents do a big Christmas dinner and we open presents and play games with The Roy Family once they come over.  I love this part of the day... good food, great company, and lots of memories.  The food was delicious as always, the games were crazier than ever, and the laughter and friendship filled the house.  It was a wonderful day and I was grateful that we were able to celebrate with everyone!

To say the least, we had many wonderful Christmas celebrations.  Yes it was so busy going from house to house and here, there and everywhere!! But... as I reflect on those couple of days that is what makes it the best...  Being able to spend the Holiday's with ALL our family because everyone is back in Texas.  That is definitely something to treasure and be grateful for.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is enjoying time with family and friends.

From our Family to Yours... Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

Love,

My Family

I had to post this photo on the blog tonight because I am in L.O.V.E. with this picture and I never want to forget our little family.  This is who we are right now...  A young couple in love and our pup who is the center of our attention on most nights! I will always look back at this picture and remember all the firsts that came with this year- we are truly blessed.

I am so in love with this man, and our cute lil Lyla girl is the most cuddly and sweetest pup I know. 

Grateful for the little things in life tonight... Unconditional Love and Family.  Could not ask for more. 

Happy Thursday Friends! 

Married Love

Hello all my wonderful friends.  I have missed you all dearly. The time has gotten away from me yet again... I really do not know what we have been up to... except... running here, there, and everywhere! Though, we have loved being able to spend time with friends and family between all the chaos.

So Christmas time is upon us! Seriously where has the year gone?! In the Farish home, the tree is up, the decorations are hung, the Christmas card pictures have been taken and the lights are on the house.  I feel like I am forgetting something... oh yes.  Christmas presents! We are so far behind... I think we have bought maybe two and we have a lot more people to buy for on our list... whoops! Better luck next year!

Though tonight I was pretty darn excited.  We got some of our proofs in for our Christmas card.  I definitely wanted to do a "family" card this year.  A lot has happened for us in 2012! We bought a house, got a dog (whom we adore), have met some amazing friends, Reagan has had great success in his company.. a lot of great things have happened this year so we thought we should document this year for sure because God has blessed us immensely ! We wanted some great pics of us but we also could not leave out our Lyla girl... she is definitely our "baby"!

We used Lindsay Wogen Photography (found her through a blog photography site) and we are so happy with our photos!! Cannot wait to be able to print more!

One thing that I loved about her was that she was young and fun and she kept telling us... "oh how I love to shoot married love... I just love when you can feel the love between couples."  Let me tell you I do love my man, and every day I spend with him I think I grow to love and respect him even more!

Well here is to our FIRST official Christmas card pics! Cannot wait to see how we all change over the years!

Here is a little sneak peak of our mini session with her:

Love the Love and the Fun touches of our sneak preview!!! I am so blessed to have this man in my life :)

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season and enjoying the love of friends and family!

Much love and I promise to be back sooner...

Give Thanks

As Thursday approaches, I think our house is filled with more chaos than it has had in quite some time. With so many families to see tomorrow and places to be, my head is already spinning trying to figure out how it is all going to get done and that I will still have time to watch the TCU/UT game.   Reagan was supposed to be off from work today so that we could have some "us" time before the craziness of tomorrow begins, but work called and clients needed to see him so he is out and about today being busy and productive.  So while he is busy, I am at home reflecting and trying to get all things together before the holiday season begins.  To be honest,  I could not be more grateful for a quiet house and my sweet pup at my feet because I know tomorrow is going to be far from quiet and more craziness than I think I can even imagine.

So with Thanksgiving being tomorrow I thought I would take the time to write down what I am most thankful for... since that is what Thanksgiving is all about...

I am thankful for...

a husband who loves me unconditionally and supports all my crazy hopes and dreams

a family who loves me, laughs with me, cries with me, supports me, and can be silly just because

my God who died on the cross for me so that I could have life in Him.  this is one gift that I do not think I will ever be able to fully understand the greatness of.  I am in awe when I think about what Jesus did for me so that I could have life in Him. absolutely. amazing.

a job with kids that keeps me on my toes and makes me laugh every day. the mind of  a child is a wonderful thing

a place that we call our home. it has already been filled with so much laughter, love and friendship

a pup who loves me a greets me at the door with smiles and kisses everyday

my health. everyday is a precious gift and I am reminded of that often

my friends. without them I would not be the person I am today

I hope this holiday season you can take time to reflect and give thanks for all the Lord has given you.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday.

Much love,

Food Park F.U.N.

So this post is a lil late. Ooops! This week has gone by in the blink of an eye.  Work has been busy with early dismissal days, and once I get home I am just too tired to write. Same old blah.blah.blah.

Anywho, last weekend Reagan's brother Jon was in town.  Jon likes to have a good time wherever he goes... and he always finds new and fun things to do with us when he is in town. With all that said, Saturday night we went to Boerne Stage Road Food Park to eat at his friends food truck, hang out, have some adult beverages, and watch the TCU and Aggie games.
Before this experience, I was a little fearful of food trucks.  For some reason when I think of food trucks I think of really yucky kitchens that lead to food poisoning... honestly I am not sure why.  It may be because I have a hard time branching out of my comfort zone of comfort foods, or fear of trying new things... I am not really sure.  Anyways, I was hesitant to eat from these food trucks.  Though, when we got there the food park was so nice and clean and all the food smelt really amazing.  Jon's friend owns a chinese food truck out there, so he made us more chinese food than we could even eat... and I must admit it was all so delicious.  Not only did I get to sample his yummy food but I got to sample street tacos from this authentic mexican food truck that was out there.  Oh. my. goodness they were so yummy. It was all so yummy.  I am so glad that I allowed myself to branch out and not be afraid.  I think it honestly helped knowing Jon's friend and trusting him to cook food for me... I know I am weird, but I just have this thing about eating food from places that I am not too sure about. Anyways, I am digressing again.
SO, after we all were put into food coma, we just sat back and hung out... we talked, had some drinks, listened to music, watched football... it was all so great.  The weather was a little humid but there was a slight breeze so it was a wonderful Texas night.

SO delicious!

Though, after we had talked for some time and had plenty of laughs, Jon's friend brought us out some dessert.  I was definitely not prepared for the deliciousness he made for us and my stomach was so full I could not eat another bite. But, he did make us the dessert and I felt bad not to try just a bite... so I gave in.  Let me tell ya something, best cheat I have had in a long time!!  Have you ever had fried oreos with powdered sugar dipped in melted dark chocolate??? Oh. My. Goodness. Most definitely one of the yummiest and worst desserts for you here on earth.  That one deep fried cookie was definitely worth all the calories and sweating I did at the gym that morning. YUMMO. Reagan ate three cookies... I don't know how he did it because it was so incredibly rich.  But wow they were delicious and definitely worth the trip to the food park.


The night was fun and I was glad for new experiences, lots of laughs and great memories.  Reagan and I will definitely be going back to the food park... it was just too yummy to not go again!

Food park fun! Love this man!! 

Happy Thursday Friends... So thankful tomorrow is Friday!

Much love,

Tasty Tuesday!

I was sluggish all day and it felt like a Monday when it was really a Tuesday... BOO... I was needing sleep or a really long nap, a couch to sink into and a good tv show to watch... I blame my hubs for my lack of sleep... his work schedule is to blame for my interrupted sleep.  Anyways... I digress...
When I got home from work, I let Lyla Lou out, like I always do.  It is our routine, out of the kennel she comes and straight to the back door  she goes.  But today was different. Instead of her moving along to go outside like she usually does... she froze. I found a cute pup scared at my feet who freaked out as soon as I opened the back door to let her go potty because the sweet old lady next door had the yard men out and about working hard for their money. needless to say their loud equipment scared the pee out of my lil girl. Poor thing. We are working on loud noises... the vacuum cleaner literally sends her over the edge... she may need some type of dog therapy... and you think I am joking!
Anywho, I finally cleaned up the mess in between fighting Lyla for the clorox wipe I am using to clean the floor and we make it outside.  The weather feels great and the trees are blowing in the breeze. Definitely my kind of afternoon!!
So, I wonder inside for a little snack and find a hidden gem in my fridge.. chobani yogurt... YES! I thought it had been eaten all... much to my surprise this new flavor was waiting for me.  For those of you who don't know me very well, greek yogurt is my new guilty pleasure... it is mmm good! I took my first bite today it was so delicious and refreshing I decided to walk my happy lil sluggish self back outside, sink into a patio chair, let Lyla roam the backyard and enjoy every last bite of my apple cinnamon greek yogurt.  If you have not had this new delicious flavor you are missing out, and it is absolutely perfect for fall.  So, needless to say I am needing a lil less sleep after that wonderful afternoon pick me up! So stinkin' good you better go get yourself some before I buy them all off the shelves...seriously!!  Honestly, I think am pretty tired... I just wrote about my love for greek yogurt... good grief I may have lost all my marbles! :)

What can I say... it is the simple tasty things in life... right?!

Happy Tuesday Friends! I hope everyone has had a fabulous day!

I am off to enjoy my wonderful Bible study ladies... cannot wait to see all their beautiful faces!

Love to all,

Monday thoughts

have you ever been at a place in life where you just feel blah. like life keeps getting harder and it takes more energy to make it through the day?? or you feel like the prayers you say are the same thing day in and day out and you do not feel like you have an answer to all the things and stuff you have given to God. because of it all... you are just tired.  welp, that is where I am at friends.  I am in a dry season in life. There is a lot that goes on in my mind throughout the day that I simply just do not have the answers to, or even the slightest idea of what God is doing through me in this season of life.  I find myself crying out to God in prayer asking for clarity on many things... but I am still lacking in the clarity department.  I wonder if that is because I am missing what God is trying to tell me or that I am just so consumed with worrying about other things that I am not able to really hear God's voice!?

This semester with my bible study gals, we are doing the study Faithful, Abundant, True by Kay Arthur, Priscilla Shirer and Beth Moore.  Let me just tell you something... Priscilla's week two kicked my butt opened my eyes, humbled me to my knees, and impacted my heart.  She was talking about how much God cares about His children and that more people today choose what to take to God in prayer when we should be giving Him all our thoughts both BIG and small. Each day of this week was exactly what I needed to hear for where I am right now in life. I cannot tell you how many times lately I have stopped myself from really opening up to God in prayer about things that just seem so "insignificant." The study reminded me that these thoughts of my prayer being "insignificant" are not from God but from Satan because my God is concerned about every little thing that concerns me. WOW... what an amazing God! I was also reminded of this promise from the Lord while doing the study this week: "The Gospel of Matthew is a wonderful example of how we should pray.  Matthew encourages us not to get caught up in how we look or sound praying but instead to simply go to God privately and pour our hearts to Him.  We do not have to use lofty sentences or words beyond our understanding for God to hear us." (pg. 93) While reading this I was reminded that God already knows what I need before I even ask Him... that right there my friends brought me to tears.  Because these past couple of week, heck these past couple of months for a lot of life's speed bumps I have not had the words to say and because of that I felt like I did not know how I should pray or what I should pray for.  Though, today, I was reminded with pure truth that God knows my hearts desires even before I do.... and sweet friends if that does not bring you comfort I do not know what will.  When I read that sentence in my bible study peace came over me.  Peace washed away my worry, fear and concern.  It minimized the fear I have about what the future holds, what my career looks like, what I could do better in my marriage... it took it all away.  Because even if I do not know all the answers to these never ending questions or even how to begin praying for all the thoughts that consume my mind... God knows.  I am so grateful to serve a God who knows and sees my heart even when I question myself. So tonight, I go to bed with less anxiety and worry.  I go to bed knowing that even if my prayers may not make sense, or that I have said the same prayers on behalf of so many people and for so many things... God knows my heart and keeps walking with me daily because He cares for me and wants what is best for me.  Not only does that make me smile but it leaves me feeling pretty special... I mean that much to God and that my friends is a BIG deal!

I kept repeating this verse all day today... I love it.

Zephaniah 3:17 "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing."

My prayer for tonight is that we will all remember that we Matter to God.  No matter how big or small we think our problems are God hears every little breath prayer we give to Him.

Much love,

Life Lately.

I have one word for life lately. B-U-S-Y. I never thought two people and a dog could as busy as we have been lately.   Oh My Word.  I feel like every time I turn around there is something else I need to be doing or another thing that needs to be added to the to-do list. More than anything... it is hard doing life when your hubs is gone a.lot. It makes all the things I need and have to do on my list that much longer-- I seriously have never been so grateful for all the stuff he does to help me out... take out the pup in the morning, make my breakfast, tidy up before he leaves for work... he is amazing. Work for him has been so busy I cannot even keep track of his schedule or when he will be gone.  Now do not get me wrong, I am so grateful for this busy season and the phenomenal job that my hubs is doing at work, but a girl misses her hubby.... I just can't help it... oh and some cute pup misses her "daddy" too.  Case and point... the other night Lyla and I got in the bed to watch TV and relax before sleepy time and she kept running circles around the bed in Reagan's spot... no sooner was she running circles, she began whining when she started sniffing his spot on the bed and realized her "daddy" was not there... poor girl missed her "daddy" and I did too. PATHETIC I know.
Anyways, besides work being crazy for Reagan, going between two schools every day is crazy and exhausting for me.  At the end of the day I just want to crash and go to bed.  I have no motivation to do anything.  Sad thing is, there is so much I should be doing like... working out, cooking dinner, cleaning the house, crossing things off my to-do list.  More times than none, not everything gets done that I would like to in a day but I am slowly becoming ok with that because honestly spending time with my HUBS when he is home is way more important than the to-do list or laundry.

Well other than being super busy, we hosted our bible study friends at our house this past Sunday for lifegroup.  A good number of people showed up from our group but we definitely missed our friends that could not be there.  It was so wonderful to be able to open up our home to others and use it in a way that glorified God through fellowship... we are so blessed to have a home and we were so grateful that we could host those from our church for an afternoon.

side-note (my thoughts are all over the place for this post): I thought the weather was slowly changing to fall here in good ole San ANtonio, but it is a slower process than I would like it to be.  I am ready for it to be cool so I have a good excuse to wear the new boots I just bought and an even better excuse to drink pumpkin spice lattes anytime I please. So God, please hear my prayers and bring cooler weather ASAP!

Confession- I promise to do a lot better job of writing and posting pictures... I just need to find time to relax and write every now and then.

Oh I will leave you with this precious picture though...

Lyla Lou is such a princess.  All snug under the covers in our bed... could there be a pup more cuter than her?! 

Happy Tuesday Loves!

Feels Like Fall

My oh my... I may be speaking too soon... but it feels wonderful sitting out on the deck this morning.  The trees are moving and the leaves are blowing!! My dear Texas friends, I do believe Fall is right around the corner!!
Yesterday morning when I woke up and went to let Lyla out in the backyard,  I was amazed at the breeze that was blowing.  I immediately thought all things PUMPKIN.  The change in weather definitely put me in the mood for Fall.  Reagan was gone all day yesterday, so I thought it was a perfect time for me to decorate the house all things Fall! The table decor is out, pumpkins are everywhere, and there is a pumpkin spice scentsy filling up our house with its yummy smell! I love fall... football, boots, pumpkin spice lattes... can I get an AMEN again?!?

I am looking forward to the cooler weather, dinners on the back deck, and time with friends and family.  Fall is just lovely and I am glad the weather is changing and hope it is here to stay!

Pics to come soon of all the lovely decor... I just do not feel like moving from my spot on the deck quite yet :)

I hope everyone has a fabulous Sunday! Go have a pumpkin spice latte for me!

Much love,

Good-bye Summer :(

Ughhhhhhhhh. Feel my frustration??? Summer is OveR!!! I go back to work tomorrow and I am not ready one little bit.  The only thing I am ready for is getting on a schedule... I know I am a weirdo. I could probably live in summer mode for forever but I would be the most laziest person E.V.E.R. So to say the least...  Lil OCD me needs my schedule back.  This staying up late, sleeping in and reading books, and hanging out at the pool has been such a treat, but I need my routine back. badly. and I need a good nights sleep. and I desperately need to see my sweet friends (I have missed so dearly). and to get back into bible study with my ladies and be poured into and fellowship with those sweet gals.  Going back to school also means fall is coming, and I cannot wait for all things fall-- football. boots. cute scarfs and sweaters. and pumpkin spice lattes... Can I get an AMEN!! So tomorrow I will wake up when my husband does, put on make-up for the first time all summer (OOPS), say bye to my Lyla bear, and head to work.  At least I have Thursday and Friday to prepare before the kiddos come.  All  have to say to that is Monday is going to be fun yet exhausting... I can already feel it in my bones.  Anywho, for those of you who don't have work tomorrow... sleep in extra late for me, take time to read a good book and catch some sun! Oh summer 2012 you have been a good and memorable one... One I will never forget!


Hi Ho, Hi Ho, its off to work I go...

Much love and tired eyes,

Lyla Bear.

I have a confession to make. I must admit to you all that I think my puppy is pretty special and I am pretty much in love with her and her curly/wavy lil self. She is smart, hysterically funny with her chew toys, has lots of energy, loves to play and more than anything would cuddle with me all day... if she could. Whew.. I feel much better now that I have admitted to you all how in love I am with this cute lil cuddly pup.
Anyways....
On Saturday, we had to take her to get her first set of puppy shots.  While we were waiting in line, all these people kept approaching Reagan and I and asking us if they could hold her and telling us that we had the cutest puppy they had ever seen.  I just kept laughing because the attention she was getting was ridiculous.  Little kids wanted to hold her, moms, moms to be, and even cute old couples.  It was the funniest thing ever.  Though, we both admitted later on she is a pretty cute lil cuddle bear. Anyways, back to the shots.  I couldn't do it... I made Reagan hold her.  Oh and to hear her yelp when they stuck the needle in... Broke. My. Heart.  Seriously, I know I am pathetic... but I made Reagan be the bad guy this time... Oops. This pup is turning me into a complete and total softie!! Though, I felt a little bit better after the shot was over, because she acted like nothing had happened and she was back to her normal playful and cuddly self... made me feel a little LOT better that she didn't hate us for taking her to get shots!
I just know I am going to miss my lil girl when I go back to work on Thursday... Oh goodness... see I am already nervous about leaving her at home while we are at work... seriously people what is this pup doing to me... deep breaths. it will all be OKAY. it is just a dog... My goodness!!

I will leave you with our cute lil pup.  Little Miss Lyla Bear and all her cute lil fluff.  Who could not love a face like that?! I mean seriously!!!! 

*Disclaimer:
I promise posts to come will not be completely focused around our extremely cute pup... I just really cannot stop posting about her and all her daily happenings. haha. I am like a proud momma.. and honestly, we all know you just want to stare at her sweet lil face and take her home and cuddle with her! :)

I hope everyone enjoys their last days of summer! I know I am taking in every relaxing moment while I can!

Love y'all,

Raising a Pup :)

We are learning that raising a pup can be hard but being on a schedule is GoLdEn!! Honestly, it has been worth every penny we paid.  Lyla has been a wonderful puppy and we couldn't be more happy with having her in our home.  Though, I will admit her daily 3:15am wake up call to let us know she needs to go potty outside has been an adjustment, but we will take it if that means no accidents in her crate! We are learning that Lyla is very smart and thus far we have not had any accidents in the house... KNOCK on WOOD!! Reagan even made the comment last night, "Whatever you are doing to get her to go potty outside, keep it up because it is working!!" His comment made me LOL but honestly it is all about being on a schedule... just like a baby... Go figure- all my child development classes are coming in handy with this cute lil pup.  Honestly, she may be preparing me for future years when we do have a baby... because we have to think about HER now not just us! We love her bunches and love all the cuddles she has given us.  She is indeed our little cuddle bug!

All tuckered out after playing this morning.  Goodness. Being a Puppy is hard work!!! 

***Question for all you dog owners out there:

So like I said above, Lyla has had no accidents in her crate or inside the house (Praise the Lord)!!! Though, starting next week Reagan and I will both be at work for the day and I am worried that she will not be able to hold it all day in her crate since she will just be 7 weeks old at that time.  A friend told us that we should section of a part of our kitchen and put her crate in there with a bowl of water and a puppy pad with newspaper over it (so it feels like the texture of grass) and have her play around in there while we are gone and be able to use the bathroom during the day.  It sounds like a wonderful idea... but my only concern is that she may have a hard time going outside if we start doing the puppy pad thing for the day!  To be honest, I do not want to ruin the good thing we have going with going outside and not having accidents... it may drive me crazy... just a lil bit. ANY ideas on what we should do?!!? Needing help from one puppy momma to another!!

Much love,

Loving Lyla!

Well our family has grown in numbers! We are now a family of THREE!! This summer has been filled with many firsts! Almost a month ago we bought a house! The house is wonderful and is finally starting to feel like our home!! Once Reagan's office is finally no longer messy and the garage is organized, I think I will finally feel like I can rest and enjoy our home!!  

For this post to make sense, I need to provide you with some background information.  I have always wanted a dog ever since Reagan and I got married.  During our first year of marriage and in our first apartment, we bought a dog from a pet store in Dallas.  Come to find out, our dog had been abused by the pet store workers (the pet store was shut down a month later), she had a lot of social problems, and so we ended up giving her (Sadye) to a family that was able to give her the care and time she needed since we could not. We were so sad to part with our first puppy, but we knew it was for the best.  Fast forward... we move to San Antonio and get settled into our townhouse here and Reagan and I have the itch to get another dog... though we were very cautious this time due to our first experience. We ended up meeting a lady who had a dog she had rescued while on her run and she could not care for her.  She told us we could take her home for the weekend and see how things went.  We brought her home, she was a sweetie, but the first night we had her my allergies went from normal to CRAZY! I thought maybe it was something in the air (since it was fall time) and so I took medicine and didn't think about it again.  The next morning, I woke up and could hardly breathe, my eyes itched, and this sweet girls hair was shedding everywhere which was causing me to sneeze non-stop.  On top of me being allergic to her, the lady could not provide us with vet papers (which she said she had), so we returned her at the end of the weekend.  We were both sad that we could not keep her but knew it was for the best since I could not breathe when I was around her.  As soon as we returned her to her owner, Reagan and I went home and deep cleaned our entire house (so that I could finally breathe again) and decided we needed to get a hypoallergenic to low shedding dog! haha.. what a journey we have been on with dogs!

We pray and hope this new endeavor with Lyla will be wonderful and smooth...she has been fabulous today!

Anywho... fast forward to May 25th - my birthday! At dinner I opened my gift from the hubby and Reagan had given me a dog voucher as part of my gift and said that when we had a home I could get a dog!!  Well you know me... as soon as we moved in I started asking when he was going to deliver on his birthday promise! Well let's just say we had very different ideas on what kind of dog we should get! I did my research and he did his and the results did not match up very well!!! He wanted something that was a good sized medium dog, and I wanted a dog that would be small to smaller medium.  It took weeks for us to decide on a happy medium... but we finally knew what we wanted... or at least I thought we did... Well since I received the birthday dog voucher, I have been searching all the dog sites here in San Antonio and every time I would show Reagan a dog I liked his answer was always, "nope, not that one."  Well yesterday while driving to our couples bible study I leisurely was browsing through  one of the dog sites and saw an ad for cockapoos.  I immediately showed Reagan the pictures and to my surprise his eyes lit up, he smiled and said, "text the lady who is selling the puppies."  Little did I know, while my husband was doing all his dog research he became fond of poodles because they are very smart and he has always liked cockerspaniels (because my family has one and she is super sweet).  So, he looked at me and said, "what a good combination of a dog... super sweet, wants to please, is smart and she will not shed all over our house."  So I called and spoke to the lady who was selling the litter and she asked for us to come and see the female puppies she had left last night.  So we went right after bible study and we fell in LOVE.  It was a happy ending for both of us!!!  We got a dog that we feel is a perfect fit for our family!! Oh and even better.... our good friends Mike and Jeanelle bought Lyla's sister last night and they named her Lily! So Lyla and Lily can always see each other and be the best of friends :)

Enjoy these pictures of our sweet baby girl (who is currently cuddling on my lap with me and trying to get me to stop typing!)

Reagan and Lyla on the way home from getting her.  I totally forgot to take a picture with her on the car ride home... OOPS! 

Look at that little fluffy cutie! 

Such a princess already :) 

Lyla with her sister, Lily (who looks more like a poodle).  Lily stayed with us today... I think Lyla is going to be very sad when she goes home in a little bit. :(

Two very best friends. :)
Lily is definitely a little bit bigger than Lyla.  It will be so interesting to watch them grow and see their personalities develop!!

I look forward to all the love Lyla is going to give us and the laughs Reagan and I will have along the way now that we have the responsibility of caring for this sweet cuddle bear! I hope you enjoy watching our journey as we learn how to best take care of this sweet girl and the love she gives our family.  It is amazing how much love and kisses a dog can give!!

Grown-ups...

Well this morning is a day in our lives that we will remember for years to come.  We are Officially Home Owners!!!  Wow.  I do not feel old enough to even be writing that sentence let alone saying it to people.  We just took a big step jump into the real world of adults.  I am excited for the journey to begin and cannot wait to see what God has next for us.  We are so excited to have a place of our own and cannot wait to have friends and family over.  Our prayer all along has been that wherever we ended up God would use us in a mighty way... I look forward to being used and allowing our house to be a place where fellowship and laughter occur.  I cannot wait for all the fun and memories to begin! Let the good times roll!!

Hip Hip Hooray!! We became Home Owners Today!!

Lord, thank You for the provision of our lives.  We are blessed beyond measure.  I pray that we continue to seek You in this journey and all that You have planned out for us!

Happy Birthday to You!

This weekend amidst all the packing we celebrated my incredible Dad!  Words cannot describe how grateful we are to have this amazing man in our lives... especially after his tragic 12 ft. fall this past Christmas.  I cherish this man with my whole heart.  He is the one who stole my heart when I was a little girl, the one who has taught me how to live life to the fullest, how to love without regrets, and how to always remind the people you are surrounded by daily how much you love them and how much they mean to you.  My Dad is my world and truly one of my best friends.  I am grateful for the impact he has had on my life, my brothers lives, and Reagan's life.  We are all better because of this man who graces us with his presence, his laughter, his love for others and the Lord, his servant heart, and his hugs.  Thank you Dad for being a man who has taught me how to love the Lord, how to talk to others, and how to serve others.  You truly are the most incredible Dad a girl could ever ask for.  I am blessed because of him and the love he has poured out to me.  Thank you Lord for another year with my Dad, I pray it is another year filled with much laughter, many memories, and lots of bear hugs.  I will always be my daddy's sweetie-pie!  Cheers to my wonderful Dad and to another year of living life to the fullest! I will love you always and forever!!

We Love celebrating this sweet man!! 

My brothers... what handsome men they are :) 

Oh and this cutie... I take every opportunity I can to get a picture with this handsome fella!

Thank you Lord for the blessing of our Dad.  He has been such and inspiration to us all and we are so honored to have him as our Dad!

Life as we know it.

Wow I cannot believe July is almost over!!  Where has the summer gone?! Well Reagan and I have been busy with life as usual.  I am convinced it may never slow down.  Though, thru all the craziness we have been able to have a lot of laughs and make memories along the way with friends and family. Life as we know it though is pretty crazy and fast paced, but honestly thru our crazy/ busy life God has shown up in more ways than one.  On Tuesday we become adults.  We are signing our lives away.  We are buying our FIRST HOME!! I am a little scared, anxious, excited.. not gonna lie.  I am also super thrilled at where God has us in this moment, and cannot wait for this journey to begin.  Though, the past couple of days there have been some grumbles escape from the happy couples mouths because quite frankly... we HATE packing.  The process has seemed to go pretty quick... maybe because we are anxious about our new house or the fact that my parents have been wonderful and have helped us pack. I dunno.  But I feel like we blinked and all our stuff is gone and boxes surround every square inch of our tiny apartment.  Holy Moly we are about to own a house?! Is this Real Life?? I do not feel old enough for this endeavor but we are oh so ready to have a place to call our own.  A place that is all ours.  WOW.  I cannot believe it.  God has blessed us so much and we are grateful beyond words.  I cannot wait to decorate our home, get a dog, have a family down the road... wow friends this is where life begins!! So I hope you all are as excited as we are because we pretty much cannot contain our excitement -- even though it is mixed with a little fear... this is a BIG life move! So any who, I digress... Tuesday is the BIG day and we cannot WAIT! A new chapter of our life is about to begin and we are embracing every sweet moment.

We cannot walk into our once roomy study-- each space of floor is filled with boxes.

Though as I mentioned before, life as we know it is this... the Not so fun part -- PACKING. But let me tell you my friends moving into our home and decorating it all cutesy -- that is where my excitement is at!!  Not all this packing and boxes and organized towers of clutter.  Well back to the packing I go... Tuesday could not come soon enough!!

Boxes and clutter surround me... I need my OCD tendencies to take a chill pill for the next week... maybe month.

Thank you Lord for the blessings you have provided us.  We are extremely humbled by Your provision and love for us.

Lunch Dates

The thing I love most about summer vacations... lunch dates and time spent with sweet friends!   It is just such a wonderful time to catch up with sweet friends and not be rushed!  It makes my soul happy.  Today's lunch date was to meet my bestie Laura (from work) and her two adorable kiddos.  We chose La Hacienda... what could be better - a little Mexican food, the Texas heat and fabulous conversation! It was hot out, but it was nice to catch up and let her kids run around a play.  Time spent with this sweet friend is like music to my soul.  She is such a blessing to my life and I am so blessed to get to work with her everyday.  Whenever we are together there is always so much to fill each other in on, and the conversation is never dull... she always has me laughing! Just so grateful for her today and the lunch dates that seem to be turning into regular get togethers every week! Thank you Lord for blessing me with such a Godly and loving lady in my life!
Oh and I had great intentions to get a picture today until her sweet baby girl hit her head on the outdoor play area... Next time, because there will be many more outings together before we head back to school! Love you sweet sweet friend!

"There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate."

Haha. This quote made me Laugh so hard.  Whenever Laura is around I know her sweet company and chocolate can fix absolutely anything! :)

Our Lake Adventure

Going to the lake with my hubby and friends makes my soul happy.  Literally, I think I could spend days on end in a boat riding around the lake soaking up the sun (minus the sunburn that always comes with too much sun)!!  LAKE LBJ was a blast for the weekend.  What could be better than riding around on the lake with people you love, blaring good music and having the time of your life?!  Ab.so.lu.te.ly NOTHING! We are so grateful for sweet friends who invited us to their family lake house just to hang out and relax.  This weekend we did a lot of... laughing, telling funny stories, taking lots of pictures (Karlie our sweet friend and amazing photographer was always behind the camera), soaking up a lot of sun (I managed to not get sunburned but Reagan did... not sure how that happened!), and making lots of sweet memories.  Probably the best part of the weekend was being surrounded by great friends... time spent with people you love is priceless!

The best part of the weekend:

On Saturday, there were a couple extra people that came to the lake (unexpected so to speak)... so we were over our limit for how many people could ride safely in the boat.  Well good thing the King and Hassoldt families have so many cool lake toys.  Since there were extra people, that meant we needed to blow up the huge blue float.  People kept taking turns laying on the float and getting some sun while other people rode on the boat and tubed or wakeboarded.  Well the last people to be on the float would be me, Karlie, and Uncle Kim.  We were contently floating out on the water until we realized we hadn't seen the boat come by for quite some time.  As the sun began to go down, we began to get worried.  It had been almost 4 hours sine we had last seen our family/friends or the boat.  So, as the last boat was headed in from where we were floating, we decided we better ask if we could use their phone and call someone.  Come to find out... we had been floating for so long because the boat ran out of gas and then it would not start up again after they re-filled the tank! It made for a funny story by the end of the night but it was kinda weird to be stranded out on the big blue float with no phones, no food, no shoes or clothes and only a couple of waters.  As Karlie would say, "we were doing it survivor style!" (even though we were just a couple feet from the shore). haha. love that sweet girl! :)

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!

Off to Bible study the Farish's go!

Me and my sweet hubs out on the lake enjoying the sun and riding on the boat.  No better way to spend a Sunday morning than surrounded by the beauty of nature that God created!! 

Proverbs 27:17, "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." 

Father's Day 2012

This father's day was a special one for me!  It was the first time in a while that I have been in the same city as my dad...which I do believe made it even more special for both of us this year.  For those of you who don't know, I am a big time daddy's girl.  Honestly, I do not know how I couldn't be.  I have one of the most incredible fathers!  He has such a good spirit about him, loves to laugh, is a great listener, easy going, he loves God, and he loves to spend time me (just the two of us) and with our family.  When I was growing up, I can remember telling my mom this big secret that I thought was so incredibly special after my daddy took me out on a father/daughter date (some of the best memories of my life).  I told her I loved my dad 10,000 oceans and that my daddy had stolen my heart.  I remember after I told her this that she just smiled at me with a big smile and told me that my daddy felt the same way about me.  To this day, those words still remain so true.  I honestly would do anything for my dad and he would do the same for me, and he truly is the first man that stole my heart... there will always be that bond that we have for one another that will always connect us- I will always be his one and only daughter... No Matter What!  I can remember when I started dating Reagan, people always told me to not settle for anyone who did not treat me as good or even better as my dad did.  Well folks, I think I married a winner because he treats me like a princess and I am pretty sure he loves me just as much as my dad does.  So this year, I was so blessed to be celebrating my dad and to have him here with us (after his nasty 12 ft. fall off a ladder earlier this year) and to see all the progress he has made in his recovery. I am truly so blessed!! This father's day, I really sat back and thought about all the great times my dad and I have had together and I could not imagine making those sweet memories with anyone but him! Thank you Lord for choosing my dad to be the one who raised me and loved me like a father should.  I pray that one day when Reagan and I have children of our own that I can be as good of a parent as he has been for me and love them just as much as my dad has always loved me.  

Happy Father's Day Dad! I love you 10,000 oceans!!

Proverbs 22:6 -"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." 

Happy Two Years!

My Sweet Love,

Thank you so much for the past two years.  It has been an absolute blessing and I am so grateful that God gave me you!!  These past two years have been filled with so much joy, laughter, tears, lots of love and memories. I believe we are so much stronger because we made it through the good, bad and ugly together, and through it all I am even more in love with you. Some days have been harder than others, but through the good and bad days my love still continues to grow more and more for you. I am so grateful for how hard you work to provide for our family, your unconditional love you have for me, and the Love you have for Jesus.  Many days, I catch myself wondering what the next year will be like that and the year after that.  My prayer for each year to come is that our love continues to be built on the foundation of Christ and that our unconditional love for each other never stops growing. Throughout this past year I wanted to say thank you for so many things, but sometimes I just did not have the words or did not know if you knew how truly thankful and grateful I am for you. Thank you for having patience with me, holding me when the tears just needed to flow, encouraging me, helping me find hope in some of the hardest situations, praying with me each night before we go to bed, loving me no matter what, and supporting me through it all.  I love you so much and I cannot wait to see what the next year holds.  I look forward to purchasing our first home together and making it our own... so many new and exciting things are happening and I am so glad to be by your side through it all! You are the love of my life, my best friend, and I thank God for blessing me with such an incredible life partner. I look forward to our life together and seeing what the next 50 years have in store for us. :)
Love you to the moon and back my handsome man!

1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 "Love is patient and kind: love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.  It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never ends.  As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away."

Starting the Summer off with a bang!

Summer is officially here! WOOHOO! After a crazy first year in the world of education I am definitely in need of a little break! I had so many great ideas for how to start the summer off, but my body thought differently.  Starting the summer break out sick and with a box of tissues is no fun at all!  I am just hoping this means I will be healthy the rest of the summer... fingers crossed! So today will be spent on the couch resting while my sweet hubby takes care of me... all other plans will have to be put on hold!

I have been MIA from the blog for quite some time I do not even know where I should begin in catching everyone up!

Let's see...

Reagan is still loving his job, busy as ever, and has made some really great sales the past couple of months! We are just thanking God for the blessing of his job, his continued success and all the great people he is meeting along this journey.

I finished my first year in the pre-k world.  It was a year of ups and downs, but it was all worth it in the end.  On the last day of school when some of my kiddos asked me to take pictures with them I got all teary eyed.  That was the last time I would see some of my babies (who are now great big kindergarteners)! I didn't expect to get so emotional, but this year will forever be a year I hold in my heart.  I had some wonderful students, I worked with the best co-teach ever, and made some incredible friends along the way.  I am not really sure what God has in-store for next year yet, but I continue to be diligent in prayer and pray that all things will come about in His perfect timing!

I celebrated my 23rd birthday... my oh my where have the years gone!?  I had a great dinner with friends and family and spent my birthday weekend celebrating with the ones I love.  Looking back on the year a lot has changed, and I truly believe Reagan and I are both better people due to all the changes we have endured.  We have grown a lot in our relationship, faith, and love for one another! Here is to another year of living and learning along the way!

Reagan and I put an offer in on our first home!!!  We are in active option as of right now and our inspection on the house is today. EEK! This has been such a crazy/scary experience for me, but I know we are ready to purchase our first home!   I am excited and anxious and just hope everything works out the way we have hoped and envisioned because we are in LOVE with the home! Purchasing our first home has made me realize we are definitely grown-ups now and there is no turning back!!  I will keep everyone posted on updates of the house and when it officially becomes ours! Oh and lots of pictures to come... once it is decorated and we have made our first house our home!

Other than buying a house this summer, we hope to go on a couple little mini vacations (one for our two year anniversary-- where in the world has the time gone!? and another with my best friend and her hubby). We are still trying to figure out where we should go for these trips!  We want to go somewhere fun but not too expensive, since the house is our first priority this summer! So if anyone has any great ideas of fun places to go for a weekend getaway please pass them along to me!!!

Well I think that is most the happenings that have occurred recently in the Farish household! We are praying for a wonderful summer full of time with friends, family and a summer that grows our love with one another even stronger!

I hope everyone has a fabulous Friday!

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

The Little Things In Life

So life as we know it has been extremely busy... I apologize for not blogging more.  With school winding down for the year, my head seems to be all over the place, and my heart is a little sad.  My first group of pre-k kiddos are about to grow up.  Along with Reagan's crazy busy schedule ( he has been out of town a lot recently) we have one chaotic house - as of now... to say the least we are ready for our world to calm down a bit!

The other night I had time to just sit and think.  Reagan was out of town and it was just me and a quiet house... so I had a lot of time to think and reflect.  I loved being able to sit there and smile about the things God has blessed me with and the things I have to be grateful for.

I am grateful that I have a husband who loves me unconditionally.  The first morning he was gone on his business trip I woke up to a note saying, "Good morning sweet heart, I love you so much and I miss you on the first day."  My heart melted just a little bit.  The story behind that is he always tells me the first day of a business trip is a day of freedom and that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but by the second day he is missing me... well this time I was missed on the first day, the second day and the third day.  This time around by the third day we both could not wait to see each other and be home with one another.  Sappy love story... I know.  I just loved the thoughtfulness of that note and the reminder to cherish every day I have with my hubby.

I am grateful for a God who carries me through each day.  I love how He knows the plans for my future better than I ever will and knows the most intimate parts of my heart.  He is always there for me and gives me hope to strive to be more like Him each day. I love that I can talk to Him through prayer about anything and that He hears my heart when others may not.  Thank you Lord for the price you paid for me by dying on the cross.

I am grateful that I work with such wonderful people each day- even if it only is for half the day.  I love my time I spend with my school friends and the support they give me.  They are so wonderful and I am going to miss them so much once the school year ends.  I have learned A LOT this year and looking back now I would not have it any other way.  Life is about growing and learning and I have done a lot of both this year!

I am grateful for my bible study ladies on Wednesday night.  Our group has grown so much and it is such a joy to gather with so many women who have a passion for learning more about the Lord and loving on others.  Every Wednesday I look forward to meeting with these ladies and would not have it any other way.  They have blessed me in more ways than I could have ever imagined.

I am grateful for the couples bible study we are getting plugged into with our church.  I feel that we are learning a lot and getting to fellowship each Sunday night with some incredible couples.  Times spent with these families is making our faith walks and marriage with one another even stronger.

I am grateful for family.  The time with them is precious and something I definitely do not take for granted.  I hold family very close to my heart and I truly do not know what I would do without them.  They laugh with me, cry with me, celebrate with me, and bring me pure Joy... nothing is better than the love of family.

These are just a few of the things that came to my mind as I sat and really thought about all I had to be grateful for... it was a good night of reflection and something I did not want to forget.

Well off to get my day off from school started - no more lounging for me! Happy Fiesta to those of you who live in San Antonio!!

Do not let this day pass you without stopping and thinking... "What am I grateful for???"

"Lord thank you for your grace and all you have blessed me with."