FINALLY...

it snowed while I was in town! For the past two winters it has seemed like we missed all the snow storms... whether it was in Albuquerque, Dallas, or Lubbock- we have been in the opposite place from where it snowed...but not today! I am loving it... I love how quiet it is outside when it snows, I love how clean it feels when it first snows (until it melts..), I love what snow brings.. scarfs, warm drinks and fires in the fireplace (not that we have one, but still...)

Anyway, just wanted to share a few pictures from our front yard!

scrapin' queens!

Brooke & I got to scrapbook ALL day on Saturday! Do you know happy that makes my heart?.... very happy! I love to scrapbook, I love my sister, and I love that we share this hobby together now! Ignore our non-make-up faces and scrub clothes, but notice the matching paper cutters (which my dad thought was great! and I do too...) and big wonderful mess!

thanks for a great weekend Brooke, Dad, Linda, & Chase!

a new phase in life...

my life is completely different than it was last year... I have a lot more free time to help prepare Chase and I to "go". We are starting our support raising and partnership development process. It is such a blessing that I have the time now to devote to all that this process entails. With this new found free time that I have, I have been trying to prioritize my time and make sure I make the most of it.. please be praying that I would do this well and serve Chase well in the process.

two weeks ago I started nannying the Hubik boys (Will- 9 months & Hays- 3 years old)! I am loving it! They are such sweet boys... I am learning how to play basketball, football, "bad-guys", and all sorts of other boy activities. Hays has a great imagination & is all about sports and Texas Tech- which of course I love! Will is a really great baby... he plays, giggles, pulls up, gets really excited when something funny happens or a toy makes noise... Enjoy some of the pictures I have taken thus far of these precious boys!

(left) Hays as "Raider Red"... Will posing for a picture at a game (right) Hays as Santa Claus... Will asking Santa for a book for Christmas- notice his beard... Jacob's sock! (all Hays' ideas!)

(left) Hays with his gift bag to collect gifts for all the children! (right) "Santa" eating his cookies

(left) sweet Will's toes! I love them! (right) Will pulling up on the chair

others Christmases...

I know this is a little late up here are a few pictures from our "other Christmases" this year! We are so blessed that we got to see all three families this year! thanks for all the great memories-- we love you all!

(left) Ben & Hagan playing with their new toys! (right) the McGough/Walker boys!

the McGough/Walker girls!

(left) Wonder where Colt gets it from?? (right) the whole family! Yey for finally having a group picture! thanks for cooperating with me everyone :)

our "little" Christmas together.... we opened stockings and a few other gifts in our living room a couple days after Christmas.

Dinner in La Mesa with Dad, Linda, Shawn and Krystin

(left) on our way back for the Chipmunk Squequel!

Orlando fun!

we had a GREAT time in Orlando! thanks for all your prayers!

the conference was super encouraging, we learned a ton and now have a grasp for what is next in our journey. due to the security in the area that we want to serve in one day, we will no longer be posting any specific information about our journey on this blog anymore. However, we will be starting to send out update newsletters and emails, so be on the look out for those. if you read this and think we do not have your email, please leave a comment with it on there- thanks!

we met a ton of great people while we were there. here are a few pictures of what we did...

amy, me, jord, & jenny on the dock at the lake

(this is also the lake the chase & drew went canoeing on)

we watched movies & played games with our new friends!

the campus was also a KOA (Kampgrounds of America)

the campus & a duck!

Urban Flats!... this REALLY good flat bread pizza place- delicious!

love these girls!

gotta love starbucks, scarfs, and sweaters on the beach!

afternoon tea...

the tea above was a sparkling plum tea that actually sparkled!!

don't you love our hats??

the weekend after Christmas we went to St. James Tearoom to have an afternoon tea served by Miss Aubrey Lynn. She did such a GREAT job serving us... very proper. :0) It was so fun to see her doing her job that she had been doing for the past 6 months. I am so proud of her... she started Nursing school this week at UNM and so her career at the tearoom was short lived, but a good one!

I also got a super fun tea pot while we were there that matches our kitchen!

Happy 2010!

as we start this new year, I can't help but thank God for last year. 2009 brought many great challenges, blessings, and memories. To name a few:

• Chase started working for Blosser Appraisal in January
• I became more used to the "working/real" world and was able to wake up on time and get to work prepared & ready to go! :0) ha ha
• We got lots of little projects done around the house: Chase surprised me with a freshly painted and re-tilted laundry room, we installed a new a faucet in the kitchen, re-painted our bathroom, put together a desk in our computer room, re-decorated our guest room....
• We traveled to the Arabian Gulf over spring break & fell in love with the country and people
• We traveled from coast to coast attending and being part of friend's and families weddings (literally coast to coast- I had one in CA and Chase had one in Ohio and everywhere in between!)
• I got to travel to NY for the first time!! (next time I hope the trip is longer than 22 hours- but it was still great!)
• I resigned from my job so we could focus on getting ready to "go".
• We have begun the process of serving our great King... we are finally not just "talking" but "doing"

thank you friends and family for your support, love and care over the past year! We are so blessed to have you in our lives.

tomorrow we leave for Orlando, Florida to attend a conference. We are looking forward to see what this process will look like and where God is continuing to lead and guide us. Please be in prayer that we would be challenged, that God would speak to our hearts and that He would be the leader in this journey. We are attending the COP with our friends, Drew, Jord, and Jenny- please pray that we would be united as a team. We will let you know how it went when we return!

Happy New Year!!

"God provides the wind, but man must raise the sails." - Saint Augustine

"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." - Hebrews 11:8