Christmas 2013

Christmas was wonderful this year. It was a bit crazy leading up to it, but the much anticipated holiday (and subsequent vacation) finally arrived. This year was a little bit different in that we didn't do a Christmas Eve service at our church. We instead organized a variety of service opportunities that families or groups could do together on or around Christmas Eve. The four of us did a Meals on Wheels route in the Helotes area, and it was really fun! The rest of the afternoon was spent hurriedly wrapping gifts, packing, and food prepping. But it was good. Christmas morning, we were up and opening presents by 6:00. The kids were thrilled to have gotten a real American Girl doll (Abby) and Skylanders (Carson) as their "big" gifts. I've got to say that I never cease to be amazed at their gratitude. Every gift they opened, no matter how small or insignificant was met by squeals and many thank yous. It was a fun morning.

After gifts were opened, we finished packing while the kids played with their gifts, then we packed up a nice breakfast/brunch and headed over to Ammie & Poppy's to eat (and so Aaron could get started on the prime rib in time for it to be ready for lunch). We had a lovely breakfast (with the help of The Pioneer Woman, of course), and rest of the morning. Jason, Natalie, and the kids arrived a couple hours later, and there was much fun and excitement. Once again, we opened gifts, then enjoyed a delicious Christmas lunch together. It was a great day!

Not long after lunch, we loaded up and headed for Howe. When we arrived, Valerie, Dustin, and their kids had already arrived and we all had a happy reunion (though I'm pretty sure I was half asleep). The next day, we just lounged around. In keeping with tradition, the kids all helped Mattie make a birthday cake for Jesus in preparation for our Christmas dinner the next day.

Friday, Grandma, Grandpa, & Gangan came up and joined us for our Christmas celebration. Before we opened gifts, Grandpa gathered all the kids around and told them a wonderful story of Christmas and Jesus' birth. They sat and took it all in happily (except for Benjamin, who fell asleep)! Then we had a yummy lunch and spent more fun time together before Val's family and Grandma & Grandpa had to go. The four of us stayed for another couple days to unwind, and it was nice, as usual.

We loved getting to spend such special times with both of our families celebrating God's gift to us and the blessings we've been given.

Valerie's Graduation

I figured Valerie's graduation deserves more than a bullet point, so here's a follow up post to honor her! Valerie graduated with her Bachelor's degree, majoring in Psychology from Texas A&M University on December 13th! It was a long road after taking a several year break, but she did it! We are so incredibly proud of her. I have no idea how she did it with three kids and while launching a business, but she did!

Andre, Mom, Dad, & Benjamin are excited!

Carson, Jerah & Abby

Valerie walking the stage

Val & Dad

The graduate!

Val & Mom

Val with her in-laws, Beth & Cardell

After the graduation on Friday night, we had a party for her at my mom and dad's in Howe on Saturday, and it was a great time! It was so good to see family and friends show up to support her.

Aaron, Beth, Cardell, Valerie, Dustin

All the little cousins!

Val & Benjamin

Randy, Glenn, & Linda

Sheila, Jan, Shanda, Mary Alice, Grandma

Grandpa, Dad, Cardell, Dustin, & Uncle Bill

Mom, Aunt Sheila, Aunt Jan, & Shanda

What's Happening [12.23.13]

It's been a whirlwind of a month around here (I guess it's a little crazy for everyone), but it's been a fun one. Because my brain is currently incapable of constructing cohesive paragraphs, I will once again share life in bullet points...

• Valerie graduated from Texas A&M last weekend with her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. We are so incredibly proud of her! We drove up to College Station on Friday night for the graduation, and then on Saturday, we had a party for her in Howe with family and friends to celebrate her accomplishment. We made it home late last Saturday night extremely exhausted, but it was worth every second.
• This weekend, my mom came down for a show in Fredericksburg to sell her stuff. After an awful day on Friday, she decided to pack up her trailer and not go back, SO... we got to have a fun day hanging out on Saturday. We spent the afternoon driving around the Hill Country, had lunch in Bandera, and did some shopping and Christmas light looking in the evening. I was sad her show didn't go well, but it was a nice treat for us!
• This weekend, we also had the chance to spend quite a bit of time with Aaron's family as we celebrated Jason's birthday, and we had a great time!

• This evening, we spent a few hours at Holiday in the Park at Fiesta Texas to enjoy the last week of our season passes. It was fun having them for 2013 and we made a lot of memories there! In 2014, we opted for season tickets at the Magik Theater, so we're looking forward to that, but we may go back to the Six Flags passes here in another year or two. (Right now, Carson isn't really a fan of riding much, so we'll wait 'til he's a bit older.)

• Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and in addition to it being one of my favorite days of the year, it is the culmination of our Breaking Traditions series we've been doing at church in December. We decided, instead of having a Christmas Eve Service on 12/24, to have our people go out into the community to serve. Everyone has been very excited about it, and I'm so excited to see what comes of it! Selfishly, I am also excited to not be planning or orchestrating a Christmas Eve service. They're always really cool. But it's stressful for those involved. So, I'm happy for a day "off"!
• Christmas Day, we will be waking up to open presents (quite early, I'm sure) and then heading over to Ammie & Poppy's to start getting ready for lunch. (Aaron cooks the prime rib every year.) We'll spend the day eating delicious food and having lots of laughs and good times. That evening, we'll drive to Howe to spend a few days (and eat more and laugh more and have more good times), and then we'll drive from there to Leakey, where Aaron will be speaking at a camp for 5 days. We all get to go, so I'm excited for the chance to retreat at one of my favorite places.

Christmas is Coming

Yesterday was a really fun day. It was one of those days that was supposed to be really busy with a lot of stuff, and then we just kinda cleared the calendar and had a fun family day in preparation for Christmas. Aaron had a couple of meetings first thing, so while he did that, the kids and I went to Winterfest in Helotes. It was so very cold that I thought for sure it wouldn't be very well attended. Well, I was wrong, but we got there early in the day and didn't have to fight too many crowds. We spent the latter part of the morning walking around from booth to booth (the kids couldn't resist all of the "spin-the-wheel-for-a-prize" thingies that the vendors had set up) collecting swag, doing crafts, and then warming up with apple cider. It was a fun morning--the highlight of which was when both of the kids won the "jackpot" at the Dave & Buster's booth and won bags that had EVERY prize in them. They're STILL talking about it.

Trying to stay warm at Winterfest

Making "magic reindeer food"

After Winterfest, we grabbed lunch real quick and met up with Aaron, and then hopped in the car again for a surprise. We ended up downtown at the Magik Theater where we surprised the kids with an early Christmas present (season tickets) and a show. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever was a wonderful play, and we all enjoyed it!

Getting ready to see The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at Magik Theater

After the play, we drove up to Pipe Creek Christmas Tree Farm to cut down our own Christmas tree for the first time. That was a great time! Except for the kids hitting each other with the big stick and running around like banshees (I think the sugar had begun to kick in by then) pointing at every single tree and saying, "What about this one? What about this one?" Really though... good times.

We then loaded up our Christmas tree and headed for home. Aaron made chili and baked cookies, and then we drank egg nog while we decorated the tree and listened to carols.

It was a gloriously wonderful day that ended with me bundled up underneath a pile of covers and falling asleep at 8:45. It doesn't get much better than that!

Thanksgiving Week 2013

The kids had all week off of school, so we decided we'd go spend the week in Howe visiting family. It was a really nice time. We drove up Sunday after the kids and I got back from a mini road trip with Sandy to Houston for Savannah's wedding (Natalie's sister). There was a major winter weather advisory for all of north Texas, so we were a bit nervous, but we didn't even hit the tiniest bit of winter weather on our drive up (thank you God and all of our prayer warriors!). We woke up Monday morning to ice covered trees and we bundled up and drank coffee all morning.

Tuesday we did more of the same. We just enjoyed hanging out with Mom & Dad and turning off our brains and to-do lists. Wednesday, I took the kids over to Glen & Linda's house to ride horses. Linda is the mom of my childhood best friend, Mandi. It was so nice to spend some time with her on Tuesday and Wednesday. I hadn't really seen her since Abby was a baby (if that). She now has Parkinson's and is in a wheelchair after falling and breaking her hip, but she was kind enough to invite the kids over to their ranch to ride horses. The kids loved it, of course (especially Abby).

Pictures will go here once I download them.

Wednesday night, we went and helped Mom set up her booth in Canton.

Thursday was Thanksgiving and Aaron and Dad got up early to fry a turkey to take to Nanny & Pawpaw's. Thanksgiving plans had been a bit uncertain because Pawpaw was in the hospital for a week and wasn't released until Wednesday afternoon. The house was packed with [nearly] all of our huge family, and we were all so thankful to have him back at home. He was weak and very tired, but he sat in his chair and talked to just about everyone throughout the course of the day. I heard him lean over to Madison at one point (my cousin Brendon's girlfriend who joined us for the first time) and say, "Now isn't this just the greatest family there ever was? Let me tell you, I just feel so lucky."

Pictures will go here once I download them.

Friday Aaron and Dad got up and smoked a turkey and I spent the morning in the kitchen putting together Thanksgiving dinner for Grandma & Grandpa's house. We drove to Scurry late afternoon to celebrate both Thanksgiving and Grandpa's 80th birthday. Mom and Val joined us there for dinner (they'd been in Canton) and we had a nice celebration. We put together a book for Grandpa of pictures, letters, and favorite memories, so that was neat too.

Grandpa's 80th birthday

Hanging out at Grandma & Grandpa's

Valerie and I -- we did not plan this. I promise.

Saturday we spent the morning just hanging out, playing, and packing up to head back home. We took the leisurely route down 281 back down to San Antonio and savored the last hours of our "vacation". I'm so thankful for the family we've been blessed with!

A little basketball with Grandaddy before heading home

Nashville

There was some point early on in 2013 that Natalie and I realized that being a pastor's wife can be exhausting (though I adore being the wife of my pastor). After planting our campuses at the start of the year, we discovered that our new roles in ministry were much different than the roles we'd played before. While being incredibly fulfilling and rewarding, it is tough. Natalie mentioned in passing one day that she'd heard about a pastor's wives retreat happening in the fall, and we longingly talked about how great that'd be to go together to learn and recharge. We dreamed and then we just kinda let it go, as we do with many of the wonderful trip plans we come up with. The subject resurfaced a month or two later as I was talking with Aaron one day. He told me, "You and Natalie need to do this. You really should go." I went back and forth between giddiness and doubt--should we or shouldn't we? But with a lot of encouragement and support from the guys, we were able to go!

The Leading and Loving It Retreat was in Nashville Tuesday to Thursday, so we decided to leave on Sunday afternoon and make a week of it. Our first night, we stayed in Howe with my parents. Monday, we drove on and stayed in Little Rock for the night. We spent the evening walking the River Market District and ate fried green tomatoes and fried chicken at Gus's, and it was great!

On the road in Arkansas

My first fried green tomatoes in Little Rock. Heavenly!

Tuesday morning, we got on the road early and headed for Nashville. We went straight to the retreat and, despite finding out that they sat us at two different tables (on purpose), had a wonderful first day. I was touched by a lot (which I may or may not unpack here at a later date), but I really loved hearing Lisa Harper speak. She was funny and engaging and she spoke truth that I am still chewing on, even now. Once day one was complete, we went and checked into the house we had rented just down the street from the retreat. It was a suite in the back of a house downtown, and it was a great place to stay.

I was happy to discover that Natalie and I basically run on the same schedule. We generally got tired about the same time, and we both woke up pretty early. (Although, before the trip, I'd had grand visions that I would be sleeping in late every single day since I didn't have kids there to take to school or to wake me up hollering for a towel because they forgot to get one before getting into the shower. But alas... I just wake up early--kids or no kids.) All of that to say, we were up and ready pretty early on Wednesday morning, so we decided to drive out from downtown Nashville a bit to try the Loveless Cafe, which Nat had heard wonderful things about. I want to confirm that all of these wonderful things were true. Except we didn't see any famous people. Which I was bummed about. But the biscuits and hash brown casserole more than made up for it.

Day two of the retreat was good, but not my favorite. I really enjoyed the worship though, and there was a session or two that I really enjoyed about marriage and ministry.

Breakfast at the Loveless Cafe. Yummy!

Someone suggested the Loveless Cafe in Nashville, and it was amazing!

They gave us tons of free stuff at the beginning of each day of the retreat!

That night, we decided to go explore Nashville a bit. We walked downtown and took in the "flavor" of Nashville. We walked wide-eyed down Broadway, it was something to behold. There were neon signs everywhere, a band playing in nearly every window, and music coming out of every door you walked past. It was pretty cool. We stopped for a nice dinner, and then walked some more, but by then we were absolutely frozen and tried to get back to the car as fast as we could.

Broadway in Nashville... there's a band in almost every window!

Day three started off with coffee and a pumpkin scone at Starbucks, and everything about the retreat that day was spectacular. Truly. In so many ways. Natalie Grant did a concert and spoke to us some. I had some great conversations with my table group. And Holly Furtick gave a talk that really touched me and stuck with me. Oh, and as a bonus, Nat and I both won prizes in a raffle--back to back. The retreat was over at noon, and we left feeling encouraged, equipped, and knowing that we were not alone in our unique struggles. We hopped in the car and headed south (first to lunch in Franklin--where I spilled tomato basil soup all over myself--and then to the coast of Mississippi). We had a lot of good conversation on that drive unpacking all that we had heard and all that we felt like God might be speaking to us. The last bit of the drive was a bit interminable, but we finally made it to our hotel in Biloxi and went straight to bed.

Friday morning, we got up early and got on the road. By that  point, we were just exhausted by all the travel and all the emotion of the week.  We stopped at the beach in Biloxi to put our toes in the sand and take a few pictures, but we were pretty ready to see our husbands and kids, so we didn't stay long. We drove homeward, singing along with the radio (or iPod or whatever) nearly the whole way, and decided that crossing the Texas border may be one of the most discouraging things ever. You feel like you're home and then you realize that you're still hours and hours from home. But we made it home late Friday afternoon and we were received by incredibly happy husbands and kids who missed us maybe as much as we missed them, and it was the perfect end to an amazing week!

A stop at the beach in Biloxi, Mississippi

I feel so incredibly lucky to have Natalie & Jason who, even though they are at a different church, are walking through the same things we are. I think it's a rare thing. It was also good to see that same truth on a broader scale, being in a room of 400 other women in ministry.

"We get to work for God. Who gets to do that?!"

-Holly Furtick

It was a great trip, and I am thankful on so many levels that I got to have that experience AND that I got to do it with Natalie! She's such an amazing woman/sister/friend and I am immensely blessed!

Mommy's Shuttle Service

For years, I’ve heard mom’s refer to themselves as a shuttle service, taxi cab, chauffer… but I have to admit, I never really felt that way before. And what’s more, I/we committed early on not to live life that way—kids being part of a million different activities/clubs/sports, and just shuffling various family members from one place to another. There’s no need to crowd our lives like that, I said. And I still stand by that. Except here’s the crazy thing… it totally sneaks up on you. After a nice and laid back summer, we told our kids that they could each choose one thing to be a part of. Abby chose piano lessons, and Carson chose karate. So we sign everyone up. Then I realize, that will actually entail three nights of the week (TWH), not just two. Oh well. Then last week, we added after school tutoring to Tuesdays and Thursdays for Abby, and I’m feeling pretty outa’ whack.
I feel bad because the second we get home, I become a drill sergeant. “Go do your homework. Have you done your reading time? Where is your reading log? Okay, now clean your room. Stop playing right now, we’re in a hurry! You’re not done with your homework? You said you were done! We’ve got to go in five minutes. Where are your shoes? Just do your reading in the car and let’s go!” (Did you hear me escalating with each question?)
Deep breaths.
In a moment of honesty, I know I can’t really get on to them much for not being “on top of it”. I’m a bit of a distracted mess right now, myself. I feel like I can’t focus and do any one thing well (nevermind the two, three, four things that I have on my plate). And I don’t know how to navigate this phase, except to say:

1. God, help us. And I mean that not as an expression, but a prayer.
2. It is just a phase. Life has it’s busy seasons and it’s slow seasons. In December, we’ll take a break from karate, and tutoring will also be over. And we’ll re-evaluate it all when spring rolls around.
3. Kids, go play for a while. When we get home, just go be kids. Homework can wait a while, and the house can just be messy--go have fun.

I don’t want to miss (or ruin) this stage of life with my kids. How do you navigate the craziness?

Paris, Day 2

Our next morning in Paris, I woke up feeling much better. We went to the top of the Eiffel Tower (walking the 700 stairs to the second platform before riding the elevator to the top). It was one of Aaron's "bucket list" items, so even though it was a bit terrifying (for me), it was worth it, and admittedly pretty spectacular. (I seem to be missing photos from the top, so I'll have to track those down.) Afterwards, we went again to Marais, then to Montparnasse. Then on total impulse toward the end of the day, we decided to take a train to Versailles, which was spectacular, and I only wish we had made plans to spend at least a whole day there. Late that night, we ended up back at the apartment, cooking dinner with the leftover ingredients from the night before. An hour or so later, though, we decided it hadn't quite filled us up, so we headed back out to find a bit more to eat. We ended up at McDonalds, which I'm pretty sure is wrong in about 1,000 ways, but at that moment it was perfect. I think we just wanted something familiar, and to not have to stumble through a broken French-English conversation. I wish I'd had a picture from the outside looking in--the two of us dressed to go out for the evening, sitting together over a burger, fries, and a large Diet Coke shared between us. Again, I'm pretty sure it's a sin to eat at McDonald's while in Paris, but in that moment, it was just about perfect as far as we were concerned.

Paris City Hall

Notre Dame

Chateau de Versailles

Versailles

City of Lights

Paris was lovely. So beautiful. So full of history. And as you walk around, you really do get the sense that it's a city that embraces relationships and just being and enjoying life. I never saw anyone sitting around and staring at their phone (unless they were alone on the metro), ever. The cafes are always full of people leisurely enjoying their meals and laughing and talking with friends or lovers. They don't hurry through any of it. I enjoyed our time there, but I did feel as though we hurried through it (and what choice did we have?). If I ever return, I want to stay longer so that I can just take it all in... and I want to have a basic understanding of French. (Even though most people there did speak English, it was just stressful not speaking the language.)