I still haven't found what I'm looking for...

Key words to an old school song for me are exactly how I feel right now as I experiment with the look of my blog AGAIN...I see all of these incredible blogs that have that "I know my blog took a lot of work, but I want it to look like it didn't" vibe, and that's what I want! Simple, fresh, clean, but with a touch of weird as is my personality:)

This morning I felt inspired to write.  Last week was extremely hard.  Dealing with difficult/awkward situations and then finding out a dear friend of mine has cancer spread throughout her body--not necessarily pleasant.  Blogging is a way to vent, but it's also a way to discover more about myself.  Cheesy, I know, but I still find myself battling the way I do things, even when it comes to blogging.  It took my a long time to accept several things about myself and realize that there was no reason to feel shame over them.  Example

a) I am a cryer. Always will be, will not change. I cry when I'm sad, happy, angry, talking about the Lord, you name it...and I'm crying.  My best friends and I always ranked ourselves based on how cried the most to least, and I was always the most.  I've come to really embrace this about myself the past several years, and know it's exactly how I was created.

b) I'm a deep feeler.  I used to feel very self-conscious that I would make deep friends very easily.  I thought I wasn't guarding my heart or exercising caution. However, I've realized more and more that I was created this way with a purpose.  I feel what people feel very easily, and 99% of the time, those relationships have a very divine purpose in my life.

c) I over-analyze a lot.  Now, this used to give way to worry, which was not a good thing, but is not that way anymore.  I used to say I was a very "considerate" person only to excuse the fact that I was a huge people pleaser.  This is a recent change in my life as of 6 months ago.  I can still over-analyze and think things through, but the minute it gives way to worry or people pleasing, I know that I have crossed the line and need a heart check.

d) I'm quirky.  I like little bits and pieces of just about everything.  I love everything to high fashion (even though I barely know anything about it), to beauty tricks, to learning about football from my husband, to the animal kingdom, to reading (a lot), to spending quality time with people, to decorating with vintage pieces and hand me downs, to learning about different cultures, to DIY projects....this list could continue.

e) I'm passionate.  Wow, words just left me. I don't even know how to describe this.  I just am.

So you see, blogging is somewhat therapeutic for me.  It helps me realize little things like my blog coming together and big things like, 'look how much you've grown and still are.' Thank you for reading this post, I hope it was somewhat beneficial to at least one person:)

Between a Mom & Daugter: Money, money, money, money...MONEY!

We're back and as my dad says, "off to the races!" with the continuance of our "Between a Mom & Daughter" posts!! Thank you for being patient with us as we dealt (and somewhat still deal) with our crazy summer schedules. I have come to realize that summers are going to be mine and Jeff's craziest time of year in ministry! So, it will not really be a "relaxing vacation" time for us-ha!

Today, Mom had the idea of talking about finances. As you can assume, this is a very relevant subject for us all. And I don't know if we are the only ones who can say that dealing with money can be super tough! Jeff and I took Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace University" 9 months after we were married and it was one of the BEST things we ever did. We were constantly having "intense fellowship" over money matters, and although we didn't have any debt other than student loans and one car at that time, it was stressful! Well, through this course, God called us to sell our jeep because we lived in a house right next to the church. Instantly we were out of that debt and had an emergency fund. We went with one car for several months. We purchased a car with all cash when we did move, so now the only debt we have is my student loans.

I easily allow myself to get discouraged because it seems like the end is so far away, but I've learned a lot...a) Cash flow systems are a huge source of accountability (and something we need to get back to!) b) debt WILL get paid off, patience and consistency are needed and c) God honors faithfulness. Yes, we ask for giftcards for our birthdays to be able to buy clothes throughout the year and we are blessed with parents who have given us numerous gifts such as car batteries, replacement tires when needed, or a plane ticket to come visit. But, God has ALWAYS supplied our needs and we will continue to be thankful and pay off debt as quickly as possible. The Word says, "The LOVE of money is a root of all kinds of evil..." (1 Timothy 6:10a) I certainly don't ever want to desire money more than I do the Him and His glory. One more thing, Jeff and I always say: the main reason we want to get out of debt is to bless others in ways they've blessed us. My prayer is that we can all honor God with our finances, and watch Him take care of us and those around us! Be sure to check out Mom's post later today!

God Bless!

Leaving for Brazil...

Eeeeek! I cannot even believe that Jeff and I leave tomorrow with a team from Prestonwood Baptist's North Campus for the Amazon! We have prayed, prepared, prayed, prepared and prayed for this for months and it's finally here!

Our team is 80+, and Jeff and I are on the first flight group bright and early tomorrow morning.  We are excited to be sleeping in hammocks, coasting down the Amazon, fellowshipping with each other, loving on Brazilians, and most of all--being God's vessels to display HIS glory! If you'd like to keep up with things the Lord will be doing on this trip, you can go here and click on the blog sites for each boat:) And, if you would like to know more about Amazon Outreach in general you can go here.

I apologize that you have not been seeing "Between a Mom & Daughter" posts lately.  We have been out of town at various times throughout the summer and it seems when one of us is in town, the other is always gone:) But never fear, these posts will return once summer vacationing comes to a close.

Here's a great pic I borrowed from one of our presh youth girls of the boat on which Jeff and I will specifically be staying! Yay!

From Beach to City

Oh.my.gosh. I cannot even BEGIN to describe the incredible week I had this past week! God moved in so many ways, it was unbelievable!  Jeff and I left Friday, June 15th for Prestonwood's High School Beach Camp.  It was a wonderful time of worship, games, CRAZY boys vs. girls version of "Hunger Games", and life-changing teaching from Jarrett Stephens.

After a 19 hour bus ride (yes, 19 hours!) we arrived Saturday afternoon in Panama City Beach, FL.  We had our first teaching by Jarrett that night, and the next few days followed with a regular schedule of breakfast, morning teaching, small group/devo time, lunch, rec time, free time, worship/evening teaching, and a late night activity.  Now...besides getting to go skating/bowling and getting to see the hilarious (!) Isaac Improv, I got to see my husband in his element.  Let me just start by posting the picture below:

This pic was taken during the boys vs. girls rendition of the Hunger games event.  As you can clearly tell from the picture, Jeff was the chief of the guys and completely into it! The night included him leading them in a chant, smashing a watermelon on his head, and RIPPING his shirt off at the end! ha! Girls kept saying, "Sarah, he's scary! Have you ever seen him like this?!", to which I would lovingly reply, "Ummm, this is why I fell in love with him!" Love.the.intensity.  All in all, the week truly taught the students of choosing in which way they would walk.  Jarrett did an incredible job, and many students lives were changed.  Over 20 students were baptized in the ocean the last night, and God did a huge work! Here's is a pic of my fabulous girl from our condo:

And here's one of me with the awesome hubs:

We got back from Beach Camp late Wednesday night, and the very next morning I left for Houston with the WE Go team of 41 women from Prestonwood's Women's Ministry. Words cannot even describe how this weekend truly impacted my life.  There were between 80-100 women from the Star of Hope (a homeless shelter), and we were blessed to be able to give them a women's retreat.  LIVES WERE CHANGED! I cannot thank the women's ministry team enough for having put all of the incredibly hard work into this past weekend.  Our main theme was "Take Courage, Believe God" and were blessed to hear from Debbie Stuart, Mariann Ellis, and LeAnn Kirkindoll.  We were able to shower these women with gifts which included t-shirts, necklaces, devotional books, journals, picture frames, and more!  Below is a special friend I made with her sweet baby.  Their faces are forever seared into my heart.

Will you take courage and believe God?! Soooo powerful!

Although I am exhausted, being tired is nothing in comparison with seeing so many lives of teens and women changed! Glory to God!

Between a Mom & Daughter: Summa' Time

Hey preshies! Today Mom and I decided to blog about fun summer memories we shared! Be sure to check out her blog post today as she shares her funny times! (www.awomanbehindmanymasks.blogspot.com)

Some of my fondest (and most hilarious memories) include the summer "schedule" my mother had for us. We had a library day, a craft day, a pool day, you name it! I think I read at least 3 books a week over the summers!! You see, a lot of my friend's lived at least 30 minutes away, so I really didn't do a lot with friends over the summers. But, they were very entertaining with all 5 of us kids, so I can assure you there were never dull moments.

I remember having a blast grilling out with my family, and I learned how to make my famous grilled veggies from my parents! I also adopted a love for Omaha steaks, burgers and veggie burgers! Although I was not the teenager who got a dark tan, because I rarely laid out, I have adopted a love and adoration for "pool time" since moving to Texas. (I would not be sad to have a pool one day when we buy a house!)

As Mom mentions, we get to see one another about twice a year, and I CANNOT WAIT to see my fam in August! I'm excited for some pool time, walking around South Pointe shopping center, and grilling out! And the great thing is that my best friend, who is basically part of my family, will most likely be tagging along with me!

This summer I have a jammed pack schedule including a besties weekend in Dallas and trips to Panama City Beach, Houston, BRAZIL (eek!), and Nebraska!

Happy summer, lovies! Remember to cherish these times with your family and to take advantage of mother/daughter time! Muah!

Between a Mom & Daughter: Memorial Day & Memories

You know how certain things trigger certain memories? A smell, a song, a picture....or even a day.  Memorial Day is that for me.  It is a blessed holiday for us to remember those who have fought and died for our country, and to give thanks to those who are fighting for our freedom still.  However, for me, it reminds me of my "old" mom.  She served in the Air Force as a nurse, and I'll never forget some of the stories she told me, how she taught me to make a bed (I can't for the life of me make it any other way now!), and her military tombstone that lays at her grave.

I remember after my mom died I felt very alone, lost and confused.  I did not understand why God had chosen my mother to die instead of healing her on this earth. I certainly did not think God was in control because I was about to be a teenager and I had no mother...And then shortly afterwards my dad pulled me aside and asked my permission to ask someone on a date.  This someone was my new mother:) What many don't understand is that my old mom had been sick for 8 years, and at least a year of that time had been spent in a downstairs bedroom because she couldn't walk up the stairs.  My dad had mourned my mom for years.  When my dad asked if he could take Jennifer, our choir director from our church, out on a date, I told him that I wanted him to be happy and I knew my old mom had desired the same (she had told me this).  By that fall, my dad and new mom were engaged and January 8, 2000 they were married.

I find myself extremely blessed to have had two wonderful mothers.  A lot of people don't even get to experience one in a lifetime, and the Lord's plan for me was to have two.  I have learned so many valuable lessons from both of them.  From my old mom I learned the power of prayer, sentiment, and the gift of forgiveness.  From my new mom I have learned about grace, vulnerability and standing up for what is right even when receiving criticism from others.  Before we moved to Joplin, MO in 2004, my new mom knew that it would be difficult to leave the city where my old mom's body was.  She suggested the idea of a gravestone rubbing.  My brother, sister and I took wax paper and a crayon, and gently rubbed the impression of her gravestone onto the wax paper so we would have it wherever we were.  What a true blessing to remember that although her body was in the ground, her spirit is dwelling with Christ in Heaven!

Yesterday at church, I had one of those days where I missed my old mom.  I missed her laugh, I missed her demeanor, and I missed her air force stories.  However, now I DO understand why the Lord took my mother home, because I can't imagine my life without my new mom and siblings.  There were definitely the necessary adjustments that had to take place, but God has shown me His mercy through my adoption story with my mom and how He has done the same towards us.  This memorial day, I urge you, readers, to reflect, be thankful and remember what Christ has done for you.

Please don't forget to check out Mom's post today! 

Don't you worry!

Readers, don't you worry! We did not forget about our mother/daughter post today:) Mom is on a field trip with the littlest siesta, Madelyn, so we're delaying our posts for later this week! Love you all mucho mucho! And stay tuned in for when we do post:)

Between a Mom & Daughter: Happy Mother's Day!

Let me start this post by saying HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all of you wonderful, stupendous mothers out there! As daughters, we ARE thankful for you and you have blessed and impacted us more than you know.  Secondly, I found it quite comical that as I was driving home from Arkansas yesterday from being in one of the bestie's weddings, my husband found it fit to text me a video message wishing ME a Happy Mother's day because I am a mom to our dog and cat. Go, Jeff, go.  Not quite the same, but I'll appreciate it:)

Today, Mom and I are blogging about what this special day we celebrated yesterday means to the both of us.  So, don't you forget to check out her superb post today!

Mother's Day is such a beautiful reminder of how God has manifested himself through mankind.  Why did God create man AND woman and not just man? From reading Scripture, I see this as He displays certain aspects of His character through men, and certain aspects through women, and specifically mothers.

Proverbs 31 is an all too familiar passage to a Christian woman, but I love how certain parts talk about her being a Godly wife, and then certain sections focus on her being a Godly mother.  As daughters, there are specific things we do notice and take from our mothers on how we want to be when we are a mom.  Something I love about my mom is that she expresses her love through service and gifts.  My mom was constantly driving us around, paying for extra-curricular activities, attending our events, and I know she still does this for Carlton and Madelyn.  Readers, she jumped into it right away! I also noticed how my mom would show her love to us by leaving us random gifts with encouraging notes.  I would get home from school and there would be a brand new shirt on my bed with a note telling me how much she loved me.  Even now, being miles apart, my mom will send me random packages with sweet little gifts and it totally makes my day!  My mom also instilled in us the importance of a relationship with Jesus and growing that relationship by the reading of His Word and prayer.

I am at the point in my life where a lot of my friends are starting to have kids, and it makes me a little nervous to imagine the kind of mother I'll be one day.  Will I have patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self control? (Gal 5:22-23)  Will I engrain the importance of a relationship with Jesus and still love them graciously when they stumble?  I certainly hope so.  What a beautiful privilege it must be to be a mom, whether through physically birthing children, adoption, step-parenting or just being a mother-like figure in someone's life!  Moms, you ARE special and especially from this daughter's perspective, well adored:)

Between a Mom & Daughter: Mom AND Friend?

As Mom and I were trying to wrack our brains this week on a topic to write about, we settled upon the topic of the role of moms: parent, friend, or both?  This can be somewhat of a sensitive issue...I've seen moms that have been 100% parent without an ounce of friendship at all in the relationship with her daughter, and I've seen moms that have been 100% friend without an ounce of discipline or correct role modeling in the relationship with her daughter.  But, is it possible to have both?

If you ask me whether I think my mom was more friend or parent growing up, I would answer parent.  In saying this, I was a teenager who came to my mom for advice, long talks, and who felt comfortable sharing my life with her.  However, my mom was able to make decisions and tell me "no" even when I hated to hear it. This is something I've always appreciated about my mom:  she never feared losing our relationship or not "pleasing me"--she laid down the law.  And sure, there were times I hated it,  (I mean, we were all stubborn teenagers at some point, right?!) but I needed it.  I am very thankful to have a mom do what I needed and not always what I wanted.

Now, at 25 years old, I would say my mom and I are closer than ever.  We have a very strong friendship, where she can speak Truth into my life, and allows me to speak Truth into hers.  It is truly a humbling experience when your mom calls and asks for your prayers and advice--wow! And the old saying is true: my parents really do get smarter the older I get (ha!).  However, when I look back over my life, I can say that even though I didn't feel it or recognize it at the time, my mom was both friend and parent in my life... A true friend doesn't always let you get your way, remain selfish, and think however you want.  A true friend admonishes but uplifts, is a constant pillar in the midst of struggle, and loves you for who you are.  I went through a lot of changes in college and truly discovered who I was in Christ, and I can say with confidence that my mom loves and respects the person I am.

Let me address mothers: Moms, do not try to be your daughter's friend before you are her parent.  She will take advantage of this, and in the end, probably harbor bitterness later that you were not the parent she needed.  However, do not be strictly business and so strict that she feels she can never open up to you with her struggles, her sin, or her shortcomings.  I am not saying this balance is easy, but I am thankful my mom chose to fulfill her God-given role as my parent first.
Daughters: You should be thanking the Lord in Heaven that He's given you a mom, even if your relationship with her might not be smooth.  Remember that she is your parent, and you are to honor her.  This does not mean you always agree, but honey, until you are 18 years old and out on your own, you better obey the mess out of her! You will be grateful to look back one day and see how her being your parent (and not a friend who lets you do whatever you want) has created a foundation in your relationship.

In closing, I really encourage you mothers and daughters to read Scripture on what the roles of each party are.  Also, please don't forget to check out my mom's post for today, as she will have some great insight from a mother's perspective!

I know when I am a mom one day, I want to have my children "rise up and call [me] blessed" (Proverbs 31:28)...I know I certainly do when I think of my mom:)

Introduction of "Between a Mom & Daughter"

Fellow readers, I am so incredibly excited to introduce something to you today.  Beginning today, on my 25th birthday (man, I feel old!), my mama and I will be co-blogging every Monday!  We feel as if the Lord is wanting us to minister to mothers and daughters of somewhat "unconventional means" through issues He has laid on our hearts.  So, this first post will be somewhat of an intro to our "series" if you will.  I encourage you to please check out my mama's post every Monday as well.  She will be approaching things from a mother's perspective, while I will be approaching them from a daughter's perspective.  

As some of you know, my precious, biological mother passed away of brain cancer two months before my 12th birthday in 1999, and my dad remarried to my fabulous, new mama the following January.  Many may tease how I refer to my mothers as either my "old" or "new" moms, and it makes us giggle when we can see that people are trying to understand how my mom looks so young to have 5 kids, but are too nervous to say anything about it.  Well, allow me to talk about the elephant in the room: My mom is only about 13 years older than me, and adopted my brother, sister and me shortly after she married my dad.  The two youngest of my siblings are from their marriage, but by no means do I EVER refer to them as half brother or sister.  I love all of my siblings equally and unconditionally.  

Mom approached me recently about beginning a ministry where we reach women & girls who might have been through, or dealt with situations, similar to the many we encountered (and maybe sometimes still do!).  We give glory to Him alone who has allowed our relationship to be special, necessary and a blessing!  Most of you readers are somewhat familiar with who I am, but for those who are new, allow me to give you a little synopsis of my life...

I live in Frisco, TX with my husband, Jeff (by far the craziest, hyper, and most expressive man you will ever meet!) who is the High School Pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church's North Campus.  Jeff and I have been married a little over two years, and have a chocolate lab (Obi) and a cat (Zeek). We have a passion for youth, children and adoption.  We do ministry together, and I work two part-time jobs: one as preschool teacher and the other nannying a little boy.  I am loud, crazy, very talkative and never meet a stranger.  I am passionate about my Jesus, girls' and women's ministry, helping others and loving on people.  Tidbits about me include: an obsession with Chick-Fil-A sweet tea, anything vintage or shabby-chic, different food combinations, an adoration for my beautiful best friends, and reading a good book.  My life passage is 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.  

I am so excited to see what God has in store through this series, and again, please don't forget to check out la madre's first post of our series! Muah!

i've been remiss

Hello, readers! Sincere apologies to all of you for my lack of blog posts as of late.  I have been reading my usuals every day, and with each entry read I think, "I really need to post..." So here I am!  However, I cannot guarantee a satisfying post, I am doped up on painkillers and running a high fever due to a glorious tooth abscess!  If there are misspellings, inconsistencies, rambling, or a jumbling of words, I am so, so sorry.

Last Monday I woke up to SEVERE pain below two of my front teeth.  I thought this was due to wearing Crest white strips the few nights before (they definitely make your teeth more sensitive), but the pain continued to get worse and, by Tuesday, was unbearable.  I was able to get in to see our new dentist (first time ever!) that Tuesday, and after a round of x-rays, this is how we found the abscess.  He prescribed me painkillers and antibiotics, but let me tell you folks....I have never experienced that much pain in my mouth ever.  The pain was so awful, that by Friday morning, I called the dentist at his house and asked him to prescribe me a higher dosage of pain killers.  Him being the wonderful, God-sent man that he is, called in a prescription.  Thank goodness, because I had to help with a girls retreat for the next couple of days.  

Well, by Monday my pain was very manageable, but I struck a fever out of nowhere.  It went away on Tuesday during the day, came back that night.  Then appeared Tuesday night, went away Wednesday during the day.  Today, I did not go to work out of sheer exhaustion and, thankfully, was still able to get my root canals today...Yes, that's right, canals! They had to remove a previous root canal and replace it, and do a new one to the tooth beside it.  The procedure went very well, but because the infection is so severe, I have a temporary antibiotic filler and in three weeks will return to get the permanent filler.  Oh the joys of dental work!

Thank you, everyone, for your prayers, encouragement, and comfort.  It has meant the world to me!  I promise to be better about posting, and I will try not to babble about my mouth pain:) Love to you all! Muah!

Kony 2012

As many of you have seen on facebook, Invisble Children has launched a new video called "Kony 2012".  I just now watched the entire video all the way through, and to say the least, it truly impacted me. If you are unfamiliar with the Invisible Children campaign, it is a movement started in the early 2000's seeking justice for innocent Ugandan children being captured by the rebel army.  I participated in one Invisible Children event my freshman year of college, and have witnessed the movement grow tremendously since then.   

I know what many of you are tempted to think.  Another political protest that is popular for our generation to stand behind? or I don't have the time or energy to become involved, and what difference could one person make anyway? Don't.  If I have learned anything the past few years it is, yes, one person can tremendously make an impact on a life.  This post is simply asking you to watch a video, pray,  and consider your involvement.  It's 30 minutes out of your day, which is absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things.  Right now a popular awareness has been risen about the sex trade, and I want you to know that many of the girls captured by the rebel armies in Uganda are turned into sex slaves.  Friends, we CANNOT being lackadaisical about this.  Word of mouth and prayer does more than we can imagine.  

a real true beauty

True beauty is not this:

Or this....

Or this....

But this...

I debated writing this post, because I overthink EVERYTHING! (ex: I just looked up overthink to make sure it was one word and not hyphenated!) I have been lying in bed all day, because unfortunately, I am sick again (3rd time in six weeks-boo!).  This leads to a lot of thinking time, and besides watching Gilmore Girls, Revenge and Suburgatory, I have been catching up on the "James: Mercy Triumphs" by Beth Moore study I am doing.  One of the exercises she had us do on a certain daily assignment was to separate our lives into quarters and list significant "good and perfect" gifts from each period in time.  Seeing that I have only been on this earth 24 short years (although it doesn't feel that short), I wrote down the monumental occurrences that have happened in my life the past four, six year segments.  Wow...what a humbling experience.  

Let me start by saying that I have had a rough past few weeks with some old struggles.  Many of you know that I struggled through an eating disorder in high school and college and although God has healed me from partaking in this, it is still a daily temptation.  The past weeks I have been discouraged, struggling with comparison, inadequacy and shame.  However, when I look at the most recent six-year segment of my life, I am reminded how the Lord healed me from this, and only HE could have brought me out of such bondage.  I can now look back on this point in my life and see it as a gift.  A gift because only Christ could have helped me realize that a worldly appearance would NEVER satisfy me, and only lead to loneliness, fear, a loss of relationships and shame.  A gift because only Christ restores my life, heals, forgives and satisfies my every longing.  So, for the days I struggle with wanting to have perfect abs, and wishing I didn't have cellulite, I cling to the cross and know that it is only Him who makes me beautiful in the first place.  When I am old, wrinkly, and gorgeous I want to have beauty because people see the Jesus inside of me and it makes them want to know Him.  

Girls and women, remember that in the end, it doesn't matter what size you wear, how clear your skin is, or how many men find you attractive.  It matters that you treat your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit by making healthy choices and being who He created you to be in His name.  Amen!

(Images: One, Two, Three, Four)

occupied but satisfied

So, we have officially lived in Frisco for two weeks now, and I have to say--I.LOVE.IT. It is a dream come true, and a blessing from Him alone!  We are enjoying our home, and have absolutely loved the church, community and Jeff's job.  I am still in search of a job, but we are confident that God will provide.  

Last weekend, Jeff's parents and brother, Scott, came over and helped us with things around the house and we then enjoyed dinner together (Rudy's...omg).  Jeff's dad, Lewis, hung curtains in my dining room, and fixed some shower heads.  Jeff himself hung up our crosses on our beloved cross wall.  For those of you who don't already know, Jeff and I got this idea from some of our mentors.  We have a wall designated in our house to crosses that we have been given or we have purchased that mark a special person, opportunity, or happening in our life.  Each cross is very different, and super special to us.  Some collect coffee mugs, baseball cards, spoons...we collect crosses.  And I do have to say, against my awesome peacock/deep turquoise curtains it looks pretty great! Thanks, Hubs!  Today I found a giftcard to Bed, Bath & Beyond in my wallet, so Jeff and I will hopefully be purchasing some curtains for our bedroom:)  

On another note, I'd like to say how much I enjoy spending more time with Jeff.  Although things are crazy right now because of our students' FREEDOM weekend coming up, it has been awhile since we have been able to spend Saturdays together.  Although he's been working super hard, I do not miss the days of only seeing him for 2 hours/day (maybe!).  And by the way, if any P-Wood North students are reading this, ya better sign up for FREEDOM!!!!!

Here's to a fab Saturday, peeps! Love you to pieces!

I'm Back and Getting Acclimated:)

So sorry, dear readers for my long absence.  Things have been crazy in the Garner life, but are starting to settle down (kinda, not really).  Since my last post telling the news about our move to the Dallas area, we have moved to Frisco and Jeff has started his job at Prestonwood!  We found this great place 15 min away from the church and WE LOVE IT! We are literally 5-10 minutes from everything imaginable.  It's a great, great location and we are so blessed:)

We moved a week ago today into our lovely three bedroom, two bath duplex and Jeff started work that Sunday!  He has been busy (to say the least) but is very thankful and calls this his "dream job".  I couldn't be happier that he's happy (squeal!).  Please continue to pray that the staff at Prestonwood has energy as they prepare for Freedom Weekend (aka huge D-Now).  Also, please pray that God provides me with a job soon.  There are some great possibilities, and Jeff and I want the Lord's will.

I promise to get back to being semi-consistent with blogging as soon as we have internet in our home, for now, I'm thankful for wifi at an INCREDIBLE library 5 minutes from my house.  Woot!

A Merry Christmas and Some Happy BIG News

I am so sorry for my absence these past few weeks from the blogging world, but let's be honest, the Holidays are busy, crazy, and about ten more 'busies and crazies'! 

Our Christmas was WONDERFUL!  After wonderful Christmas Eve and Day services at church, Jeff and I (with animals in tow) headed to Dallas where we enjoyed wonderful time with Jeff's family and a delicious Christmas feast prepared by Jeff's mom, Brenda.  It was fabulous!! The next day, I flew out to Nebraska and spent a whole week with my family.  It was so great to see them! I am so blessed to have amazing siblings, incredible parents, and wonderful extended family.  The week was full of events from watching my youngest sister at gymnastics, to getting my hair done by my other sister, to shopping, to watching movies, and (always, always, always) enjoying lots of laughter and LOUDNESS in the Kampfe household!

 The Sweetie-Pea & Me

Madelyn

Hair before and after, thanks, Lola!

 Lola & Me

 Siestas!

Madelyn & Me

Okay, now for our BIG NEWS.  Jeff and I will be moving (YES, AGAIN) to the Dallas area (specifically, Prosper/Frisco) because Jeff is the new High School Minister at the Prestonwood Baptist Church North Campus!! We are thrilled and humbled to be called back to a branch of Jeff's home church.  His official first Sunday is January 15th, and although we will miss our very dear friends in the Houston area, we are looking forward to this next phase of our life!  I am in Arlington this week with Jeff parents looking for a place:)  Prayers are appreciated as we move, start jobs, I look for a job, and we get settled.  Thanks, dear friends!

 

(image found here)