TK's Decade Recap

I CANNOT believe that 2009 is over, but what I really cannot believe is that the decade it over! I remember New Years 99 like it was yesterday, but then again, who can't? lol Y2K!!! ha!

{my recap is in written in a short bulleted format without actually being in bullets... so forgive my short and/or incomplete sentences.} :)


1999/2000 I was in 8th grade at Garcia Middle School where I was a cheerleader and in Drama. Honestly, I think this was the most enjoyable year out of all my years of school, (yes, more so than high school and college).

2000/2001 I was a freshman at Austin High School. Most memorable events- I dated a senior and then broke up with him for a junior. Honestly, to all you teens reading this, I wish I hadn't dated at all in high school. Dating was created for us to find our spouse, and since we weren't ready to be married, I wish I would have waited for my hubs. I cannot change my past, but you can learn from my mistakes! :)
2001/2002 I was a Sophomore and a cheerleader. 9/11 hit which was unforgetable to say the least. My grandmother lost her 14+ year fight with breast cancer at the age of 57.
2002/2003 I turned 16, and that fall I accepted Christ as my savior!!! This was the real beginning of my life, even though I was 16. :)
2003/2004 I was a senior and loved being in PALs! I graduated and got to vote in my first election- BUSH!!! :)
2004/2005 I thrived in college, making the Deans List my first semester. I started attending Cornerstone Community Bible Church, and could not be more blessed by it- I also got baptized! :)
2005/2006 We evacuated for Rita which was pointless by memorable. I was enjoying my job at Extended Day, (which I began in 2004). I met my future husband online in April. We got engaged in August. In October my 18 year old sister, Tracie, (2nd from left) was killed in a car accident. Bittersweet year to say the least- as was 2001/2002... but this one was much more intense... for better and worse.

2007... click here to see my more detailed blog recap of the year...
We got our first child! :)
We got married!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Our first Married Christmas!!! :) Oh, and I graduated from college. :)


2008... click here to see my blog recap of the year...
We celebrated one year of marriage, made the decision to adopt all our children, and we built our first house.


2009
We moved into our house and struggled all year to follow God's will in our lives, (numerous times we almost adopted sweet babies, and we almost decided to move to Cali). Finally in the last few months God has softened my heart towards being patient in waiting for His timing.

What does 2010 hold for us? In April we are celebrating 3 years with an AMAZING trip to New England which we are both SOOO excited about! Paul will turn 30!!! And kids... well ever since 2007, I have been writing about adopting in the new year to come. This year may actually be THE year, but I have learned one thing from my looking back- it really is all up to Him, and I am happy with whatever He has planned for my life.

Thank You Lord for all your blessing in this past year and the past decade. Though there were storms, I still praise You for being Sovereign over all of them, and causing them all to work together for good in my life, (Romans 8:28). I pray that Paul and I continue to live radically for You, (and to live even more radically everyday), and for You to keep growing us in You daily.

We're looking to 2010 with great expectations! :) Happy New Year!

White Christmas

First of all, thank you for praying for Andrew. It seems it was only a virus of some kind. However, his parents still have to watch him so continued prayers would be appreciated! :)

Do you remember this post about the snow in Houston, and how it was such a blessing to me from God? Well on that post you will see the meaning behind my new header, and this post today will elaborate more on that. :)

Christmas Eve eve, we left our house at 12:30 AM, (so technically Christmas Eve), because there was going to be bad weather. We arrived in Dallas around 8 AM, and went to sleep. Around 1 PM, Paul woke me up to tell me it was snowing! YEA!!! :)

Having a white Christmas was so special!

I realized on Christmas day, that this Christmas was one of my all time favorites! It actually could have been one of my worst. Last Christmas, our blog header had the lyrics to the song, "Merry Christmas," by Third Day:

"It's Christmas time again but you're not home, Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone, And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms, And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas."

This year, I was looking forward to our Christmas cards showing the end of that song which reads:
"It's Christmas time again and now you're home. Your family is here so you will never be alone. So tonight before you go to sleep, I'll hold you in my arms, And I'll tell you from my heart, I wish you Merry Christmas."

As you can see, when we put the adoption on hold, my card idea had to be put on hold too. At first it was quite saddening. Actually, I have avoided hearing this song throughout the whole season.

However, as I have said in many posts, (click on the link above), I am at peace with the waiting. When we decided to take the trip to New England I immediately became at peace with it. Like I said before, it was like God was telling me to enjoy today, and getting my kids would be on His timing. Only a few days after that, it snowed in Houston, and then I had a white Christmas!

I love feeling God's presence and seeing His hand in our lives! He loves us enough to show us glimpses of His glory through the MIRACLES OF THE MOMENTS. ♥







In exciting news: I bought our tickets today for the Red Sox vs Yankee game in April at Fenway!!! YEA!!!!! I AM SOOOOO EXCITED!!!

CALLING ALL PRAYER WARRIORS!!!

Our precious friends, the Ross Family, are in need of urgent prayer for their one year old son Andrew! If you remember from my last post I was writing about their daughter Abigail.

I will not go into too much detail since it is not my information to share, but this week Andrew is seeing a hematologist. Pray that whatever is wrong with him will be easily diagnosed, and easily curable. More importantly pray for strength for his parents while going through this.

Andrew is the sweetest little boy! He is the best smiler I have EVER seen! All I have to do when I see him is say, (in a high baby voice), "Hi Andrew," and I will get a smile like above. He can be crying and you say hi to him and he will still shine his precious smile! His smile can brighten your darkest day!

Rosses, I have cried numerous tears and have been praying non stop. Please let me know if I can do anything for y'all! We love y'all!!!!!

Baby Love

Update: Well, I was wrong... I do have something to write about... go see my other blog. :) Muy Importante!

I have nothing really significant to blog about at the moment. BUT Kristin just sent me some pics from the past that I must share! They are of me and her daughter, Ju Ju. :) If you have been reading for awhile, then you know who I am talking about. Thanks Kristin for these pics. I love them!

Here we are on Halloween 08. Her and I hung out the whole time, so I had to watch her candy intake- otherwise there would have been a major sugar overload as you may imagine. lol This was one of the first I gave her- as if you couldn't tell from her expression!!! How cute is that!?!?
Here we are a year later, October of 2009. Her hair is longer, and my hair is blonde! lol


Last weekend was Ju Ju's 3rd birthday! I can't believe she is 3!!! I missed her birthday which I REALLY can't believe, and I am so bummed about it! I need some Ju Ju time, and I also promised Abigail some time too, per her request, (umm like anyone could say no to her). I love these "babies." Ok they are 3 and 2... time FLIES!!!!! Being around them will brighten your whole day- it sure brightens mine.

And do you want to know something- when we were planning on moving- these 2 girls were the ones who were breaking my heart to leave the most. Other people can read this blog, send me an email or call me, so distance is not so hard. Being away from them- they can't do any of that, and they grow and change so quickly... When I told Ju Ju's mom this, (and this was after we decided not to move-actually it was the day after the 2nd pic), I cried. Yep, after we had already decided not to move. It was that hard for me to think about leaving these girls.

So Kristin and Kristi, I need to see y'all and your kiddos soon, (and y'all know that I LOVE Glo Glo and Andrew too)!!! :) Ok, so Christmas is coming up, and we are all busy, but let's try to get together soon! Love y'all!

Christmas Questionnaire

I'm bored... lol

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? - Mostly gift bags, but when I have kids it will be all about the wrapping paper!!! :)

2. Real tree or artificial? - Artificial. :)

3. When do you put up the tree? - The day after Thanksgiving... or if we ever spend Thanksgiving at our house then we will do it Thanksgiving evening. :)

4. Do you like eggnog? - Never tried it, never will.

5. Favorite gift received as a child? - Socks my old Yorkie

6. Do you have a nativity scene? - Numerous! :) We only have Christ cenetered decor... with the addition of a few penguins... but hey, they show God's glory since He did create them and all! :)

7. Hardest person to buy for? - I like buying gifts, and I put a lot of thought into, so I can't think of anyone... :)

8. Easiest person to buy for? - Paul

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? - Mail... look in the mail soon! :)

10. Favorite Christmas movie? - Elf

11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Before I was married, I would be done with shopping in October... now we live intelligently and we have a budget, so I shop accordingly! :)

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Anything sweet... ok that is my answer everyday of the year. lol

13. Clear lights or colored lights on the tree? CLEAR

14. Favorite Christmas song?- "I Believe" Natalie Grant, "Here with us," Joy Williams, "Christ is Come," Big Daddy Weave, "Merry Christmas," Third Day, "All I want for Christmas," Stephen Curtis Chapman, "Oh come all ye faithful," by anyone, but especially by 33 Miles and not to forget the classics: Oh Holy Night and Away in a Manger.

15. Travel or stay home at Christmas? We travel, but we will stay home when kiddos come.

16. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen - and Rudolph of course!

17. Angel on tree top or star? We have Joseph, Mary and Jesus, with the star above them. {so like a little nativity on top of the tree}

18. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Morning? As a kid it was 1 gift on Christmas Eve - the rest Christmas day. Probably will do the same with my kids.

19. The most annoying thing about this time of year? The fact the people IGNORE THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS. If you are not Christian, please tell me why you celebrate Christmas... it is in celebration of Jesus' birth... explain please.

20. What I love most about Christmas? Celebrating Jesus' birth, and remembering all He did for us at the Cross.

I need your opinion...

My publisher has informed me that we can sell COLORING BOOKS!!! I think this is sooo cool!!!

It will be the book in full just void of color.

Here is my question... How much would you be willing to pay for a coloring book? Keep in mind that it is identical to the book, words and all... just no color.

If it were just the pictures, the price would be really low, but it also has the whole story. I really want to sell these too, (I know I would have loved this as a child), but what do I charge? {fyi my book will cost $8.95, just to give you some perspective}

Leave me a comment or you can Facebook me. :) THANKS! :)

Was it all just for me?

No, I am not super self centered, but was the snow just for me?

God taught me so much with His blessing of the Texas snow storm...

A few posts ago, I mentioned our anniversary trip to New England. As I said then, it is very hard for us to spend that kind of money, a. it will push back the adoption process, (not much, but still), and b. spending that kind of money on ourselves doesn't really further the Kingdom of God. After really thinking it over and seeking godly counsel, we have decided to take the trip.

It will be our last trip before kids, and as a friend told me, "vacations strengthen marriages, and THAT furthers the Kingdom." :)

When we decided to take the trip, I took it as a lesson from God. As the post was titled, it is in His timing. I have learned I need to live for today, and not constantly in the future.

THE NEXT DAY after deciding to live for today, it snowed. It was like God was telling me, "see, there are many miracles in these moments now. You have been wanting one miracle, but I have many for you. Just enjoy today."

I cannot wait for our anniversary trip. It will be full of love between us as we celebrate 3 years as husband and wife, and I know it is a gift from God to teach me to live for today. I also truly feel that the snow was a gift from God. His timing is and was perfect.

At the height of it... the pic doesn't do much justice to show how much it was snowing, but this was the best I could get.
The morning after... I am a HUGE picture person, (if you didn't know), and PK is indifferent to pics. Well, that morning, he came in and said, "you HAVE to get pics of this!" He was right, it was breathtaking! The houses, the ground: EVERYTHING was white! And since the sky was blue clear- the snow was glittering! GORGEOUS! {you MUST click to enlarge} ;)



There’s only one who knows
What’s really out there waiting
In all the moments yet to be
And all we need to know
Is He’s out there waiting
To Him the future’s history
And He has given us a treasure called right now
And this is the only moment we can do anything about

So breathe it in and breathe it out,
Listen to your heart beat,
There's a wonder in the here and now,
That's right there in front of you,
and I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment.

Freezing Friday

I hate the cold. I hate the rain.

BUT when it is snowing, I will sit outside ALL day... seriously... that is what I am doing! lol
See I told ya! Hot cocoa, my hubby, my son, and SNOW! Simply Magical!


Like the song says, "It doesn't show signs of stoppin'," and I am SOOO excited!!! I have already taken soo many pics, and much more the come... it is REALLY snowing right now... I can't wait to see how white it will get!!! :)

Thank You Lord for this beautiful display of Your glory!!!

All in His timing...

{this maybe a little long, but it is worth the read... it gets pretty fun in the end... }

So yeah, if it were up to me, we'd adopt today.

It is not.

The reason I began working again was so we could pay off my car and save up for Africa. We could afford all that before, but now we can afford it MUCH quicker!

So here was MY timeline: 6 months have the car paid off and start the adoption process.

Here is God's....

You see, when we thought we were moving to California, we bought tickets to visit in January. We have since decided to cancel the trip. First of all, I didn't really want to go if we were not moving there. You know- rather not know what you are missing out on. BUT, we were gonna go and enjoy nice vacay- go to Disney since it wasn't a key travel time etc. BUT, we do not have money saved up that we wish to blow at the moment. We have money saved up, but that is just it- it is being saved. You see, we are HUGE fans of Dave Ramsey. We no longer have credit cards, so we can't just go with the flow when it comes to buying things- this is the way it should be! So we decided that instead of having to forgo Christmas decorations and pinch pennies until our trip, that we would postpone it.

How is this about God's timing? Keep reading...

We canceled our flight, but we still have to use the tickets. Paul suggested to go on a trip for our 3rd anniversary in April. OK!!! :)

Here is where it is about God's timing. That is about the time I wanted to have the car paid off and begin the adoption process. Well, we will be gone for 6 days... no matter where you go it is not cheap to be gone that long. Hotel and train fare alone will be over $800. That does not include food, entertainment, etc. Why train fare... in a minute... ;) So you see, since we have to take this trip- it will push back the adoption process.

UMM, not cool. For one minute I was super excited about the trip and the next I was near depressed at the thought of having to spend that much money on just a trip.

Then I got to thinking. 1. Maybe this is God's way of making us wait a little longer. It is His timing anyway. 2. Once we do adopt, we will not be able to take these kind of trips much anymore.

So, we are going to enjoy our 3rd anniversary celebration and use it as our Babymoon too.

It is still painful to spend this kind of money on ourselves, but I have decided that we will enjoy ourselves. And yes, I actually have to remind myself to be excited... otherwise, I will be bummed... When we get home we will focus on the adoption, and the next plane we board will be to AFRICA!!! ♥

Ok, so where are we going??? The plan now, (which I hope does not change) is... well, actually let me tell you what we thought about doing before I tell you what we will most likely do...

• A week in Washington DC. We love America and history, and I love DC. It is just as expensive as what we have decided to do, and what we decided to do seems much more fun to me so this was nixed.

• Disney World. Ok, this would have been over $2,000... yeah, I can pass... lol

So we have pretty much decided on the trip that I wanted to take on our Honeymoon, (but we cruised instead). As I said before we love America and history. So we are going to go to Boston, Philadelphia, and New York!

Here is the tentative itinerary

April 6- land and explore Boston

April 7- Explore Boston, Red Sox game and celebrate 3 years!!! - ok, it is the 2nd game of the season and it is against the YANKS! The tickets are more than I would usually spend, but honestly, who could pass on that game?

April 8- Check out of Boston hotel, have lunch, and then take train to Philadelphia and explore

April 9- Explore Philadelphia and in the evening take train to Manhattan

April 10- Explore Manhattan

April 11- Explore Manhattan

April 12- Explore Manhattan and fly home

I have always and will always love the Astros first and foremost, but I am secondly a Sox fan. I think I am drawn to their history and the love the city has for them. It is irresistible. I knew if I ever went to Boston that I HAD to catch a game at Fenway. AND it is against the Yanks- too perfect!!! I also can't wait to see all the historic sites Boston and Philadelphia have to offer. I have been to New York twice, but this will be Paul's first time. I can't wait to see him experience its "magic." :)

Oh, and neither of us have traveled by train, so we are kinda excited to do that too... and maybe the subway in NY.

OK, to my northern friends... don't spoil it by saying these means of travel are not that great. We are easily amused, and our ignorance about these means will make them fun for us! lol ;)

As I said before, I have decided to enjoy myself, and wait patiently for God's perfect timing. Ok, the patiently part will come eventually.