{and wonders of His love}

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

{the patience and perspective}

As holidays go, I know that the time for thanks has passed and most have moved on to anticipating Christmas' arrival... myself very much included. But I don't feel like I'm yet done with the "thanks" portion of the holiday season, and tonight, I felt like sharing why that is.

I have, for many many years... for at least a decade... been a Nichole Nordeman fan. I love her simple and beautiful voice and have loved the evolution of her music, but moreso than anything else, I love that she is, in my eyes, a modern day poet. And I love poetry. The words that she sets to music have always been true and real and thought-evoking. Tonight, I revisited an old song of hers called "Take Me as I Am". The words tell a simple story of God's unconditional acceptance of our pitiful and constant state of unworthiness. And in one verse, she laments the fact that she does not have "the patience and perspective of a man like Job". I can remember listening to those words years ago and thinking, why in the world would anyone ever want to experience what Job did?

But I heard those words again tonight, and I was astounded at how differently they tugged at my heartstrings. They hit me directly in my gut, because for the first time, I understood them from a place of experience. And don't take this to mean that I feel in any way that I've gone through what Job did... I certainly have not. But I have experienced difficult times. I have been through times of deep sadness, times of questioning God's plan, times of doubt, seemingly endless seasons of waiting and defiant moments of shaking my fist at God crying "it isn't fair". But each of those periods of my life, whether I deserved to or not, ended with seeing God's faithfulness abundantly in my life.

From time to time the question is posed, if you could go back in life, what would you do differently? And everyone always says "nothing", and I suppose for the most part, that is true. I can of course pinpoint a few mistakes that I would definitely work to avoid if I had another go-round, but when it comes to the difficult seasons of life, I would take them all over again. Because those are the seasons that have allowed me to grow and that have afforded me the opportunity to see His love, His forgiveness, His mercy and His unfaltering faithfulness to His promises in the realest of ways.

So tonight I am thankful for even a small part of the patience and perspective of a man like Job.

{we're bona fide coloradans now}

Why are we NOW officially Coloradans, you might ask? Because the first snow has come and gone, and we weathered it like pros... that's why. Granted, it wasn't exactly a winter wonderland around here. But I'd venture to say we got an inch or more, and even more importantly... I drove... in my car... WHILE it snowed, and lived to tell the tale. I'll update when we get a heavier snow and let you know how that goes. But for now... victory.

We have been surprised by how much we like Denver. Of course we figured we would like it, but I don't know that we anticipated how quickly and easily we would settle into life in what is proving to be a fun, laid back and overall great city. We live in a great area of town where we're close to everything that you want to be close to, but still a short drive to some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen in real life. It's just lovely here.

Maurice is doing great in school, though I will admit that grad school is keeping him a smidge busier than I would have hoped. I can remember I time in recent history when the only time I saw him for 3 days was when he was asleep. I would wake up and head to work before he was up, and by the time I got home, he was already working hard in the office and I would fall asleep hours before he was done. I guess such is the lot in life for the wife of an architect. To be fair, I was warned well in advance of the long hours they put in, and one of Maurice's most admirable qualities is his talent and hard-working attitude, so who can complain.

I got a great job working at a public relations firm in downtown Denver, and am loving it so far. As most of you know, jobs were one of the things that had us a little nervous in this whole moving situation, but just as I suspected He would... God abundantly showed His faithfulness to His promises to us. I am loving my job, it's keeping me working hard, and I have great coworkers that I'm forming fast friendships with. I am daily aware of how blessed I am to have a job.

And how time has flown... Thanksgiving is right around corner! A small part of my excitement is knowing the turkey time is coming, another small part is knowing that Christmas is following close behind, but MOST of my excitement is because we have family coming to visit us. Ashlie and Marty will be spending the whole week of Thanksgiving here with us, and Stefanie and Adam and the kids will also be up that week to visit both us and Adam's family here in Denver. We are so excited to get to spend time with all of them, and to play with Sofia and Judah. AND... I get to cook my first Thanksgiving meal, and I'm honestly pretty pumped about it. It finally gives me a reason to use some of our fancy wedding gifts that I've looked so longingly at for the past year or so :)

So that pretty effectively brings us up to date! And even though surviving the first truly cold and snowy days may make us Coloradans... we will always be Texans first and foremost.

{... and add to that list}

So it would appear that I left someone off the list yesterday, who has something truly exciting in their future. My photographer extraordinaire friend, Tom Campbell, is going to have some of his photos featured on the October 10th episode of "Extreme Home Makeover". Normally, I would find news like this to be pretty surprising, but such is not the case with Tom. He's had the opportunity to photograph more than a few high-profile figures in recent years, and is an outstanding sports photog, so it was only a matter of time before the world took notice! So check him out on "EHM", and check out his photography at www.thomasandpenelope.com, and at www.thomasgcampbell.com. My links aren't working, just fyi... so be a dear, and copy and paste.

{i'm about to shamelessly plug my friends and family}

So now you've been warned.

It seems that there's been some exciting developments in the lives of some friends and family, and I'm just plain too excited to not share them all with you.

My cousin Hannah is one of those people so artistically inclined that you want to roll your eyes, but you just like her too darn much. Her scrapbooking days opened the door for her to foray into making all sorts of greeting cards. How would I describe these cards? Cute, chic, fun, unique, inventive, trendy.... take your pick. I love them, and I wouldn't be writing about them if I didn't know you would love them too. For those of you who may be in the Ft. Worth area, her cards are being sold at a boutique in Burleson called Abernathie and Fritz. The rest of us non-forthworthians can find them online at www.bananahannah.com.

Kristen Minor. You've heard about her before and odds are you'll be hearing about her again sometime in the future. We've all seen those Dos Equis commercials talking about the most interesting man in the world... well Kristen is easily in the running for the most interesting woman in the world. Last year, Kristen and her husband Matt took a trip across North America in their sidecar-toting motorcycle. Their journey roused so much interest that it was covered in the San Antonio news. They began an appropriately titled blog that chronicled their journey at www.bugsonmyface.com. Their passion for photography has now turned them down the underwater photography route, and being the fearless adventurers that they are, what did they do? Move to Bonaire, of course. They've now begun documenting their new home and photography on the same blog, and believe me when I say, it is a worth-while read. I've checked in and caught up on their life a few times since they left, and when I look at the photos they've taken, the whole room just gets sort of quiet. In my head, I can hear the enya-esque music from the underwater exhibit at seaworld. Truth be told, every time I read their blog, I'm reminded how indescribable God's creation is. I'm proud to call Kristen my friend.

And in news of friends of long ago... this just had to be shared. Before we left San Antonio, I was driving down the highway on my way to work one day and had my radio on KLove. A song came on that I hadn't heard before, but I liked it. I might have even said out loud, "I like this song." The DJ announced afterwards that the song was "My Help Comes From the Lord" by a band called The Museum led by Ben Richter. You can imagine my surprise at hearing this, since I went to school with Ben Richter back in my Castle Hills days. We hadn't kept up all that well, but I was so proud that an old friend of mine was using his talent for God, and to see the success that they were having. They have an album out that you can purchase on itunes, and as a closet music snob... I would recommend you give it a listen. AND... they had the opportunity this past Sunday to sing the National Anthem at the Kansas City Chiefs game. You can't tell me that's not cool. You can watch said performance at www.youtube.com/themuseummusic. Ben Richter and I sat together in world history in 10th grade... and I'm not saying I inspired his musical creativity, but I probably did. You're welcome Ben Richter.

So that's my exciting news to share in with my friends and family. I'm proud to know such talented people.

{why i love denver so far}

- I remember what August feels like in Texas. Today in Denver... high of 83 degrees.

- 3 Crate and Barrel locations to choose from.

- 4 parks within 10 minutes of where we live.

- Everyone's in great shape. It's inspiring.

- If the Rockies hit 7 or more runs in a game... you can get 4 tacos for a dollar the next day at Taco Bell.

- The visibility of mountains from anyplace in the city.

- Fat Sully's Pizza (see last post).

- The availability of hiking locations to work off all the pizza.

- Minimum speed limits signs.

- The fact that even though I already don't like the mayor, I can still make fun of the fact that his last name is Hickenlooper.

- The easy-to-navigate layout of the city.

- Farmers Markets.

- The fact that I know we've only begun to discover Denver.

{Fat Sully's... proof that God loves us}

I love New York.... as does anyone who is of sound mind. The reasons that I love New York are great in number, but close to the top of that list would have to be the pizza. I know there is a long-standing and epic battle over whether New York style pizza or Chicago style pizza is best, but I am unequivocally and unapologetically team New York. I don't even know that I've HAD Chicago style.... but I can't imagine a circumstance where it would be better than a hot, fresh slice of pizza, so big and so thin that you can't eat it without having to use both hands and/or fold it in half.

But be aware... there are many cheap imitations out there. San Antonio can boast only one authentic New York style pizza joint that I have found (Pizza Bella on Nacogdoches). So when we moved to Denver, I made it my own particular mission to hunt down the best New York style pizza in the city. The first week we were here, I ordered a pizza from one place, and I will admit, they were close. But the slices were entirely too small.

And then we found it... Fat Sully's New York Pizza. As a New York pizza enthusiast, I am about to make a bold statement. Fat Sully's New York Pizza has the best New York style pizza that I have ever had outside the confines of the city of New York, and I would even say that it's better than some of the pizza I've had IN New York. It is superb and as authentic as they come.

What makes it better than some of the pizza that I've had IN New York, is that it is made fresh before your very eyes. Even some New York places will leave a pizza sitting out all day and throw a slice in the oven to warm it up when ordered. At Fat Sully's, the dough is always flying about as they whip up fresh pizza after fresh pizza. I've included a picture to show the size of the pizzas as well. As their slogan states... they're "Big Ass Slices" (sorry mom).

But I haven't even told you the best part. $2.50 a slice. I rest my case. If you're ever in Denver... hunt it down, because you won't regret it. Unless you're team Chicago, in which case, you ought to be ashamed of yourself.

{things to distract me from packing}

With our pending departure for Denver, my last day at work was over a week ago. Since then, I've been faced with a bit of a dilemma day after day of what to do with all of this time off. I could pack... OR I could do something else. It would seem that doing something else won out most of the time. And now I will show you the product of choosing something else besides packing.

One thing that I should know better than to do, is to go to Hobby Lobby when I'm bored. I go in on a mission, and then after about 45 minutes of wandering the aisles, I will almost always find myself a little project. But this time I had a good reason. If you'll remember, when my niece Sofia was born, I painted a little box for her with her name on it. Well now I have a little nephew on the way, and wouldn't it only be fair that he get something too? Bear in mind... I am not a particularly creative or artistic person. I assure you of this. My husband is the artist, no question about it. But this is actually pretty easy. The only supplies it took was a wall-hanging made of unfinished wood, a little acrylic paint, and a few paint brushes. And voila, a fun little art project...

I was also helping my mom throw a baby shower for Stefanie this past weekend. Typically when we throw a shower, my main job is to find a cake. For a baby shower, I thought it would be a fun change to do cupcakes instead, so I began visiting some of the cupcake shops and bakeries in the area. I was truly shocked to find that they have the audacity to charge as much as $3.50 PER CUPCAKE, even when you're buying as many as 2 dozen cupcakes at a time. I left the last cupcake shop annoyed, and thought to myself "I could make the cupcakes for much less than that, and probably do a better job." So that's what I did.

I used to make cupcakes in college from time to time, so I was a little rusty with my cupcake skills and had to get the hang of it again, but I had forgotten how much fun it is to decorate them. These were french vanilla and chocolate cupcakes, all with chocolate buttercream icing. The blue and green confetti are store-bought and made of sugar. I did, however, make the birds out of fondant. I'd never used fondant before, so I was pretty proud of these. I may just have to start making cupcakes more often.

All in all, I had a lot of fun distracting myself from packing... but with our move now only 2 days away, it can no longer be avoided. We've gotten a lot done, but we still have a lot to do. So next time you hear from me, I will be reporting from Denver! I will hopefully post a few pictures of the drive and our first few days there. So until then!

Cheers

{may... the abridged version}

We thought that once we'd made the decision about where we were moving, we could finally breathe a sigh of relief. After all... that was the hard part, right?

Wrong. If memory serves, I don't think we've had more than an hour to relax at home since April. I am happy to report though that we DO now have a place to live in Denver. I can't say that I've ever signed on an apartment that I've never personally laid eyes on, which under normal circumstances, would be a little unsettling... but we researched... literally... every apartment, townhome and rental home in the greater Denver area, and we feel completely confident that we've found the right one for us. Not to mention that it's double the square footage of our current apartment. That rocks pretty hard in our opinion. So once we are settled in, there will be pictures of the new place. We're very excited about it.

We have a few hopeful leads on the job front, but nothing set in stone yet, so if we had one prayer request in this whole moving debacle, that would be it. Pray that God opens up the perfect jobs at the perfect time.

We took our little anniversary trip to Canada, and it was a blast. It was relaxing and adventurous all at the same time, and it was completely different from any vacation we'd ever taken. I don't know about the rest of Canada, but the parts that we saw were absolutely stunning. Unfortunately, I suffer from a little affliction known as altitude sickness, so there were a few hours of repeated nauseousness as we drove up into the mountains to go horseback riding, but by that evening, I was feelin' good again. I know what you're thinking... you're moving to Denver and you get altitude sickness? I don't know what to tell you about that. We'll see how it goes.

I genuinely dislike downloading pictures to this blog because of it's dreadful slowness, and because there are so many, I will again employ the usefulness of redirecting you to a link where you can find pictures from the trip. Hope you enjoy!

We're about to take a very welcomed break from moving plans to celebrate Maurice's sister's wedding, and we're so excited to be a part of the joyous occasion. So until next time...

Cheers!

{from miles and miles of texas to the mile high city}

So let's recap the last post. Most of you savvy minds figured it out, but if anyone should be left scratching your heads... we had a song by John DENVER and Whitney HOUSTON. After another really long process, it was narrowed down to Denver and Houston.

And we've decided that we're moving to Denver! Our excitement is two-fold.

First... this has just been a really long process for us that has lasted over a year. If you'll remember, we nearly moved to Philadelphia about this time last year, but after a lot of thought, we were certain that it wasn't the right move for us... despite what an amazing and beautiful city it is. So we stayed in San Antonio and came up with ANOTHER list of places, and before we knew it, we were playing the "where are we moving" game again. It's a long and frustrating process, but we did our best to hold onto our faith in the fact that if we asked God for guidance, He would undoubtedly show us what to do and where to go. Receiving that answer and seeing God's faithfulness is certainly the thing we are most excited about.

And secondly... we're just excited to live in a new place! We love Texas. We always have and always will, but this is a really welcomed change, and we can't wait to learn about and discover the city of Denver and all it has to offer. And not to mention its proximity to the mountains for some great hiking and snowboarding. I feel fairly certain that there may be some sort of snowboarding on a professional level in our future.

So we're excited. yes. that is a perfectly safe assumption. There is certainly a lot of work to be done in our near future, in terms of finding jobs and a place to live. Let me assure you... in the past few days, I have seen every apartment and rental home in the greater Denver area. No stone has gone unturned. Let me also say this... I quickly learned that the terms "renovated", "fantastic", "updated" and "great location" are all relative and subjective terms. But the perfect home is out there, and we will find it :)

So that's that. We're going to Denver. We're very excited. Hope you'll come and visit.

Cheers.

{so you think you're smart, do you?}

Last year, when Maurice and I had narrowed down our moving options, we offered a little hint as to what the final considerations were. So it would only be fair that I extend the same courtesy this year. However... I'm not gonna go so easy on you. It is going to take some careful thought and consideration. At least I hope so.

Maurice and I have narrowed it down to 2 places. And here are your clues as to what those two places are:

"Country roads, take me home, to the place I belong"

and

"If I, should stay, I would only be in your way"

... Guess if you dare

{A Brain Dump to Pass the Time}

My sincerest apologies for not blogging much lately. For the most part, there hasn't been much to blog about. We're still trying to work out the moving situation and working pretty much all the time, and it just doesn't seem like that's left time for much else! So what little news and stories there are to tell, you will receive in a new brain dump. And so it begins...

* Today Maurice and I booked a trip to Victoria, British Columbia for our first anniversary, and I am pumped.

* While we are in BC, we have decided we are going to go on a whale watching tour... also pretty pumped about seeing some killer whales.

* I am already trying to remind myself that the Pacific ocean and Sea World are two very different places, and that when I do see a killer whale, I should probably not try to reach out and hug it.

* Speaking of whales, Maurice and I watched "The Cove" last week.

* Everyone should watch that documentary, but only if you can stomach it.

* We also watched "The Blind Side" last week.

* Everyone should also watch that, but only if you can stomach watching the footage of Joe Theismann getting his leg broken.

* If you know what I'm talking about, it's at the beginning, so cover your eyes.

* Stefanie and Adam found out recently that they're having a boy, and Maurice and I are so excited to have a nephew.

* Sofia can't say "Aunt Kelli" yet, but she can say "Uncle Mo".

* It actually sounds more like "uh mo". We're pretty sure that counts.

* I gave up sodas for lent, and last night I dreamt that I had gone without sodas for so long, that I walked up to the fountain drink dispenser at subway and had forgotten how to use it.

* I woke up feeling equally as frazzled as I would had I had an actual nightmare.

* A lot of people told me that when you give up sodas and then try one after a while, that you don't like them as much anymore.

* What a silly thing to say.

* I just realized that because Maurice and I will be gone on our anniversary, that means we get to get out the top our wedding cake and eat it early.

* I am still very on the fence about Minnesota, but Maurice has begun to bribe me with promises of various gifts, upon my agreement to move there.

* I'm not sure if he's aware of how much a cashmere scarf costs.

{so simple, yet so profound}

Ok... I'm sure there's a chance that I'm the last person on earth to find out about this, but I am mystified!

Background. I am what you would call a chapstick addict. I have it with me at all times. In an effort to simplify my life, I have strategically placed chapstick in my nightstand, in my purse, in my car, and in my desk at work, in order that I may never be farther than 20 yards from it. But what I have come to realize, is that if you use chapstick often enough, it actually starts to have the reverse of it's desired effect. I noticed that my lips have actually become dryer than they were before this whole chapstick addiction began.

And I can recognize my own vices, so I have recently begun an effort to wean myself off of it. But the whole reason I began using it in the first place is simple... I love having soft and properly moisturized lips. So in giving up chapstick, I was again faced with the dilemma of figuring how to keep the ol' lips feeling good.

Enter wonderful coworker. In talking with a friend of mine at work the other day, she shared with me that she too had recently given up chapstick for the same reasons as myself... BUT... she had another trick up her sleeve. She said she'd learned long ago that honey and sugar are nature's best kept secrets when it comes to soft and lovely skin.

Far be it from me to let this one go, so I tried it, and I am blown away. It made my day. There are several variations of this natural wonder, but this is what she shared with me. Mix equal parts sugar and honey in a small container... it should be pretty thick, not runny... then take a very small amount and rub it on your lips. Voila! Instant lip exfoliator/moisturizer. I did a little internet research too, and apparently, sugar is one of nature's best natural exfoliators, and honey is one of nature's best moisturizers. Be careful not to rub too hard. You aren't trying to remove entire layers of skin here. Rubbing gently will exfoliate the dead skin cells, and when you're done, either wash it off with water. or let's be honest... it's sugar and honey... just lick it off.

Other variations that I've learned of are sugar and olive oil... another great natural moisturizer, or putting a small amount of sugar on half a lemon and rubbing that on your lips. Although I'm told there's quite a bit of burn involved with that one. I'm also told that this sugar and honey concoction makes a great hands and feet exfoliator for an easy home mani/pedi too.

I love learning fun tricks like this... and if I learn of anymore, I shall surely keep you informed!

{the delicious hilarious valentine's day}

As a newly married couple on the verge of moving and starting graduate degrees, we're not exactly doing a lot of extravagant spending lately. Of course we appreciate the finer things in life... who doesn't, really. But I'm also a firm believer in the fact that every now and then... we deserve to spoil ourselves ever so slightly. And one of Maurice and I's favorite ways to indulge ourselves is with great food at great restaurants. Among our favorites are The Lodge and Citrus Restaurant (inside Hotel Valencia). And for a long time, we've wanted to try Silo Elevated Cuisine, so we figured Valentine's day would be the perfect opportunity! They had a special 4 course meal with wine pairings prepared for the occasion, and dare I say... it may be one of my new favorites.

Our meal started with a lobster bisque soup, which I loved. Maurice wasn't sure he liked the "seafoody" taste, and after reminding him that lobsters do, in fact, live in the sea, we did agree that the wine was off to an excellent start.

Next came salad, and we were even, because I am not a salad person. However, I can usually find something in a salad that I like, so while Maurice scarfed his down, I munched on the cheese crisp and croutons and periodically moved some of the lettuce from my plate to his, so it wouldn't be obvious that I disliked the salad. I don't hold that against Silo... I generally don't like salad anywhere, so they aren't to blame. This round of wine was also great, as was my cheese crisp, and dinner was about to get real good.

For the main course, we got to choose from several menu items. Maurice chose the filet mignon while I had the wood grilled duck. To say it was delicious would be putting it mildly. Both were cooked to perfection and we traded bites back and forth across our table several times. This round of wine? also excellent.

And then came dessert, which was chocolate gelato with cream and crushed espresso. I will confess that I didn't have high hopes for such a simple sounding dessert, but I was pleasantly surprised. The espresso was not overpowering and the wine was a perfect sparkling dessert wine.

By the time the check came, we were full and satisfied, allbeit a little bit tipsy. So put Silo in the win column, because the food was excellent and the staff were extremely friendly and attentive. And if you're big on atmosphere like me, you'll love the modern and bustly New York vibe.

And as if our Valentine's night wasn't already great enough, we had great tickets to see Gabriel Iglesias at the Majestic after dinner. I'm as big a fan of great food as I am great comedians, and he does a great show. We laughed. A lot.

We were pretty late getting home and it was pretty painful to get up for work this morning, but it was totally worth it to spoil ourselves with a great night out for Valentine's day.

{My Big Fat Minneapolis Dilemma}

I know what you're thinking... is that really how dilemma is spelled? I was as surprised as you are, but alas... that is correct. Dictionary.com has never failed me. But that's really not what this is about at all.

In my last post, I listed off the places that Maurice and I are considering moving to, pending his acceptance to schools in those places. You might have been a tad surprised to find such an extreme a place as Minneapolis on that list. When asked, I typically list that city off last, so that when I see the inevitable looks of total consternation on people's faces, I can quickly follow with "That's right... I said Minneapolis." I assure you, when Maurice first uttered the words "I'm thinking of applying to the University of Minnesota", my knee-jerk response was a firm "Absolutely not". And I meant it.

But Minneapolis continued to make its way into conversations about school. This might be a good time to mention Maurice's passion for sustainable architecture. There aren't many graduate schools that allow students to study with a focus on sustainable architecture... and U of M happens to be one of those schools that does give students that opportunity. And so my hardened heart began to soften a bit, a very small bit, and I offered what I thought was a more than generous compromise, agreeing that he could apply to U of M as his backup school. In other words... if ALL ELSE FAILS... we can go there. I still was not breaking into song and dance over the idea of moving to what might as well be wintery Russia in my mind.

And now somehow... over time and what I can only assume was calculated manipulation, the University of Minnesota has made it's way to the near top of Maurice's list of schools he'd like to go to. And thus... my great dilemma. Let me just say this... I am not opposed to Minneapolis in every way. I have been told by no less than 5 people, who have actually been to Minneapolis, that it is a remarkably beautiful city. It's rumored to have some really beautiful parks, the cost of living is reasonable, the not-winter seasons are supposed to be really pleasant and the job market is better than a lot of other places. Let me also say this... I'm not freaked out THAT it gets cold. It's HOW cold it gets that freaks me out. Bear in mind, we are also considering Denver, Chicago and Philadelphia. Those aren't what you'd call tropical climates. But over the course of the past few months, I've started to question people who know a thing or two about Minneapolis, and the thing that stands out to me, is that when I ask them if Minnesota really gets as cold as people say it does... the response is generally a good, hearty laugh. The only person who didn't laugh, responded with "No, it's worse".

And so there you have it. At this point in the decision making process, I am still very torn between my desire for Maurice to get the best possible education, and my dislike for hypothermia-ridden fingers.

If any of you have been to Minneapolis, whether you did or did not like it, tell me what you thought! In the mean time, I'm going to try and find where I put my Northface coat.

{The Latest and Greatest Flores News}

This morning I got a text message from an old friend, asking what was new in the Flores household. I began to text back, but quickly came to the realization that I cannot even properly update friends on my life through text because there is so much going on. We have some busy days ahead, and instead of trying to cram it all into a text for you, I decided that a good old-fashioned life update blog was in order. Let's take this one thing at a time, shall we?

Krista arrived safely in Africa, and if I do say so myself, she seems to be adjusting beautifully! She is doing a great job of keeping her blog updated with stories of life in her new home continent, including stories of travel and shopping at the market... which may I add, is no small feat, considering that life in Senegal requires her to know 2 different languages... neither of which is English. And yesterday, thanks to a little thing called skype, we got to video chat with her for the first time since she left. It is definitely hard to have her so far away, and for so long, but she seems to be loving it so far.

And in other sisterly news! Maurice and I are really excited to say that we are going to have another niece or nephew! Stefanie and Adam are expecting their second baby, and are due sometime in August. We are both so excited for them, and can't wait to have another little one around to spoil.

And in even more sisterly news! We're also excited to be adding a brother-in-law to our family. Maurice's sister Ashlie and her fiance Marty are getting married on June 26th of this year, and we are really excited and are honored to be a part of the wedding. I'm sure there will be plenty of pictures of wedding-related festivities to come.

So by now, you're probably starting to realize that summer is going to be a pretty busy time for us. Truth be told, I haven't even scratched the surface yet. You may remember that last spring, after MUCH consideration, Maurice and I decided to spend another year in San Antonio, instead of moving to Philadelphia. Well that year has just about come and gone, and now we find ourselves in a very familiar boat. Sometime in April, we should start hearing from the schools that Maurice applied to for next year. Philadelphia is one of the places that we are considering still, and he also applied to schools in Houston, Denver, Chicago and Minneapolis. So again, who knows what city/state/timezone we will be moving to. Each one of the places sounds like a really exciting prospect to me, and if you asked me 3 days in row where I wanted to move, you'd probably get 3 different answers. It's such a complicated decision, when you think about tuition, scholarships, cost of living and job markets. We are just praying that God will show us really clearly where He wants us to go, because at the end of the day, I really want Maurice to be at the right school, and I know that God will provide us with jobs, even in a less-than-fully-recovered economy.

So long story short, on top of weddings and babies, we will also be moving this summer, and potentially moving out of state. We have really enjoyed spending this year in San Antonio, but we are ready for a change and excited to see what happens! So get ready for round 2 of "where are we moving" and stay tuned this Spring for updates!

I think that pretty effectively catches you up on the goings on of our life lately. It is certainly going to keep us busy, but we are certainly blessed.

Cheers to that.

{Krista Goes to Africa}

This post is a somewhat bittersweet one for me. I'm so proud of the faith and courage of my sister, but we all miss her sorely as she now lives half a world away. As some of you may know by now, about a year ago, Krista felt that she was being called to move to Africa. This past Friday, January 8th, Krista and I celebrated our 28th birthday here in San Antonio. On Saturday, January 9th, we all got up at about 5 in the morning, headed to the airport in 18 degree weather, and saw Krista off as she moved to Senegal, Africa... where she will spend the next 2 years serving God and ministering to the Fulakunda people.

The Fulakunda are a largely muslim people group, and aside from spending time building relationships with them, she will also be helping to coordinate church groups who go over there on mission trips. She is passionate about Africa and it's people, and has previously been on 4 trips to Northern Africa and Uganda. Before leaving, Krista spent 2 months in Virginia in training, and while she was there, she made a great prayer card to give out, and she greatly covets your prayers during her time over there.

As you can see, she's included an address where you can email her while she is over there. She has also started a blog to chronicle her time over there... the link is on the card as well, and you can also find her on my "Friend's Blogs" list to the left of this page.

I am extremely excited to see everything that God is going to do through her while she is there, all the while hoping that 2 years will go by quickly and that she will be back before we know it! Again, please be praying for her and for the thousands of other missionaries like her who are spread out all over the world sharing God's love.

{So long 2009... was nice knowing you}

I hope that everyone had the merriest of Christmases and the happiest of New Years. Maurice and I certainly had a busy holiday season this year, but we aren't complaining, because it was full of family and friends and wonderful memories of our first Christmas as Mr. and Mrs.

But before I begin looking forward to a wonderful and exciting and adventurous 2010, and in keeping with last year's tradition, I'd like to take a minute to look back and share the things, both great and small, that I learned in 2009. And without further ado, they are as follows:

- That tiny first apartments as a married couple are meant to be small and humble, and that one day, I'll likely look back on this cramped first year with really fond memories.

- That sometimes, no matter how careful you are, or how many steps you take to prevent it, sometimes people's cars still get broken into, and people's credit card numbers still get stolen. it just happens.

- That marriage is sometimes really tough, and it takes a lot of work, but it is also the greatest kind of love and is completely worth it.

- That when you have a really bad day, say because, your credit card number got stolen, it's pretty great to come home to someone who always has your back and is always on your side in life.

- That wedding planning is something that is inevitably stressful and that it's not something I ever want to participate in again.

- That President Obama is as inexperienced and full of hot air as I anticipated him to be.

- That it is still my responsibility to pray for our leaders faithfully, regardless of political differences.

- That I only have one true enemy in this world, and that others, who may feel like enemies at times, are just his prisoners.

- That Jon and Kate plus Eight couldn't last forever.

- That Saturday mornings are best spent being lazy and watching "Flip This House" with my husband.

- That you can't please everyone, and that many times, it is not your responsibility to try to.

- That it's important, I think especially as a woman, to take the time to take care of yourself, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

- That Riviera Maya, Mexico is a place I wish to visit again. often.

- That the Mexico City Airport isn't a place I wish to visit again. ever.

- That living close to our families is a luxury that I shouldn't take for granted.

- That the right decisions are the ones that pay off in the long run, and that patience is a virtue that isn't always easily acquired.

- That though I may try, God's love for me is still much more profound than I am able to understand.