Coffee & Candy: The Sweetest Combo

We threw our not-so-annual Christmas party on the 21st. There was a "coffee & candy" theme. It was simple and easy to host. We had a great time seeing friends who live nearby and far away (Jennifer: you get the award for traveling the most miles!). :)

I've had so much fun over the past week spending some major relaxation time with the fam. I'm spoiled having my sister in town to entertain me every moment of the day. Below are pictures from the party. Christmas day pics TBP (to be posted).

P.S. - All of these pictures were taken by a four-year-old. That will explain the unusually low camera angles, but overall - not too shabby.

Ocean-Size Love

We had such a wonderful time on our cruise. We were spoiled and very overfed.

Below is a slideshow of some of the pictures we took. Please excuse the randomness (and some of the not-so-pretty shots). We decided to do "before" and "after" pictures on formal night. Very frightening. So, that's my Christmas present to all of you. Enjoy! :)

**I removed this slideshow, because the file was too large and taking a very long time to load my page

A Precious Reminder Of The Meaning Of Christmas

Celebrating 1,460 Days Of Matrimony

As of this Thursday, Josh and I will have been married 1,460 days. That's just a very precise way of saying "four years." Because we chose to get married just 12 days before Christmas, we promised to try not to just glaze over celebrating such an important day in our lives. Although with his birthday in October, mine in November and then Christmas - a lot of gift giving takes place. So, we decided if at all possible, we'd go on a trip each year. So far, we've been fortunate enough to do so. I know that once kids come along, it might be more of a challenge. . .but for now we're living it up.

This year we're exploring the seas on a cruise to Mexico. I've been on one cruise and Josh has never been, so we're VERY excited. I'm going to cherish every moment of the next six days with my sweet groom. Because of our opposite work schedules right now, time with each other is something that's very valuable. We leave early tomorrow morning to carefully drive to Galveston. I'm praying the roads aren't icy. I'll be sure to post pictures when we get back! Thank you God for giving me a husband like Josh!

Below is a recap of our past anniversary celebrations.

December 13, 2003: Honeymooned in St. Lucia









December 13, 2004: Cancun, Mexico










December 13, 2005: Two-night stay at the Galleria Westin










December 13, 2006: Riviera Maya, Mexico (combined celebrating Katie & James' destination wedding)









December 13, 2007: Cruise baby Cruise!: Pictures to come!

Changing With The Wind

I type with such a heavy heart.

I had every intention of blogging each night this week. And if I had, there would have been a completely different tone of emotion each time. Last night I was praising God for answered prayers. Small triumphs in my own life. Selfish desires coming to fruition. I wanted to shout from the mountaintops, "How great is this God we serve?!!!"

But a mere 24 hours later, I've learned that the wife and mother of a dear person I work with has been told her life is likely to end far sooner than anyone imagined. She has a very agressive form of breast cancer. She is the mother of four young children. I hear of people with cancer all the time. I'm touched by the work of the Susan G. Komen Foundation. I love observing, and sometimes even supporting, all of the "pink" campaigns throughout the world. But when it comes to your front doorsteps, cancer is far too real.

Even when I have my moments of tenderness, they are fleeting. I haphazardously continue with my little, unimportant life. What if this cancer was happening to me, or to my mom or sister? What would I do? Would I fall apart? I most certainly would. And for that, I'm ashamed. It's so easy to brush another person's sorrow off. Telling them they'll be in my "prayers" and offering to bring a meal over. But I don't really know what kind of valley they're traveling through. My life hasn't yet been touched by cancer, or any true tragedy for that matter. I feel blessed, but I also feel an enormous amount of guilt. It's frightening to think how many people I will know and love who have yet to even be diagnosed. I'm scared. And I wonder how real my faith will look then.

So far this morning, I've prayed without ceasing for this family. I want God so badly to work a miracle in this woman's life. I want for the doctors to be dumbfounded the next time they see her. And, I want her children to have their mother for many, many more years. But, how often does God's will not line up with mine? I've prayed for miracles before, and the answer has not been what I'd hoped for. I find myself at a loss for words and advice and I'm surely not equipped to comfort someone who's in this situation.

I thank God for the Spirit - and for His intercession, because there's no other being with wisdom enough to know what to do or say.

My Celebrity Look-Alike

I guess there are worse people I could look like. . .

%1

Little, Useless Facts About Me

I actually completed one of those forwarded E-mails that asks you questions about yourself. It's kind of fun to do, but I usually act like I'm too important and busy to do them. That changed today. So here's some facts about me...



1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? The movie star Lauren Bacall
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? I teared up during last Sunday's Extreme Home Makeover
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING Yes, but it could be perfected.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Turkey.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Not yet.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Probably best friends. :)
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT ? Quite a bit.
8. Is Jesus your Savior and do you believed God raised him from the dead? Romans 10:9 Without a doubt.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Yes, and I've already reverse bungee jumped in Las Vegas when I was 16.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Cookie Crisp and Oh's.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Usually not. It drives Josh crazy.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Not at all.
13. What is your favorite ice cream? Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Cookies & Cream, Peppermint, etc. etc. etc.
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their teeth.
15. Red or Pink Pink.
16. WHAT IS YOUR MOST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOU? That I can completely entertain myself for hours at a time.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST Lyn.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Sure, but I understand if they don't. Who has time for these thing? I don't, but it's better than doing all the things at work I should be.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? I'm wearing an olive green skirt with chocolate heels.
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Rice Krispie Treat.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Regular office noise.
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT
COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Yellow.
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Fire burning, my new Degree deodorant, tanning oil and cinnamon candles.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My sister...wishing her a happy #24 today.
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Yes.
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? College Football.
27. HAIR COLOR? Dark Brown.
28. EYE COLOR? Dark Brown.
29. DO YOU Wear CONTACTS No, but I can't see very well anymore.
30. FAVORITE FOOD? I don't have enough time to list...Mexican, would be on the short list.
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy.
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Highway Man, which was scary.
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Bronze/olive
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter.
35. HUGS OR KISSES? Both at the same time.
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Again, not enough time to list...brownies, sopapilla cheesecake, anything with toffee, chocolate or peanut butter.
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Jac
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND Everyone else.
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? The Secrets Men Keep by Steve Arterburn
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Don't have a mouse pad because I have an optical mouse. I'm special.
41. DID YOU WATCH T.V. LAST NIGHT? No.
42. FAVORITE SOUND? Our Sunday School class of four-year olds singing songs to Jesus.
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles.
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Italy.
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Remembering the birthdays of people I don't even know anymore and other useless facts.
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Fort Worth.
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Josh's. But he'll probably opt to just tell me in person.

B-day Bashes, DWTS & Song of the Week

Great week.

We celebrated my birthday this week and my sister's over the weekend. I'm another year older and loving it, because the alternative would be to not be alive - so I choose to be 28! That age sounds sophisticated but still young and vibrant (or that's what I'll keep telling myself.) Mucho Mexican food was consumed this week and that's fine by me. I went to Cristina's for lunch on Tuesday with co-workers, Posado's Tuesday night with family and Pappasito's Thursday night with Josh and his side of the family. Josh got me an iphone which I had been begging for - I highly recommend it. I don't know how I lived without it before. Simply amazing.

The sister turns 24 this Thursday so she and her new "special friend Reid" came in town Friday night. We had a lot of fun spending time together and I released the domestic side of myself and spontaneously cooked brunch Saturday morning. It was surprisingly good, I only screwed up the eggs, which is kind of important - but we still had pumpkin bread, sausage kolaches, waffles, cinnamon rolls and bacon to choose from (I'd like to note that none were from scratch - but I did a great job heating them up). Anyway, as I begin another year of life, I look forward to what God has in store for me. My goal is to make Him proud no matter what.

Random side note: I am a self-proclaimed "non-TV addict," but I l-o-v-e DWTS (Dancing With The Stars). I was baffled by Sabrina's elimination, but at least she has time now to date her partner, Mark. They are precious and I want them to get married and have babies. (I prefaced this by saying it was a random side note - and it is) - anyway, I'm going to miss the show tomorrow night because I have a Board meeting, and it's going to be a real nail-biter because just about anybody could be eliminated at this point. I like Jennie Garth a lot because she seems so down to earth. She's totally opposite from the character (Kelly) she played on "90210." If I could find my sterling silver 90210 necklace that I so proudly wore in the early 90s I would sport it, but I'm afraid it's lost somewhere with my Vanilla Ice and New Kids on the Block cassette tapes. As far as the other contestants, Jane Seymour has been a total shocker. I originally thought she'd be hittin' the road in the first few weeks, but she's been surprisingly fabulous. I think I'm most ready for Helio or Marie to go, I'm so over both of them. Although when it comes to TV shows, my heart belongs to The Office. In my humble opinion, it's the most entertaining show of all times - second only to 90210, of course! :)

Below are a few pictures from this weekend.

Friday night football game with siblings





















Brunch Party '07















Lastly, Josh has gotten me hooked on this song: Overkill by Kosheen. He loves techno and I usually would rather eat glass than listen to techno, but this is an awesome song to get you pumped up to workout. Enjoy.

Peace out.

The Truth Shall Set You Free

Thank you God for your truth that sets me free. This makes my heart tingle.

I am so grateful for His truth and for the fact that nothing can save me but God's grace - and in His grace lies sweet freedom. It makes me feel as though I can do anything imaginable with Him. . .Hallelujah!

Everytime I go back to visit ACU, I think of the old Administration Building which displays this statement of faith that I've adapted as words to live by for my life. I used to walk by these words day after day when I was in school, and suddenly the meaning struck me. It was my senior year and I think it was a divine culmination of everything ACU had taught me during those four years. What power.

And this power is alive and well. There's been a series of tough things I've been dealing with lately. Some are my own personal issues, and some affect those close to me - but despite the pain and darkness of this world - Jesus' truth remains unwavering and this makes everything else bearable when put in perspective. The truth continues to set me free. This is what's on my heart right now - and I wanted to share. . .

Transitioning to a lighter subject. We've entered into celebration season, which was kicked off by Josh's birthday, followed by Halloween and then my birthday is just around the corner as well as my sister's, father-in-law's, Thanksgiving, etc. etc. etc. Below are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure - and also a couple from Homecoming. Check out Katie's best effort to look completely disturbed. :) Have a great week!

I'll See You In The Fall. . .If Not At All

This is a saying my grandmother Lyn always said - never understood it, but my family and I continue to use the phrase. At any rate, I love this time of year.

I'm trying to absorb every bit of this beautiful fall weather. I'm so glad God invented seasons, wouldn't life be so boring without them? His creativity is so cool.

Below are a few pictures so far from this season. . .


September 2007 - pre-game party with the Beceras & Coronados before the nationally televised Dragon football game

September 2007 - taking a breather from salsa dancing at Gloria's
October 2007 - checking out where my sister spends her life in grad school

Welcome to. . .The Hammock

I'm rejoining the blogger world. Watch out! I took down my first blog over a year ago. Josh didn't like it because he said it had too much specific detail about our lives, our occupations, where we live, etc. And, with so many crazy people roaming the Internet world, I heeded his advice - and decided to take it down.

However, I really believe blogs are a useful tool to keep in touch with people you do and do not know. I feel like I have "blogger buddies", whom I've never even met. I just find it so interesting to read the mundane details of other peoples' lives, and I guess in some weird way, I feel the need to share my own mundane details, too. So I'm back in a more discrete way. . .we'll see how long that lasts. I'll definitely be posting pictures, because blogs are just uninteresting without them. In fact, I think I'll be posting my favorite pictures from the last several months. There are many to choose from, but I'll just have to pick the one that best depicts the "story of the month." Below is my sister and me at the pumpkin patch when I visited her earlier this month. We also just celebrated Josh's birthday. I'll post those pictures later.

Writing is such a form of release and therapy. I think I'm going to like my newly, reinvigorated and somewhat anonymous blog. I'm excited. . .and I'd like to officially welcome you to The Hammock. While on a jog this afternoon I was thinking about blogging again, and while I was pondering the notion, I saw a hammock in a backyard. It looked so relaxing and inviting, I wanted to just hop in it and read a book. I don't often take much time to simply be still and reflect. I'm hoping this journal will help me do just that, and I hope in some way, you'll do the same in your own life. Here's to The Hammock. . .prop up your feet and stay a while. :)

October 2007 - Sisters at the Pumpkin Patch