Our First Anniversary

Yesterday was our one year wedding anniversary! We pulled our wedding cake top out of the freezer, and enjoyed a piece that tasted just at good as it did one year ago. Then had a fantastic dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, where our steaks were served on 500 degree plates and melted in our mouths. We got a complimentary piece of cheesecake with "congratulations" written on the plate in chocolate. After our dinner we took a stroll on the Riverwalk and enjoyed a drink in bar on the water before heading home. It was a wonderful evening, and much less hectic than our actual wedding day a year before! Neither of us can believe a whole year has passed since that day. Wasn't it just yesterday that we exchanged vows and danced the night away? It certainly seems like it!

So much happened in our first year of marriage. We experienced many things from the top of the list of life's major stresses- loosing a job, looking for new jobs, moving, the loss of Murray's dad. But, there have been so many good times as well. We have remained strong and in love, and that is all that matters. It is amazing how being back at home with our family and doing the things we love most makes things so much better. We are truly blessed.

Ode To Our Home

I took a few pictures of our house the other day before we started packing. It has been a wonderful first home, and I couldn't have asked for anything better. I am very sad to leave it, but unfortunately it is just not in the right location. It's a little too far north. About 300 miles too far.

Here is the front porch. Actually, this was taken when I first planted the beds about 2 years ago. I just wanted to include a pic of the front of the house.



Here is the kitchen table area.

This is our fantastic fireplace.

Another shot of the living room, with the screen door turned sideways on the wall that my mom made famous. That is the couch we purchased with our wedding money. Do you recognize those throw pillows, Aunt Betty? :)

This is my favorite room, the guest room.

It is not going to be easy to leave our home and live with my parents for a while, but I am so grateful that we have that option. And one of these days our house will sell, and we will buy another one that we will love just as much. Goodbye first home!

Packing & Babies

We've been packing. And packing. Can you tell I've been packing? We are getting ready to move home this Friday! Packing is not fun, but we are making it. My last day of school is Thursday, and then we plan on leaving the next morning. I am excited about the move, but sad too about the wonderful friends I will be leaving behind. Luckily, I already have a few weekends on the calendar that either someone is coming to visit me, or I am coming back up for a visit.

In other news, we have babies! A mocking bird built a nest on the side of our BBQ pit, on the ledge between a citronella candle and a bug zapping lantern.


The nest just appeared over night, and soon 4 little blue eggs with black speckles were in it. Yesterday morning 3 of them hatched.

The 4th egg hatched a few hours later. Kevin saw the bird taking the shell of the egg out of the nest, so I ran outside to take a pic of the brand new baby.

Today when I got home from work, I took another picture. They are now strong enough to hold their heads up and open their beaks for their momma to feed them. Aren't they so cute? OK, not really, but they are babies so that alone makes them cute!

Isn't this fun? Watch for more to come!

Check Check

Check #1 and #2 off The List. Kevin and I both have jobs! Kevin will be working at Urban Concrete as a project supervisor. Here is a link to their snazzy website: http://www.urbanconcrete.com/ He officially starts June the 9th. I teach until June 5th, so we will move down that weekend.

I will be teaching first grade at MVISD. I am very excited about having my own class next year. First grade is a lot of fun, but very challenging because you are teaching the students how to read. But it is very rewarding because you can really see the gains that the students make over the year. It will be an adventure for sure, and I will have to keep you all updated throughout the year.

In other news, the house has not sold. The couple that sounded so promising decided to rent for a year in another town. Bummer. Since then, the house has not shown at all. Every morning I run around and make sure the place is spotless and all picked up just in case someone comes by to look at it during the day. Nothing. So, I have decided to take a new approach, and just leave things as they are. I just know that the day I leave my blowdryer out on the counter and don't sweep the kitchen before I leave, someone will come and look at the house. If that is what I have to do to get someone in there, so be it.

Sooooo, it looks like we will be living with my parents for now. It should be a party! I keep teasing her telling her that she added on to her house just in time for me to fill it up with my stuff. We laugh about it, but I really am serious.

Luckily, we have not found a house to buy that we can't live without. When our house does sell, we are planning on renting until we either find something worthwhile, or buy a lot to build on.

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. Things were dragging on for a while and not much was happening. Things are rolling now and we are ready to start our new lives!

What A Site

I am addicted to this website: http://thepioneerwoman.com/

It's kinda more of a girl thing, but there are lots of pictures of cows and horses for the guys. This woman is fantastic, and hilarious. She grew up in the city on a golf course, met and fell in love with a cowboy, and now lives in the middle of nowhere on a ranch. She writes about ranch life, her city-girl-meets-country-boy romance, shares photography and Photoshop tips, and even recipes. Also, you must absolutely read her post series called "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" But beware, you just might get addicted!

P.S. Still no news on jobs or houses, but I will keep you updated as the saga unfolds. :)

Definitely Maybe

Good news! On Monday afternoon, a lady and her realtor came to look at our house. Kevin was home so he talked to them after they looked at it. The lady was so excited about it, she called her husband right then and they set up a time to come and look at it the next morning! We got a call from our realtor that evening saying that they loved it, but want to sell their house first. Luckily, it is currently under contract, and they just want to make sure it will go through. Our realtor told us to expect something in writing next week if they decide to go through with it. They were still going to look at a few more houses today, but ours has been the closest to what they are looking for so far. So please pray that it all works out and that we get this baby sold!!

The Sign

About a week and a half ago, Kevin lost his job. We knew that it was going to happen to a bunch of people at the end of the month because of the housing market, but were under the impression that he would be safe. So it was a huge shock. Until I realized that it was an answered prayer. Just a few days before, I started praying for a sign. Kevin and I knew that we wanted to move back, but that was what we wanted. I wanted to make sure we were doing what God wanted. And the school year was getting close to the end, and we needed to put our house on the market soon if we were really leaving, so I prayed for a sign. A clear sign, to be exact. Well, God answers prayer! It was definitely a sign on a huge billboard with blinking lights all around it. :)

So, we put our house up on the market and started making plans to move home. Luckily, we have some money saved up, and Kevin is still going to get his bonuses for the next 2 months, as well as unemployment pay. Also, he is going to do some work for a few weeks for a friend of ours mother who builds golf courses, so we will be just fine and don't want any of you to worry about us! The reason I wanted you all to know is not so that you can throw me a pity party, but rather so you can see how God is working in our lives right now.