2010 - Kingdom living = whole living

Maybe in 2010 I can keep up with blogging. Ross and I really believe that God has been very clear that 2010 is going to be a big year for us so I'm thinking I will have a lot to share. We are not sure of all that that holds, but it is shaping up to have a lot of fun things so far. We have 2 very close friends getting married this year, which is a joy! :) God has us multiplying into a cell group with friends that we love very much. Our church has a beautiful new building, and while a church is not the building, we do love worshipping there. Our brother-in-law rededicated his life to Jesus and was baptized this past weekend - so excited for you, Shawn! We got to reconnect with old friends to start off the new year - beautiful. It is wonderful to see friends really living the Kingdom life in all corners of the world (or Texas) :). It has been beautiful to really learn what it means to live in the Kingdom this last year. Now we feel as if the Lord is really asking us to walk it out - in our church, friendships, families, jobs, and our marriage. We are thrilled to get to walk in Kingdom living with people we love, that love us and that change us daily! We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's. Below are some photos of some of our favorite people and moments in the past month:

Our house in the Christmas Eve snow

Our sweet friends, Josh, Sarah and Kate Seefeldt

Beautiful Kate! :)

Truly some of my MOST FAVORITE people - Hannah, Eric and Will

The Handsome Gardners!

My Favorite Hannah B! Love her!

Precious Garrett Gardner!

Kodi dressed for the Season!

A snowy family picture! Craziness!

Family Visits, Valentine's, and an update

Ross' brother came to visit at the end of February. We had a great time getting to spend time with him. He was an unbelievable guest - he helped rake the backyard, clean up Kodi's puke, and still had time to sit and enjoy Texas a little. He truly was family while he was here and it was so good to have him. We had Ross' dad in January and we look foward to hosting more Alaskan family in the near future. We love sharing our home! :)

Enjoying Angelo's BBQ


An Angelo's Icon :)

Kodi - Cutest Mutt EVER!!!

A Jazzy Valentine

Awww...

Ross and I also enjoyed a great Valentine's night. We went to a jazz concert at a little place in Fort Worth called Arts 5th Ave. It was so fun! We had dinner at La Madeline's. It was a sweet night.

Kodi is still with us. Our foster dog is sure needy!!! He did get out the other day, but thankfully ended up in then animal hospital parking lot where the sweet techs lured him with treats. We were so glad to have him home safely. We hadn't locked the gate well...

Ross is loving his new job in home health! He is still in training, but loving all of his visits. His days go by quickly being all over the place. I am co-directing asthma camp this summer, so that keeps me busy along with daily duties at home and work. Overall, we are doing very well.

Keep us posted on how you all are!!!

Catching up again!!!

So, I'd really like to be better at this blogging thing. I just don't have the time that I want to have... Many things have happened since December 24th. On December 25th we acquired a dog! People laugh when I say "acquired," but it is true. We really did acquire him. He showed up at my parents house with a coon dog. The coon dog had a gold plated tag on and had an owner looking desperately for this dog worth $6000!! Our newly acquired dog was a stray with a puppy collar still on. The neighbors had seen him wandering for about 3 months! I don't know how you could let this wander!!!

:) That's Kodiak - better known as Kodi. He was our Christmas present! We looked for lost dog signs for about a week and found nothing. We think it was meant to be. Now he is an inside outside dog. We think he definitely has some border collie in him, but he's big, so maybe some lab or golden retriever. He is about 1 year old now. He is so sweet though and very gentle. We have since discovered he is not fond of bald men. He gets pretty bent out of shape. He's just great for us!

We have also spent a little time out at Halsell Hill. My grandmother continues to fight ovarian cancer. We have had some wonderful visits though. My grandfather and she continue to work as a team to make it through each day along with the family's help on the weekends. These are a few pictures from a recent visit:

Grandmother and Ashley

Grandmother and Aunt Sue

Ross also has a new job. He is working for Encompass Home Health. The Lord has been merciful and sweet to us in so many ways. Ross is loving his new job. He is still in the orientation phase, but is liking visiting with one patient at a time and having some time in his car. There is much more responsibility in home health, but Ross is up for the challenge!

I am still at Cook Children's. I am enjoying my job so much and looking foward to when a Child Life Specialist position opens up. God has blessed us so much with jobs and family. We are so thankful for all that He provides.

We are being discipled by a wonderful couple that leads our small group and have been reading Sacred Marriage with them. It has been a sweet journey. We finish up next week. The Lord has truly engrained in us that marriage is not about us but ALL about Him! It has been beautiful and fresh. I am also reading Sacred Influence with a dear sister from afar. It has been a blessing. I strongly recommend Gary Thomas' books. They are chalked full of great teachings of the Lord.

We love you all and pray that the Lord is sweetly blessing each of you as Valentine's Day approaches!

Here are a few more pics of our Kodi!

The Holidays!!!

Merry Christmas EVE to everyone! Ross and I have been enjoying a few days of what we like to call "normal" life. :) I finished my internship last Friday. I will return to Cook today for my first day back to pack bags for the kiddos. Ross works half the day tomorrow :(, and we both work on Friday. We got to spend Sunday and yesterday out at Halsell Hill with my grandmother and papa. Grandmother is struggling with ovarian cancer. It was a great treat to get to be with them twice in one week after not seeing them for a while. :) We spent Thanksgiving here with Jill (our dear friend), my parents, my Granny, and Michael and Mattie Mae. We had a wonderful time. :) Here are a few updated pictures:

Our photographer was amazing!!! :) (her car is in the background) :)

Michael and Mattie LOVE Granny!!!!

Michael and Mattie Mae with Turkey Pumpkins!!! :)

We pray that each of you is blessed by the celebration of our Savior's birth! May you know His deep and tender love for you this Christmas. May you feel Him warm in your soul! We love you!!!

4 More Weeks

I am getting close to being done with my internship. I start a 4 week count down on Monday. I am in a trauma rotation currently. It has been incredibly overwhelming with an intense amount of visual stimuli. I'm back to having a difficult time sleeping and recovering from the things I see each day. I am learning a lot though - mostly that I have the most amazing husband. He does such a great job getting life accomplished for us in the midst of craziness. I love Ross' heart. He is such a server. The Lord has taught me so much about His character through Ross - especially during this time. God is so good to use marriage to sanctify us. We are ready for this season to come to a halt, but God is good to sustain and grow us. God is good - all the time.

Halloween with Michael and Maddie Mae

I had the priviledge of spending Halloween with Michael, Maddie Mae and Jill. We took the kids and one of Michael's friends, Alex, trick-or-treating on Friday night. The week before, Michael and Maddie hung out with Ross and me and they helped carve our pumpkin. Michael did the entire design (so cute!) and Maddie pushed out all the shapes. We had a great time! They are precious!

Dancing Naked

This is the title of a book by Mary Rogers. She is a Texas writer that used to write for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. It features stories that she has written about are about the lives, struggles and joys of North Texans. It is a tear jerker for sure, but real and alive. She says that if you can't "dance naked" then it's not worth telling your story - in other words - disclose your whole heart, mind and soul. :)

This is something I love about life - the redemption and struggles to get there. It is truly beautiful and EVERYONE goes through it. Everyone has a story! Check out Mary Rogers story on her website!
http://www.maryrussellrogers.com/

ENJOY!!! :)