2003 Archives

December 9, 2003 - Where did the time go?!?
It has been a long time, I know, but we are still very alive. I decided I should probably start putting dates on our entries so that you'd have a timeframe as to how current these updates are. It is close to Christmas time and we are both ready! It will be great to have a break from work and get to spend it with family.

Things have been going wonderfully for us. God has proven thousands of times how much more He is than we could ever imagine. During this Christmas season, it has been a time to reflect and see just how far away from this we were just a year ago. So much has happenned and all of it is because God is the Great Provider. Prayers have been answered and we continue to be amazed at how He has worked through even the little details.

For those of you that haven't heard, Justin received a job here in Tyler as a computer support technician and I am working away as a teacher and loving it. Justin still has some settling in to do at his job, but overall we are very thankful for everything that has happenned. We just decorated our house with Christmas lights for our first time and put up a new fresh Christmas tree in the living room. Presents are in the guest bedroom awaiting wrapping and we are staying busy as usual.

We love our church and recommend it to anyone who might move here in the future. Our Sunday school group is great and we have found just a tremendous friendship in them. Overall, we have been very blessed.

p.s. I'm currently on our school district's local TV channel - a spotlight interview!

(August-ish 2003) A BIG surprise...
No, no one is pregnant, no one is moving, really nothing has changed. It's nothing like that... It all started on Monday. We were replacing the flood lights in the front of the house and I noticed a bug on our driveway. So I went to get the spray, and me being the overly cautious person that I am, I started spraying around the garage door and up to the entryway to make sure all the rain we have had didn't bring in all the bugs. In doing so, I noticed something a little strang by our front door. Yes, very strange. It seemed to have a tail, but the tail kept going and going and going... That's when I figured it out and said, "Justin, there's a snake!" Yes, you got it, a snake.

I thought about doing a voting pole on what type of snake our website visitors thought it might be, but seeing that we executed it and I have a guilty conscience about it, I'll just let you see some pictures of it and we'll call it even. I know snakes are good to have around, but a neighbor down the street from us lost their dog to a snake bite in their backyard so I wasn't too keen on just letting it back out into the wild. (Considering the wild is behind our house and we didn't have the proper safety tools to "rescue" the poor misguided snake... I'll say no more.)

On a lighter note, we had a friendly visitor this weekend! Daisy's best friend, Scout, came to stay with us for a few nights last week/weekend. They had SO much fun together they actually forgot about us - can you believe that? Since then, Daisy has been craving playtime and attention all the time.

Justin also got in a little fishing on Saturday and I actually attempted mountain biking again with a very encouraging biking friend from college. And on Sunday, we got together with a very sweet couple and ate lunch and went swimming! Overall, it was a very nice and relaxing weekend - something both of us really needed.

(June-ish 2003) Family and Friends
Kyle and Lisa came to visit and we had a great time! Saturday afternoon we went to the lake and played with the dogs and fished. Lisa and I ended up driving to town and buying a couple rafts to float around while Kyle and Justin fished a little more. Afterwards we came back and played some Badmiton in our backyard and enjoyed a close game of Hand & Foot (card game).

Sunday, Kyle and Lisa were able to join us for church and we had Jacob and Sara over to join all of us in a good lunch and a few rounds of Badmiton and some Fusion Frenzy (video game). Overall, it was a relaxing weekend for them and a fun weekend for us. We love company!

(May-ish 2003) Fun at the Lake
A friend of ours from Sunday school invited us out to play at the lake. We had a lot of fun - and so did Daisy! This was the first time for Daisy and I to ride on a jetski and we both loved it. We look forward to another day out at the lake!

Take a look at the pictures. We couldn't keep Daisy out of the water - especially when we went out on the jetski!

(May-ish 2003) A New Graduate!!
Congratulations, Tim Day, on your Masters of Divinity! We are proud of you and look forward to what God has planned for your life!

Justin's long-time best friend, Tim, just graduated this past weekend and we are all very excited for him! The ceremony was nice and so was the party afterwards! We know Tim is glad to not have to write another paper for a while, unless he decides to go back to school AGAIN... The next question on the plate for him is, "When are you going to get married?" Hmmm...

(May-ish 2003) Birthday Time With Mom!
Over Canton weekend, Mom came out to visit and spend an early birthday and early Mother's Day with us! We really enjoyed having her out. While she was here, we went to Canton, to the Tyler Rose Garden, and celebrated my upcoming birthday and Mother's Day with her! It was a busy time, but a great time. Before her visit, I went to Dallas and stayed with her for a few days. She helped me get through a few errands (spaying Daisy, hauling a guest bed back home in the company truck, etc) and then we were off to Tyler to have some fun!

Thank you, mom, for coming out to visit us and helping us with the guest bed! We look forward to your next visit!

May 1, 2003 - A New Teacher!!
As of May 1, I am now a certified teacher! My certification is for self-contained elementary grades 1-6. Last week, I finished up student teaching and this week I am already missing my class. It was a wonderful experience and though trying at some points, it was well worth the semester without pay to gain as much experience as I did! I had an excellent school and teacher to work with during this spring and know that because of this, I will start strong next year when I begin teaching.

Many thanks to all of you who prayed for us during this time. We could not have made it through this transition without God and without all of your prayers and support. Thank you!

(April-ish 2003) Easter Weekend
Easter weekend was packed full of fun! This was our first time to spend Easter without family so we were a little unsure of what we would do. This is where our church family came in... We are very thankful for our Sunday school class that we have joined. Saturday night, we went out to dinner with four other couples and we all ate for free! One of our class members had coupons for entrees at a restuarant in Longview. It was delicious! Sunday after church, we gathered for BBQ and Easter egg coloring fun!

It is amazing to see how God has been working in our lives and confirming our move. Our Sunday school class is just one confirmation that helps us know God is with us! We are forever thankful!

(April-ish 2003) Young Marrieds Retreat
Last weekend, Justin and I attended our first young married retreat together. Hosted by Green Acres Baptist Church, we went out to Round Top, Texas and stayed at a bed and breakfast type facility. The best part of this weekend for the both of us was fellowship with other couples and the sermon.

While we were there, we got to know a lot of our Sunday school class members better and we met some couples that live on our street! The weekend was very relaxing and we were able to spend some good quality time together which made it very hard to say goodbye to him Sunday night as he was leaving to drive back to Dallas. Thankfully, this is Justin's last week in Dallas. He will be finishing up his job Thursday, April 17. Pray for him as he begins looking for a job in the Tyler area. Pray also for us as we continue with the transition to Tyler. We continue to thank God for the many blessings he has given us over the past few months!

April 5,2003 - Introducing... Kyle and Lisa Black!
Congratulations to Kyle and Lisa for their recent marriage! On April 5, 2003, my brother Kyle married a sweet lady named Lisa. We are so proud of them both and look forward to watching them grow more in love with each other and with God.

The wedding was beautiful and so was the bride! I am only putting up a few pictures on our website because I know Kyle would like to use their website for their personal photo album! Visit their website at www.kyleandlisa.com for more pictures, but make sure to give them some time to post them - they just returned from their honeymoon and I'm sure they have plenty of thank you notes to write!

(March-ish 2003) More Updates on the Homefront
Justin came home early on Thursday night and we had our "four-by-four" group from Sunday school class out to our house for a casual taco dinner and game of Cranium. "Four-by-four" groups were established to help everyone in class form better friendships since the class is growing larger. The class was divided into four couples each and was given the task of hanging out for four months together. After four months, the groups change so that new friendships can develop. Thursday was our first time to get together and we were delighted that Justin was able to get Friday off from work to come out a day early and spend the evening with us.

Speaking of Justin, he has put in his notice at the ministry in Dallas for August 17th to be his last day. Please pray for him during this transition and for a future job to open up in East Texas that will be a good fit for him. We have faith that God will provide.

We also had some company out this weekend! Jenn, a good friend from the ministry, was able to come out and bring her dog Allie. It was very nice to be able to spend some time with her again - especially nice that she helped out in the dirt out front with me. Jenn was glad to get away from Dallas - the offer is open for her to come back any time!

Also, I have two teacher job fairs coming up. One is this Thursday after school with T.I.S.D. and the other is in a few more weeks with UT Tyler. Please pray for me as I continue to get everything prepared and for me to have a successful day at these fairs.

Thank you again to all of you who have been faithfully supporting us in prayer. It is because of God that we have made it as far as we have. We are thankful for His many blessings that He has given us - especially our family and friends who support us.

March 23, 2003 - A Weekend FULL of Fun... for Daisy
Justin and I decided to take advantage of the nice weather Sunday, March 23 and get some things accomplished outside. We mowed, edged, fertilized, watered... and Daisy thoroughly enjoyed playing in the water. Those of you that came to visit us earlier this year will hardly recognize our house by the time you come back. We now have some bulbs coming up out back, I'll be planting some sunflower seedlings that I started a few weeks ago growing indoors, and we hope to have lucious green grass growing soon. The bushes and trees have been trimmed and things are really coming along!

I'll probably use this week to organize things around the house and then start painting again. I have grown to love having color in the house and can't wait to add more! As of now, both Justin and my resumes are posted on our website. Feel free to look them over anytime or send others that might know of job openings!

(March-ish 2003) Visitors are Great - Part Two!
The week of Spring Break, my half-sister Janiece came out on Thursday and Friday and boy did we work hard! Much thanks to her for all of her effort!! I couldn't have done it without her!

Not only did we refinish the bathroom, but we potted a few flowers AND painted the hallway! Talk about staying busy! All of this we did BEFORE the weekend! During the weekend, we were able to spend some time with her mom, Jackie, and traveled through a few antique stores and the zoo. By the way, the zoo is rumored to start charging as of late April or so - if you're planning on visiting, come now while it's free! Click on our picture to see the finished product in our hall bath. We both loved the way the faux finish turned out and really enjoyed learning the new technique together! I think she's ready to start faux finishing something of her own now...

(March-ish 2003) Home Sweet Home - For more than just us!
Justin did a wonderful job of pruning trees last weekend. With just these few touches, our house is becoming so much more like home. While pruning the trees this weekend, Justin discovered we have something living in our bird house that isn't necessarily the typical bird. In fact, he was questioning just what the two creatures were... To see more pictures and take your guess on our online vote, click here.

So far, we've had deer, road runners, frogs/toads, and lots of robins around our place. I just love the great outdoors and love that our home is in the middle of all of this. Justin tried socializing with the new birdhouse lodgers and feeding them crackers, but they just ran away. Maybe someday. Click on the picture to see more pictures of the animals, house, the yard, some potted flowers and some Sunflower and Daisy seedlings that I've had come up.

March 1, 2003 - Visitors are Great!
The weekend of March 1st, Mom, Meridith and the kids (and Justin, of course) came out to Tyler to visit! I took them to our school carnival and we later drove out to Canton for the First Monday Trade Days. Overall, the weekend was a lot of fun. It was great having company out here and great to see family again. We packed a lot in over the small weekend, but it was all worth it. Not only did we get to the Trade Days, but mom also helped us establish a small flower bed in our backyard! Hopefully I will see some flowers coming up from some of the bulbs we planted together. Only time will tell!

January 10, 2003 - We're home!
On December 27, 2002, Justin and I signed closing papers, making this house our new home. It was built in 1999 and has three bedrooms and two baths. We have decided to use one bedroom for a guest room and one bedroom for an office for now. We love the area around us. Behind our house is private property for about 300 acres (or so we've heard) and all we see is trees. We've got about 7 or 8 trees in our backyard and our new puppy Daisy is loving it.

We're open for visits so email us and let us know what weekend you'd like and we'll mark it on our calendar!

January 10, 2003 - A New Addition to the Family...
In December, we spotted a litter of puppies at the animal shelter that we thought looked like the "right kind of dog" for us. The shelter informed us that they would be released on January 8. January 2, 2003, during our lunch break, we took a trip to the shelter just to check up on the puppies. To our dismay, they released the puppies early and they were all gone - or so we thought. As we were walking through the rows (me pouting from the bad news) we spotted a woman carrying a puppy. She offered this little baby to me because she heard of my disappointment and "only picked this one up because it was the last one in the cage and looked scared and lonely with all the other big dogs barking." I accepted the puppy immediately and after encouraging Justin that this would be a good dog, we adopted her. Justin was doubtful because he was wanting a tan dog, not a black one. On the way back to work we decided to name her Daisy.

Since her adoption, she has been a great companion here at the house. Although she can be a handful, I love her and enjoy taking care of her and working with her. So far she can sit, stay, follow me, beg (sit back on her hind legs), and occassionally she'll come!

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