White Christmas in Texas

When we moved here this summer everyone told us, "It never snows here." We believed them until we had a white Christmas! According to one news article I read, the last time there was snow on Christmas here was 1927! The ironic part was the day before Christmas Eve it was 74 degrees outside. That's Texas weather for you!

The boys bundled up and spent about 15 minutes outside before coming back inside. It was really windy and cold.


Christmas afternoon there wasn't much left. But, I did find this snowball that some kids had rolled.

Sunday Celebrations

We had a very full, but good day today. Sundays start very early for us, so we were out the door by 7:15 and on our way to church. We had a special Celebration Christmas service that combined both services. I think normal Sunday attendance runs around 475-525, but I'm sure there was more than 700 people this morning. It was a full house! The music was great and we enjoyed special songs from the kids, orchestra, choir, etc. After church we had lunch with another family before heading home.
I was able to sneak in a short nap which was really nice. We spent the afternoon relaxing a bit and visiting with some friends. For dinner we went downtown with three other families to celebrate our friend, Maribeth's birthday. We ate at Cantina Laredo, which is where Casey and I went for our anniversary last month. Tonight was all about dessert, so we ordered an appetizer plate to share so we'd have plenty of room. They have a terrific Mexican apple pie, served up on sizzling hot plates. The waiter brought out the hot plates and then put a slice of apple pie on top, followed by cinnamon ice cream. The finishing touch was a brandy butter sauce poured over the top. Oh, it was soooooo good.


After dinner we stopped and took some pictures in the square downtown on Santa's sleigh and visited Barnes and Noble Bookstore. Ethan enjoyed riding up and down the escalator. It was a fun day.


The only down part of the day is that I have a little tickle in my throat...I'm hoping it doesn't turn into anything at all!

Quiet December

Casey and I were talking this morning and realized that we haven't had a December like this in YEARS! Now that classes are done till January (hooray!) everyone's schedule has slowed down...a lot! This week we've enjoyed sleeping in, eating meals together, playing with the boys, and other fun and low key things. It's been really great!
Yesterday we received a Mickey and friends train track that goes around the Christmas tree from Aunt Jeanie (Casey's sister). The boys had fun setting up the track, but we soon realized it wasn't going to fit around our tree. Our tree is small and the track takes up most of our living room. It has been fun to have though! Here's some pictures of it.

Singing...Ethan & Casey

Ethan sang and played in the seminaries kids choir this fall. He really enjoyed it and even learned some new instruments. The kids are invited once a year to sing and play for chapel, so I was there, up front with my little camera to capture a bit of video. Everyone loved this piece where they are playing Indonesian instruments. Enjoy!



Our church had a special dinner on a Sunday evening prior to Thanksgiving. The choir sang a few pieces and then there was a special ensemble of some of the pastors. My video for that didn't turn out well, but here is a photo. From left to right: Stewart (Music Min.), Stephen (Sr. Pastor), Casey (my hunk of a man), and David (Admin. Pastor)

Kid's Night Out

Tonight was Kid's night out at church. The boys had so much fun and Casey and I were able to enjoy a night out together. A special thanks to Heather (our awesome children's minister) and all the folks who came out to watch the kiddos. Casey and I went to dinner at Chef Point Cafe. It is just minutes away from our church and has been featured on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Basically, it's a gas station that's been converted into a five-star eatery...except you can still get gas and groceries too!Here's the website if you want to see the inside: http://www.chefpointcafe.org/
We ordered whatnots for an appetizer (yummy stuffed mushrooms swimming in butter...mmmm). Casey ordered a monte cristo sandwich and I had the chicken scallopini. And, of course we had dessert...their famous bread pudding...it was amazing. And, yes we both brought home at least half if not more than half of our dinners. I wish I would have taken a picture of our food! It was SO GOOD!

One Semester down...

Casey completed his first semester at Seminary! Phew! He started classes in August and here we are in December. Wow! He sang in three choirs and had more performances than I can remember. The highlight was probably singing in Bass Hall in downtown Fort Worth. I couldn't afford to go to those concerts...but it is one of the best places to sing in the nation (so we've been told).
So, for five glorious weeks there are no books, no classes, no concerts, no recitals, no tests, no papers...only work. I think we can manage that!

I am getting into my holiday baking and loving it! Still trying to find the best temperature for cooking in my small oven. It's kind of a guessing game too because most of the numbers are rubbed off the knob until you get to 425 degrees. So far we've made our first batch of pumpkin bread and a new brownie biscotti recipe that is super yum!

Fearless by Max Lucado

Very few people are fearless. Almost everyone has fear and many live life crippled by their fears. In Fearless, Max Lucado identifies many of the fears that plague us today. Do you fear death, disappointing God, not protecting your children? Lucado attempts to address these and many other common fears in this easy to read book. He uses vivid word pictures and stories to communicate and engage the reader. A favorite line from this book is, “Worry is the darkroom where negatives become glossy prints.”

I don’t often read Lucado’s books because I find them often to be only surface deep. The same holds true for this book, however, I really enjoyed reading this book. I will recommend it for anyone who struggles with fear. I have to admit that I identified with many of the chapters. Do I worry about my children’s future? Do I want to lock myself at home to avoid the H1N1 and all other forms of disease and sickness? Not always, but often I get so wrapped up into the latest news of doom and gloom that I have to remind myself that I have a God who is bigger than all those circumstances. Will all your fears be vanquished by reading his book? No, but half the battle is identifying the fears and aligning them with the truth of Scripture. He doesn’t promise miracles but I think he treats the issue of dealing with fears very honestly. One great feature of the book is the study guide at the end. I would actually enjoy reading the book again with a small group.

Light at the end of the tunnel

The semester is just about finished! If you read this, please pray for Casey that he would finish well (and finish all his assignments). It has been a LONG semester and I think we are all ready for a break! He doesn't have classes today, but is working in the afternoon and has a performance of Handel's Messiah that he's singing in tonight. Next week is finals and everything needs to be turned in by Wednesday.