Day 152 - A Wish on a Stem

I can't tell you... or it won't come true! :)

Day 151 - French Toast

As my friend Shelby would say, YUM-O! We found our favorite secret ingredient, too - orange zest! So tasty!

Day 150 - Blizzards

Day 150. This seems like a milestone or something. I figured I'd better have something good for today. What qualifies as good?  How 'bout something chocolatey. Something filled with pieces of brownie. Something cold on a warm day. Something to share with my best friend. Put that all together, and you get a Blizzard - a Chocolate Xtreme Blizzard, in fact! Mmm mmm, good!

Day 149 - Grandma and Milestones

Today was my grandma's 90th birthday; although if you ask her, she'll tell you she stopped having birthdays years ago! :) I'm so glad we were able to be back in time to celebrate with her! Below is my little cousin who made and decorated Grandma's cake! It was super yummy!

Day 148 - Weddings

Tonight we had the privilege of going to a wedding of two people I've known since we were all kids. Unfortunately, I left my camera card in my computer (bad habit of mine!), so this had to be taken after I got home. But that's ok! It was great to be there to celebrate with these friends and catch up with a bunch of people I hadn't seen in awhile!

Day 147 - Adventures in Odyssey

I grew up listening to Adventures in Odyssey.I fell in love with Whit, Connie, Eugene, and the rest of the crew at an early age! I still love Odyssey, and I'm so grateful for these and how they kept me sane on our recent 21 hour drive from Dallas to Ohio. I love the Biblical worldview they stand for, and the stories are enjoyable (even if a bit corny at times). I always wished Whit's End was a real place. I know I would have frequented it often!

Day 146 - Fazoli's

Mmm... fast food Italian!

We love Fazoli's, especially their breadsticks! It's nice visiting some of our old favorites that we didn't have in Dallas. I meant to take a picture of the food, but I forgot until all that was left was the breadstick wrapper. So I took a picture of that! Gotta love those breadsticks!

Day 145 - Cassano's Pizza

A Dayton Classic: Cassano's Pizza! The crust is salted, which makes it ever so delicious! And I LOVE the little "table" that keeps the box from sinking in on the pizza. I used to save those and play with them as a kid! I was pretty stoked to open my box and see one sitting there! Thanks for the pizza, Dad!

Day 144 - The Library

Today I got a new library card for Centerville library! This is the library I went as a kid and all my years growing up in Ohio. LOVE this library! So many great memories here. We checked out Sherlock Holmes to watch with my dad tomorrow and Moneyball to watch ourselves. Good stuff!

Day 143 - Marble Cake

Marble cake is the staple cake in our home. Birthdays always meant a marble bundt cake, often topped with colored sprinkles. Today's wasn't for a special reason - just cuz mom loves us :)

Day 142 - Turtles

I don't know why I like turtles so much, but I do! We'll be walking along a pond, and all of the sudden, "Look! A TURTLE!" They're just fun to watch! I enjoyed watching a bunch of turtles, including this one, at Cox Arboretum. They were loving basking in the sun on their rocks.

Day 141 - Bluebirds

Bluebirds in the backyard.

Love.

Day 140 - Sunny

My best four-legged friend - Sunny :)

She's a loyal companion. A MAJOR mooch. An unconditional lover. And she can be stubborn and sneaky.

And I love her.

Sunny came into my life when she was six weeks old. It was July of 1998, and I was eleven years old. She's almost fourteen now, and although she definitely shows signs of age, she still has some of her hilarious puppy tendencies in her. So thankful for this sweet dog and all of the fun we have together.

P.S. This picture was from today when I had one of her treasured beef treats in my hand and she was barking at me to give it to her! I tell ya, this dog is majorly motivated by her stomach!

Day 139 - Warm Towels

There is something so comforting and cozy about warm towels right out of the dryer. Love.

Day 138 - We're Here!

Well it took us 21 hours on the road (including gas and eating breaks). But we made it.

We're exhausted. But we made it.

Thankful to be done driving!

Day 137 - Moving Day

After what seemed like a lifetime of cleaning, we finally headed out of Dallas. And let me just say, loading a car on a tow dolly is kind of crazy scary. But we made it. Thankful for move day!

Day 136 - Our Last Night in Texas

It's here. Our last night in Texas. I am thankful for it, but I'm also sad. So many people. So many memories. But I'm thankful because so much lies ahead of us. I'm excited. Terrified. And pretty much everything in between.

I know the sunset has made its way on to this blog before, but I couldn't resist this picture for tonight. As the sun sets on this chapter of our lives, a new chapter begins tomorrow with the sunrise.

So for the last time...

Goodnight, Texas.

Day 135 - Lilypads

Simple beauty.

Day 134 - Northwest Bible Church

Within two months of getting married, we checked out Northwest Bible Church. We never tried another church.

This church has come to mean so much to me. I love the people. I love the services. I love the small groups. I love the music. I love how God has used all of this church to grow me and make me more like Christ.

So many people have made such a difference in my life from this church. I wish I could list them all and give them a huge thank you. Everyone in my small groups and women's Bible studies, people who sat around us in the service, the community group we babysat for, our worship team, and our pastor, Neil. You've all shown me such great love and support. I can't wait to spend eternity with you!

Day 133 - Roy Graduated!!!

Today was the big day! I'm so proud of you, Roy! I love you so much!

Day 132 - Commencement Chapel

Today was the commencement chapel for DTS. It was a wonderful service with great music and a compelling message. This picture is of Roy and his friend, David. They've known each other almost their whole time at DTS. Had a great day and looking forward to graduation tomorrow!

Day 131 - Chihuly

Today we went to the Dallas Arboretum. Roy's parents just arrived for graduation this weekend, and we thought the arboretum might be a nice place to spend the afternoon. They have a wonderful art installation in right now - Chihuly. We loved all the unique designs!

Day 130 - Last Day of Work

Today was my last day of work at Presbyterian Village North. Bittersweet. I've loved this team. I've grown so much during my time there. I've made some new friends. Some of them aren't around anymore. Some of them won't know I'm gone tomorrow. Some of them I'll never see again in this life. That's tough. I'll miss those residents so much. They've become almost like a family to me. I love them dearly.

And my coworkers... what a blessing. They took me out to lunch and gave me a sweet and helpful gift! I'm so blessed. I love you all. Thank you guys for everything.

And here's a glimpse of the yummyness that was my lunch!!! Love me some Scotty P's!

Day 129 - Cards from Roy

I came home today to find an envelope on the bed with my name on it. Roy had gotten a sweet card and added a sweet note inside. That kind of gift is definitely one of my top love languages! It meant so much, and I will read it and reread it again and again. I love that he doesn't just buy a card with a good note, but he adds his own great message as well. That means more to me anyway.

So tonight I'm definitely grateful for cards from Roy.

And I love his cute hand-drawn forever stamp.

Because our love will last forever :)

Day 128 - Finals Week Fun!

One thing fun about being in school (or being married to someone who is!) is the finals week fun. In our apartment, they do an ice cream night the Monday of finals week. We bring the spoons and bowls. They bring the ice cream and toppings! So fun! I had some yummy Neapolitan ice cream along with chocolate chips and chocolate sauce. Obviously I enjoyed it! It's even better when the studying is over for Roy, and we just get to enjoy some free ice cream!

Day 127 - Celebrations of Life

Today I went to a Celebration of Life for one of my best friends. Betty and I met in October of 2010 when she came to my nursing facility. I had only been there about a month and a half. We became fast friends. She couldn't always remember my name, but we had our own inside jokes. I helped her out with things she couldn't do, and she could make me smile even during the difficult days. She was hilariously stubborn and brought great joy to my life each day. Even though her vision wasn't very good, she knew what she saw... or thought she saw! One day when she was talking about how people looked, I asked her what I look like. "Eternal smile," was her response. That encouraged me that even if she can't make everything out, she sees my smile and knows that I love her through that. 

I feel like God put Betty and I together for this year and a half. I'm so grateful for that. She's taught me how to love the "least of these," those who really can't give you much back. All Betty could give me was her smile, her laughter, and her hugs. And that was more than enough for me.

This is a picture of us last September during our annual "Dinner at the Ritz." It's a picture I'll always treasure.

Day 126 - Graduation Party!

While I didn't take this picture myself, I had to post it for today! I put together a graduation party for Roy this evening. We invited friends from our time here at DTS. Friends from church. School. Work. It was such a blessing to see many of our friends together in one place at one time. God has truly blessed us with some amazing friends during our time here.

It was such a blessing to get to celebrate my husband and all the work he's done as well. I am sooo proud of him! I am so thankful for a time to celebrate with people we love.

Day 125 - Taco Bell

I hadn't been to Taco Bell this year until today. We needed a quick dinner, we kind of wanted to get out, and we didn't want to spend much. So, Taco Bell!

I love Taco Bell. Bean burrito and tostada were on the menu for tonight. YUM!

Day 124 - Spices

I really enjoy cooking, which means I am very thankful for spices! They add so much character to a dish!

Day 123 - The Frumpy Couch

Roy bought our couch when we were still engaged, me living in Ohio and him down here in Texas. I was never in love with the couch, but for the price, it's been a great couch during our time in seminary. I dubbed it, "The Frumpy Couch." And it was. Quite. But that's ok. It was our first couch.

Today it left our home to go to a new home. Thanks for the fun, Frumpy Couch.

Day 122 - Kids We Babysit

Tonight we were able to spend the evening with a family that we love. The mom and I were in Bible study together my first semester here in Dallas. We started watching their kids, as well as the kids in their community group, every other week while the parents meet.We have grown to love all of these kiddos!

With these two, we've gone through a lot in just a few years. Diapers. Trying to get one to sleep in her crib after what seemed like hours of rocking. Potty training. Ballet classes. Preschool and kindergarten. Questions about life and God. It's such a blessing to be a part of their lives, and it's crazy to think of how much they've grown up in such a short time!

I'm so grateful for all of the kids we've been able to love on during our time here. And for K&C, I hope you know that Roy and I will always love you!!! Thanks for loving us!