Thankful Reflection

This was a challenging week.  Joey is in his second week of work in Fort Worth out of six for the summer, and our best "Waco friends" officially moved to Dallas on Monday.  The two combined have made it feel like our life is in transition right now.  With one more year of school left, and the hardest year at that, I have spent a lot of time thinking, and sometimes worrying, about where we will end up and what God has in store for our lives. 

Joey and I are reading The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren together this summer while we are apart, and the thing I keep coming back to is God telling me that life is not on hold because I feel like we are in transition.  We are to live fully where ever we are and in whatever we are doing.  I am such a planner and think so often about the future that sometimes I get too concerned about what is to come and loose sight of being thankful for where I am now.  I like my ability to dream and think ahead, but sometimes I think Satan uses it to distract me from opportunities God is giving me now.  In the book there is a poem by Russell Kelfer that inspired me to focus on the sovereignty of God.

You are who you are for a reason.
You're part of an intricate plan.
You're a precious and perfect unique design,
Called God's special woman or man.

You look like you look for a reason.
Our God made no mistake.
He knit you together within the womb,
You're just what he wanted to make.

The parents you had were the ones he chose,
And no matter how you may feel,
They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind,
And they bear the Master's seal.

No, that trauma you faced was not easy.
And God wept that it hurt you so;
But it was allowed to shape your heart
So that into his likeness you'd grow.

You are who you are for a reason,
You've been formed by the Master's rod.
You are who you are, beloved,
Because there is a God.

So, in effort to focus on the purpose God has for me right here and now, I have challenged myself to focus on the things that remind me how blessed we are.  My goal is to just take it week by week- and sometimes day by day, and to be thankful for the little happy's that God gives me along the way.  It is easy to get overwhelmed with fear of the unknown.  So, in focusing on the little things that I can be thankful for right now, I plan to stay positive and hopefully not miss opportunities He is giving me now.


These are the things I am thankful for this week:
1. Time we got to spend in Brenham on vacation with Joey's mom and sister.
2. Joey took care of as many of the manly house chores that he normally handles as he could before he left on Sunday.
3. Shay Bear sent me an early birthday present in the mail with a sweet note of encouragement.
4. Mom texted and called to check on me a few times. :)  I felt loved.
5. Dancing with the Stars finals was on Monday and Tuesday and Hines & Kym won!
6. Season premier of the Bachelorette was on Monday night!
7. Text messages this week from Megan letting me know she already misses me and is excited about us visiting this weekend.
8. The book I'm reading right now, The Rainmaker by John Grisham, got really good!
9. A productive week at work and a job that I enjoy and challenges me to grow.
10. I got to spend a lot of time with Harley after work this week, and I am very thankful that she is part of our family.
11. This is a long weekend for Memorial Day.  I am leaving tonight to be in Dallas Friday through Monday to spend time with my hubby, grandparents, and friends!  Yay for long weekends! 

Hope your holiday weekend is filled with a chance to relax and spend time with family and friends!

DWTS Finals

Tonight was Part 1 of the Dancing With the Stars finals, and I am finally decided!  I have really had a hard time ranking my top three.  They are all so different, so it's been hard.  I like all three of the stars that made it to the finals, but Hines and Kym have risen to the top as my favorite!  I just love the energy and genuineness they always bring, and their free-style dance tonight was really fun!  The judges have Hines & Kym and Chelsie & Mark tied at first, so the viewer votes will determine the winner.  All my votes went to Hines.  The results are on tomorrow night, so we'll see!

Weekend in Brenham

We enjoyed a fun little get-away to Brenham, Texas this weekend with Momma Hance and Jennifer.  Carol planned this weekend vacation for us to all get away and relax together a few months ago, and it was fabulous!  She rented the cutest country house for us all to stay in right outside of Brenham.  It had all the personal touches of southern hospitality that made it a really neat place to stay.  They even stocked the refrigerator with breakfast fixings before we got there including these homemade Pecan Pie Muffins that were very yummy!  See the recipe below.  Scenic Hill Vacations has many cabins that they rent out to guests.  We stayed at The Farmhouse.  See pictures of the cute house here.  It was the perfect place for a family vaction.

We all arrived on Friday afternoon, and after exploring and doting about the house we went to dinner at BT Longhorn Saloon & Steakhouse in downtown Brenham.  Yum!  Then we went to the movie theatre to see the new Pirates of the Carribean movie that just came out.  We finished off our first day of vacation enjoying a glass of wine on the porch at our house.  I'm feeling relaxed just thinking about it!

Saturday morning we slept in, had breakfast, and headed to downtown Brenham to enjoy local shopping.  We had lunch at a cute diner called "Must be Heaven", and it certainly was heavenly!  Great sandwiches and homemade pie... We left there a few pounds heavier for sure, but it was well worth it!  We shopped a little more and then went to the local "Pleasant Hill Winery" for a tour and tasting.  This was my first visit to a winery so I enjoyed it.  Then we went back to the house and enjoyed a few hours of reading in the hammock out front and playing games.  This place had several perfect spots for kicking back with a good book, but was also stocked with every game you could want to play which made it perfect because Joey doesn't sit still very well on vacation, and I love to get lost in a good book with beautiful senery surrounding me.  That night we headed back into town for dinner at this amazing little Italian place called "Volare".  To say that we ate well on this trip would be an understatemnt.  The night ended with an air hockey tournament back at the house that got a little rowdy to say the least.  Hance's are competitive in case you didn't know!

On our last day in Brenham we made it to a few of the little stores we didn't get to the day before and enjoyed another good meal at the "Bread Basket Cafe".  I decided to buy a antique trunk that we had spotted the day before on sale for only $25. 

It has a lot of character and is a perfect momento from our great weekend.  We brought it home and found a newspaper in it from Missouri dated in 1973.  How cool!  We ended the day with another visit to "Must be Heaven" for one last sweet treat before we packed up and hit the road.

Thank you, Momma Hance, for an amazing weekend!  We enjoyed it very much and loved spending time all together.

Jennifer, Joey, Me, and Carol

Pecan Pie Muffins

recipe courtesy of Scenic Hill Vacations

2 eggs

1 1/2 sticks of melted butter

1/2 cup of flour

1 cup of chopped pecans

1 cup of light brown sugar

Mix together sugar, pecans, and flour.  Blend the butter and eggs, then add to the dry ingredients.  Use a mini muffin cup pan.  Grease and flour each cup, and then add the batter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

A Bittersweet Week

This is the Roush's last week before they move to Dallas and start a new journey with a church in Coppell.  We have known they would be leaving for several months, but I can't believe the time has come.  Joey and I love the Roush's and count Rich and Megan as some of our closest friends.  Our friendship began about 2 years ago when we met in the same premarital education class.  From the beginning we shared many things in common preparing for summer weddings, being newly weds, Joey and Rich being in school, and Megan and I both working for non-profits.  Not only could we relate to being at similar stages in life, but quickly learned we watch several of the same shows on tv, were both getting high-energy puppies that have since become best friends, and attend the same church in Waco where we became part of a newly wed Sunday School class together .  Our time spent together with the Roush's has been marked with so many great memories.  Though they will be in another city, I know we will remain close friends. 

Megan and I have had to take turns reminding each other to focus on God's goodness through this transition.  The decision to move and begin this new journey of ministry has God's handiwork apparent all over it.  I know the Rosh's will do amazing things in their new community, and I look forward to hearing about the lives they touch.  I look foward to our continued friendship, though it may look a little differenly than watching The Bachelor together every Monday night and Grey's Anatomy on Thursdays, and letting the dogs play together on nights when they have way too much energy for us to handle.  We may not take turns cooking for each other every week or get to go on double dates quite as often, but you can bet our cars are going to have a few extra miles on them and our phones are going to get a little more use because our friendship will continue.  We are so blessed to know Rich and Megan and look forward to many more memories in the future.

First Kiss

This is too funny! I think mom and dad have a little player on their hands... I saw this on Good Morning America this morning and had to share.

The Last 5 Dancing

Dancing with the Stars is what I look forward to on Monday nights.  I love the live music, the great costumes, the lights, the excitement and sometimes drama of a live show, and the overall energy. The judges are of course also a big part of the entertainment on this show.  Though Joey does not watch the show with me, he even laughs at the boisterous comments from Bruno when he sees bits in passing.  I love Carrie Ann's honesty and the way she emotionally connects to the story of many of the dances.  Len is usually very fair despite his super traditional preferences in choreography, and his British accent just makes him  fun to listen to.

 This season did not have me as excited as others have when it comes to the celebrities that would be dancing, but I have come to love the Final Five.

Chelsea Kane & Mark Ballas

Chelsea has been one of my favorites from the beginning.  I didn't know who she was before the show, but she is a star from the Disney Channel.  I think she is just so cute, and the routines that Mark choreographs for them are always really creative.  He definitely thinks outside of the box and their edgy performances never fail to entertain, but have sometimes gotten them flack from the judges.  I am rooting for Chelsea and Mark to go all the way!

Kirstie Alley & Maksim Chmerkovskiy

Who doesn't love Kirstie?  She is hilarious!  I love watching the segments from her and Max's week of practice.  She is definitely motivated and works hard, but she can laugh at herself which is totally refreshing.  She and Max have had a few mishaps during live performances, but the way Kirstie deals with them make her a winner.  She cracks me up and I am rooting for her to stay around!

Romeo & Chelsie Hightower

Romeo is known for his swagger that he brings to the dance floor.  Even in technical ballroom dances he finds ways to make it his own and let his personality shine through.  I think that is what makes viewers love him.  He is young, but works hard and always has fun.

Ralph Macchio & Karina Smirnoff

Ralph is one that I did not recognize when the show started.  His claim to fame is his role as the original Karate Kid.  He is now a dad in his forties and doesn't look like much to worry about in this competition, but has been on the top a couple of weeks in this season.  He works hard and has great technique.  He is an actor, so most of the time his performances are good too.  We'll see how far it can take him!

Hines Ward & Kym Johnson

Hines and Kym are both so cute!  Hines is a football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers and has a surprising gracefulness on the dance floor.  I think of professional football players as intimidating and rough, but Hines is the opposite of that on this show.  He always looks like he is having fun and his smile lights up their performances.  He is a hard worker too.  More than once there have been clips of him practicing his steps at home in the evening with a pillow as his dance partner.  Hines just seems like a nice and genuine guy.  I am definitely rooting for Hines and Kym!

So, the top three that I would love to see in the finals in a couple of weeks.... Chelsea, Hines, and Kirstie.  We'll see!  I am off to see how they do tonight....