a brief synopsis

It's been too long people! I'm falling behind, I know. I have to leave for work in 30 minutes, but between now and then I'm gonna give you a brief synopsis of happenings here in Texas over the last two weeks.

The week of Halloween we had a pumpkin carving party with our friends. So much fun. Pumpkins, caramel apples, playing cards, and tons of laughing.

Sam almost ran a 5K. But it started pouring down rain about 5 minutes before starting time, so he opted out. Good choice. No pneumonia for us, please.

We took our J-High students to the inner city in South Dallas to put on a fall festival for a community there. It was so fun to watch them learn how to serve in Christ's name, and to see the precious kids dressed up in Halloween costumes and such.

We went on a double date with Canaan & Ami, our life-friends here, to a sleepy little town with a cute square where we had dinner, then hit up a high school football game to hang out with our students for a while. Our fav date night :)

Ami and I have played countless games of spades against Canaan and Sam in the last couple weeks. The girls generally lose, but its probably a good thing because it turns our the boys get pretty feisty when we win occasionally.

We've spent several Fridays looking at houses.. Sam's in the market and will hopefully close on a house at the beginning of the year. Super super exciting!

I have learned/am learning how to quilt. So I've completed one small baby quilt with random fabric not really made for a boy or a girl, and one oblong Christmas quilt that Sam refuses to acknowledge as a blanket because he says its shaped like a table runner haha. It's a work in progress. The next one should be better. I'll let you know.

Sam wrote a big paper, and only has 3 weeks of classes left, praise the Lord. He needs a break from school.

I'm flying solo at work now with no preceptor, and I have friends, so all is right in the world again it seems.

We have been cooking dinner when we aren't on the go, which we love. And while Sam made homemade pizza a few nights ago I sat on a stool in the kitchen and we discussed Romans 9 and a chapter of "Erasing Hell" by Francis Chan. Hard stuff, for sure.

We have made a prayer chart of our families and close friends, and we have started the tradition of praying together daily. I am beyond thankful for a man like Sam who leads me in purity and in making the most of Christ in all areas of our life.

I came to the realization a few days ago that every night when I go to bed I think "Today was the best day ever." And then the next day is always even better than that. We know all of life won't be mountain tops and that we will inevitably go through the valleys, but I honestly believe that even the biggest struggles won't be as big facing them with Sam.

We spent hours sitting in my floor painting canvases together last week. And his is equally as good as mine. This is how I know we are made for each other.

Oh, and last weekend Sam took me to see "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis performed at a theater in Dallas. It was so much fun. I haven't been to a play in years.

Life is crazy, and if someone had told me one year ago that this is where I'd be in November 2013, I would have never believed it in a million years. But His ways are higher than our way, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and His plan is always always always better than anything we could possibly dream up on our own. So thankful every single day that He pursues me and He pursues Sam and He calls us to love each other and the world more perfectly on the daily. Can't wait to see what life holds. Keep up with us as we go :)

Love from Texas!