Somewhere in Between

Baby Laughs

2012-01-30T22:55:00.000-06:00

Such a sweet moment to witness between Graham and his daddy. So glad we caught it on video!

What a difference a year makes

2012-01-24T14:30:00.000-06:00

What a difference a year makes! This very day last year I was in Abilene for Presidential Scholar interviews. I had been there all weekend staying with our good friends David and Amanda Pittman. I had driven in Thursday evening, did interviews on Friday, hung out with them during the weekend and had to do interviews again on Monday before coming home. Clint and I had been "trying" for some time at this point and I knew my cycle pretty well. It was to come that weekend and by Sunday when it hadn't shown up yet, I knew good news was coming!

I had to wake up pretty early for the scholarship interviews. I remember waking up extra early though so I could take the pregnancy test. It was about 5:30 in the morning or so. I hopped out of bed, went straight to their bathroom and peed on the little stick. I sat it down on the counter and just sat there with my eyes closed for a second.....sure enough when I had opened my eyes it said PREGNANT!

I remember that I immediately started shaking. What do I do now, I kept asking myself? Do I call Clint and wake him up? Do I go get David and Amanda? Can I bend over? My head was spinning. I calmed down just a bit, prayed a lengthy prayer for the coming minutes, hours, days, moths, years and pretty much the rest of my lifetime. Then, I got in the shower just as if nothing had happened. I still had to go to work and act like nothing was up.

I got to work that morning and remember the anytime I was talking to someone I just kept thinking....I'm pregnant, and you don't even know! Who knows what any presidential kid said to me in their interviews that day! I remember walking out of one interview thinking....poor kid, I have no clue if he answered any of the questions...I'll just give him a good score anyway! HaHa.

At this point, I had to tell SOMEONE! But I knew I wanted to tell Clint in person. So, I walk upstairs to David's office. I sit down in his chair, close the door and ask to talk to him. This happened a lot when we both lived in Abilene so it was nothing new. I said....."David, say Amanda is out of town staying with her best friends. She thinks something is up so she decides to take a pregnancy test early that morning at their house. Then, it's positive. Would you want her to call you before she gets home that night or wait to tell you in person?"

David sits there for a second and says...."Well, in person would always be cool....umm...wait...this isn't hypothetical is it?" NOPE! We then proceed to laugh and cry and all at the same time. He convinces me that in person later that night would be the best way to tell Clint. I'm still a little sad that Clint wasn't the first person to know, but I couldn't go the next 8 hours without telling anyone!!!

So, I go throughout the day with my head in the clouds. I have no clue how I made the 2 1/2 hour drive home that day. When I got home, Clint had the house picked up and was ready to watch TV with me on the couch. I get in my comfy clothes and we sit down ready to watch TV. I say to him...."What was the best part of your weekend away from me?" He said..."The moment you came through the door just now...."

He's precious.

At this point I was ready for him to ask me the same question....but...he wasn't picking it up. I say, "Aren't you going to ask me?" Oh yeah.....so I draw it out.....I said, "Seeing the Pittmans is always good, reconnecting with my students is always fun, and then this morning I took this and it told me we're pregnant!!!!

I pulled the test out from under my shirt and he just stared at me with a blank face. He immediately leaped off the couch, put his hands on his head and stood with his back to me for about a minute. At this point, I was thinking he was mad at me for not telling him all day....in fact, I had actually told him that my cycle had started when we were on the phone earlier!

But as soon as he turned around, tears were streaming down his face and he kept saying....are you sure? You're positive? Do you have another test so I can see it? I did have another test so I took it right in front of him. Again....PREGNANT!

We sat on the couch for the next few hours just crying, laughing, praying, and then doing all of that all over again. It was one of the best days of our lives. We were blessed then and we are even more blessed now. What a fun day that was and a fun secret to keep for a few weeks until we knew everything checked out ok.

Now, we have the most precious 4 month old that anyone could ask for. He's talking, laughing, smiling and has the sweetest disposition of any baby I've ever known. January 24th is a day to remember!

Back to work

2012-01-10T14:00:00.000-06:00

Well, the day came and went...the day I went back to work. Having those 15 weeks off to get to know Graham were simply amazing. I'm so blessed that I was allowed 12 weeks maternity leave and then got an extra few due to the holidays being in there. But, back to reality now. Our schedule really isn't that bad, I have to keep telling myself that. Clint's off on Mondays so he takes care of G while I work. Then G goes to a sitter on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12-4. Last Thursday was our first time to drop him off. I was a mess, but luckily had meetings all day to keep my mind off of it. Today was the 2nd day I dropped him off and I was completely fine. He's in good hands, sweet hands, the perfect person for our family! I prayed and prayed for this situation and I'm so blessed that it worked out just perfectly. Look at cute little G before church on Sunday. I can't get enough of him!

This is cousin Owen and Graham during Christmas. Such cute boys, Owen will be 2 in March.

I sat G up by himself the other day. This lasted a whole half of a second, but it was worth a shot.


And here's my little man today right before I took him to Miss Brenda. What a cutie.

So, I give kudos to all you working moms out there. It's tough leaving those little ones with someone else. But I will say it's been good to use my adult brain again!

I've been doing some research about the next car seat for Graham. What do you other experienced moms like? He's about 16 pounds now so I don't think he'll last too much longer in his infant car seat and I want to be prepared with a new one when he's ready. So, opinions please!

Christmas Recap

2012-01-02T15:15:00.000-06:00

Christmas was much more fun this year with Graham in our lives. It's disappointing that he didn't get ANY presents from his grandparents...huge sarcasm there! We're definitely going to have to invest in some sort of chest or toy box soon due to all the gifts he received. We had a blessed time in Altus and Amarillo this year with both of our families. It was so fun to spend the holiday with Graham. Here are a few pics of our week and a half holiday!

ReeRees with Graham and Caroline in their Christmas attire.

Daddy and Graham after his Christmas morning sermon.

Pop and Caroline and Graham in their matching Christmas pjs.

My grandmother with her 3 great grand kids; Caroline, Sadie and Graham. Such a sweet picture.

Over the holidays, Graham turned 3 months. It's crazy how time flies! He's such a big and happy boy. He weighs about 16 pounds right now and is probably about 25 inches long, he's definitely going to take after his daddy! He's sleeping at least 5-6 hours at night, wakes up for a feeding and then goes right back to sleep. He's awake and ready to play by 7:30 usually. He takes short naps in the mornings, but usually takes a long nap in the afternoon.

He loves his musical play mat that he got for Christmas. He kicks at the piano and swings his hands at the toys usually for a good 20 minutes in the mornings. We've put him in his jumper a few times and I know he'll love that soon. He's definitely found his voice and will coo and coo at you when he's in a good mood. His smile will melt your heart into a million pieces. He's such a happy baby. He really only cries when he's hungry or fighting sleep.

He's grabbing at toys and LOVES his hands. They are constantly in his mouth. If the TV is on, then he's watching it....I'm not a huge fan of this, but it's funny to watch how mesmerized he gets at all the movement on the screen.

See, just look at that smile! He's wearing size 2 diapers and takes infant formula. He usually eats about every 2-3 hours during the day. We pulled out some baby pictures of Clint over the holidays and he definitely looks like his daddy. I'm ok with that :).

I'm headed back to work this week. I was so blessed to take the entire fall semester off to stay home with Graham. I cherished that time. We have a lady from church who is going to watch him 2 afternoons a week so I can concentrate on work then the other times he'll work with me from home! Again, so blessed.

He got this mobile for Christmas. I was against mobiles when he was first born, I basically didn't like how it looked in his room....but opinions change when you see how much he likes it! All in all, we're one happy family. I can't imagine life any other way. Blessings in 2012!

Christmas Cards

2011-12-14T14:44:00.000-06:00

Our first family Christmas card! Our photographer took some pictures of Graham and made our cute cards for us. I LOVE how they turned out. Merry Christmas from the Burns!

Graham's new trick!

2011-12-09T15:05:00.000-06:00

Picture Post

2011-11-29T17:16:00.000-06:00

We had a great Thanksgiving in OKC...lots of food, family, shopping and of course, pictures of sweet Graham. Here are a few of my favorites over the last few days. Before Graham was born, I had 336 pictures in my i-phone (all compiled over 3 years). Today, I've got 640 and that doesn't include the probably 100 that I deleted since they were duplicates or he was making a weird face...a little obsessed? YES!

Graham's first Thanksgiving!

My cute little niece, Caroline. I taught her how to make funny faces and she makes them all the time now!

We took some Christmas card pictures and here's the sneak peak!

Graham met Santa...most precious picture ever!

A little fun in Pottery Barn kids.

Graham has found his hands and is self soothing...so cute!

Our first 2 months

2011-11-22T18:55:00.000-06:00

I've been debating and thinking about this post for sometime now. I'm really not sure if I want to put every thing out there for the world to read, but I do want to remember this time and I want to reach out to other new moms who may go through a similar experience. So here goes...

Soon after Clint, Graham and I got home from the hospital I knew something wasn't right. I had read and heard about the so called baby blues and I was convinced that's what I was suffering from. Luckily, my mom was there to help me through each day and really took the lead taking care of Graham. I remember being extremely anxious to be alone with Graham and would cry (a lot) out of no where. We first took Graham to church on a Wednesday night a week after he was born. What an overwhelming experience! Of course everyone wanted to see him and look at him and ask me a million questions...I knew that would happen. But I had no clue that I would totally freak out as soon as I got in the car. Again, luckily my mom and Clint were right by my side and told me to go rest until Graham needed to eat. I went to bed that night knowing this was more than the baby blues, but not sure what to do about it. At this point, I was hoping I would just feel normal again soon.

The next few days were ok. I wasn't feeling connected with Graham though. I fed him, I held him, I played with him all because I had to, not because I wanted to. Many times I felt like I had ruined my life because I had a child now. My desire to control my life had gone out the window....forever. It was completely confusing to me because I had always wanted to be a mom, Clint and I had prayed for a child for a while, so why was I feeling the complete opposite of myself?

This lack of connection soon became extreme anxiety, vomiting, and feeling hopeless much of the time. I remember telling Clint...I'm sorry you're having to live with me right now, your life would be much better without me." That's when we reached out. We talked to the doctor, did some research and got on medication. I was definitely suffering from more than just the baby blues....postpartum is real and I WISH I had known more about it going into this time. I'd heard about it, but always passed it off like it wouldn't happen to me.

So, where are we today? Praise the Lord that He was with us the entire time. He provided my mom and mother in law to be there for me just when I needed it. And praise HIM for medication and doctors who knew to ask me how I was feeling...not just how Graham was doing. It took a few weeks, but I finally feel normal and feel like Kat again. I LOVE Graham with everything I have and seriously cannot get enough of him now....it just took me a while.

I'm so thankful for Clint during this time. He didn't quite understand what I was going through for those few weeks, but he stood by me and was always a phone call away...and I called a lot! So, I don't want a pity party for myself, but rather want other new moms out there to know that postpartum is real, it can happen to you, and if it does, it's ok. Reach out, talk to doctors, get a support system, take medication and you'll feel like yourself soon. And you're not a bad mom nor a bad person.

Graham just celebrated his 2 month birthday and what a cutie pie he is. My life is definitely not ruined because of him, it's much richer now, it's much different now and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Oh the faces!

2011-11-19T18:18:00.000-06:00

Life with Graham is so rich. Every time I look at him I cannot get over how stinkin cute he is. For the past few weeks, we've been snuggling on the couch for most mornings. It's my most favorite part of every day. That time is so precious because I know one day he'll be wanting to snuggle with someone else.

Anyway, a few weeks ago I was snapping pictures of Graham and these turned out hilarious. These were right in a row...he must have had some gas or something, but they are quite funny!

First just his sweet face...

Whoa, that's gotta be gas!

Mom, why are you taking pictures of me still?

Seriously, still taking pictures? How bout this face!

Here's my scared face...did you get it?

LOVE love love my precious boy!

Graham's Surgery

2011-11-09T18:44:00.000-06:00

The past 7 weeks have been a wild ride for us in the Burns home. The first 4 weeks of Graham's life were a difficult adjustment for me. Like I said in my last post, maybe I'll write more about that later, but the 4th and 5th week of Graham's life were CRAZY!

One Saturday night, Clint and I had just put Graham down and were about to get in bed...at 8:30! Haha. Clint luckily heard Graham spit up in his crib over the monitor. We went in there and he was covered in spit up...we're talking A LOT of spit up. We gave him a quick bath and back to bed it was...thinking little of it. The next few days Graham started spitting up a lot more, in fact it was more like vomit. So, I called the doctor on Tuesday and they told me to put him on soy formula. We immediately went and got some soy and that didn't help at all! It just made the vomit chunky and smell even worse. He had a few good days and then it started back up again and this time it was projectile! Gross!

We had a splash zone set up in the living room...that was the only place you could burp him so just in case he did vomit (which he was doing every feeding by now) then the beach towels would catch it and you'd be safe. It got so bad that Clint and I would actually undress Graham and pretty much ourselves before any feeding. At times it was quite humorous. Here's a pic of the aftermath....

I was asking all sorts of people what to do. Some said...oh babies spit up, it's no problem. Some told me to feed him less, some told me to keep him up right when we were feeding, but NOTHING was working. So, I called the doctor again on Friday but everyone was gone for the afternoon. Luckily, Lauren and Scott (Clint's sis and bro-in-law) were coming for a visit and they are both residents at OU medical. Lauren is a pediatrician so we had them check Graham out. At first they weren't that worried, but when they were able to see the projectile vomit after just one ounce of formula they knew something was wrong too. So, they suggested on Saturday that we take Graham to OU medical. Altus hospitals couldn't do anything for us our doctor was out of town and they'd send us to OU anyway if something was really wrong. So we bypassed Altus and headed to OU on Saturday.

Lucky for us we had those connections. We were in the ER a total of about 30 minutes when they diagnosed Graham with pyloric stenosis, exactly what Lauren and Scott thought it was. Basically, food was not reaching Graham's small intestine. It was all staying in his stomach so he had to vomit it up. It was heart wrenching to know that he'd have to have surgery, but we were so thankful to have an answer. They would just go in and cut that muscle so that food could pass through it.

They checked us in to the hospital and gave Graham an IV...poor baby! We couldn't feed him all night because they wanted his stomach empty for surgery. That night wasn't as bad as I thought. My mom came up and stayed the night in the hospital with Graham and me. Together we got through it! Doesn't he look so sweet post surgery?!?!

Then surgery was at 8am on Sunday morning. Handing my 5 week old over to the doctors was the HARDEST thing I've ever had to do. They don't know him, they don't know his cries or his personality....and they are about to put him under. Heart wrenching for this new momma. But, surgery took about 30 minutes and then it took him another 30 minutes or so to wake up and we were back with him in no time. Everything went so well and he's just got 3 little scars now.

I was so thankful that everything fell right into place. Thankful that Scott and Lauren came when they did, thankful that my parents were just coming for dinner that night so they could be there with us, thankful for the connections at the hospital and so thankful that the Lord had his hand in it all. If your 5 week old has to have surgery, this is the way to do it.

So now Graham is SOOO much better. He keeps feedings down, is awake so much more and is making poopy diapers just as he should. (He didn't make one for 4 days!) So there ya have it....my precious Graham is a champ and we're so blessed that he's better. Thanks for praying and being a part of our little guys life!

Back to blogging....with a BABY!

2011-10-24T16:42:00.001-05:00

Who knew that that last post would actually be my last one before Graham was born?!?! I never imagined that it really would be, but God had a different plan. The past month has been a roller coaster of emotions....some good, some bad, but all blessed. Perhaps one day I'll go into everything that has happened in the last month, but for now, I'll introduce our sweet little boy and journal his birth story.

Almost 2 hours after I wrote my last post my water broke. I had gone to lunch with Clint and our church secretary that day. She had mentioned that she thought I had dropped some, but I passed it off without much concern. I got home and took this picture of myself and sent it to my mom. She agreed that I had dropped, but I still thought we'd induce on Sunday....I still had plenty of time to get a mani/pedi, clean my house, finish the last of the packing etc. Little did I know....

After I blogged, I went out and was working in our flower beds. I cut back lots of plants and was doing a lot of bending over (I should have known). I swept the porch and then it was time to get a little bit of work done. I sat down at my computer around 4pm to start making some phone calls. I remember getting a little hungry so about 4:30 I got up to get a snack when it happened. I walked into the kitchen and thought....OMG, this isn't pee! I ran to the bathroom and just sat there for a second and immediately called Clint. Freaking out, I said, "Clint, I think my water just broke!!!" I was crying at this point and literally freaking out....whose water breaks these days? Doesn't everyone get induced!?!? So in pure calm Clint fashion, he said....ok, I'll come home, why don't you call the doctor. So....I did what every girl would do, I called my mom! By this time I was crying hysterically and could barely get the words out to her. She, like Clint, told me to call the doctor. So, finally, I control myself enough to call labor and delivery. They tell me to put a pad on and if I filled it up within 30 minutes then to come to the hospital.....well, I had that thing filled in 5 minutes!

Clint (calm as a cucumber) comes home and packs his bag. I frantically run around the house throwing last minute items into bags. This maybe too much for some, but I think it's funny now....when Clint came home, I was still in the bathroom. I was just in so much shock that I couldn't move. Murphy, our dog, was licking up my water off the bathroom floor! Disgusting, I know....but maybe a little funny???

Anyway, we finally get our bags packed and make the 45 minute drive to the hospital. It was surprisingly calm and went by rather quickly. We got me checked in and I was dilated to a 1 and 80% effaced. I was having contractions about 4 minutes apart, but couldn't feel a thing. We got all settled into labor and delivery and nothing much happened until early that next morning. All of our families got there and I got to see everyone while I was still feeling good. I'm not sure exactly what time it was, but I started feeling contractions sometime in the early morning hours. I got 2 doses of pain meds through the IV and then finally somewhere between 11am and noon I got the epidural. That thing was AWESOME! I was able to sleep about 2 hours before I started pushing and was so thankful for that. About 2pm a nurse came in to check me and she said, "You're at a 9.5." I remember thinking to myself....wait, a 9.5, that means pushing soon....no no no, let's go back to a 7!

So, they sat me up and got me into pushing position. They wanted me to sit there for a bit to get Graham moving down a bit more. As I was sitting up, I was bossing Clint around so much! My OCD came out because I was telling him to straighten this and pick up that. I even remember telling him to straighten the blinds in the room....if I was about to push out a baby, I wanted everything in my vision to be perfect! HA.

So, doctor comes in and coaches me on what's about to happen. I'm still not believing that I'm about to be a momma! After my first push, the doctor leaves and it's just me, Clint and two nurses for most of the time. During the pushing process, I actually kept a sense of humor. I remember joking with Clint and the nurses the whole time. They found out Clint was a preacher and at one point were asking him why the CofC doesn't use instruments...I was thinking....really, we have to talk about this right NOW?

About 4:30, after an hour and a half of pushing, the doctor comes back in so I knew we were close. I pushed a few more times with him in there and then he told us that Graham had a head full of blonde hair! The doctor said, "one more push and he'll be here." I remember thinking....oh gosh, what if he's not here in that one push, what if I let the doctor down? Haha

So, at 4:44pm on September 21st, this little angel was born. He weighed 7 pounds 15 oz and was 20 inches long. Such a gift from the Lord.

Graham's Nursery

2011-09-20T13:40:00.000-05:00

Well, Graham's nursery is all DONE! We just need him in it! I love how it turned out and I find myself just looking in there every day to make sure it's still perfect. My mom came in this weekend to help put the final touches on it and help with several other things. Thanks, mom! She put the stroller and pack n play together, hung the sweet valance (that she made), put the car seat in the car and lots of other little things. Baby Graham is blessed to have her...I am too!

So here's the big reveal of the nursery, my new favorite room in the house.

I just love the colors. I never wanted to have a blue baby room. Nothing against it, they just aren't me. So when I saw this bedding online I knew that I would love the orange, brown and green look. I love his bedding and that cute valance!

Pretty simple changing table/dresser. I know it's probably stupid of me to put a mirror right above his changing pad. We'll see how many times I'm having to clean that before it gets moved!

This is probably my favorite part of his room. That chair is super comfy and I know I'll spend a lot of time in it rocking the sweet boy. Most of the frames on the wall are filled with maternity pictures and a sonogram shot. 2 frames are reserved for his newborn shots. I love the shelf on the left. I got it off Etsy and it's exactly what I wanted. The little shoes hanging in the middle were Clint's shoe's when he was a baby...so special. And thanks to my dad for staining the night stand to match our furniture! You can barely see it, but the Texas soil is there on his night stand...just had to have a little part of Texas in there.

So there it is. All we need is a baby. Continue praying for us and for Graham. Who knows, this could be my last post before his arrival! Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Baby Countdown!

2011-09-16T13:54:00.000-05:00

We saw our doctor yesterday for our weekly appointment and I knew something was a little different when he didn't even measure my uterus. Typically, he comes in, we listen to the heart beat and he measures me then I sit up and we talk about any updates. He sat me up right after we heard Graham's heart beat and said....I don't even have to measure you, you're bigger again. So, he gave us a few more details, statistics and options and sent us to labor and delivery for a non-stress test and a sonogram.

The tests weren't any big deal and it was actually fun hearing Graham's heart beat for about 30 minutes straight. It was fun to actually hear his movements too instead of just feel them. He got the hiccups and that was fun for Clint to hear for a bit. We saw his body all curled up on my right side and got to see his sweet little face again too. His lips were puckered out and they were by far the cutest lips I've ever seen!

But....here's the update. They think he's weighing about 8.5 right now...taking after his daddy! And typical amniotic fluid is about 12 cm, but I was measuring about 24 cm. I'm measuring about a week early. They aren't concerned with the fluid level yet, but could be in the coming weeks.

So....we scheduled an induction date! If Graham doesn't come on his own by next Sunday (the 25th) then I'll be induced because of his size. That's just 2 days before my due date. I've had so many thoughts and emotions over the past 24 hours since this was all decided. If you've been in this situation you now how frequently your emotions and thoughts can change. Ultimately, I want a healthy baby and a healthy mama. And ultimately, I trust my doctor to lead us in the right direction.

More importantly though, my trust is in someone far greater and far more powerful than a doctor. I'm praying for a peaceful week and a half and for my mind to be at ease. I'm praying for sleep at night...that's when those fears and anxieties kick in. I'm praying for sweet Graham's little body to be healthy and that the induction will go smoothly. I'm crossing my fingers that I don't have a C-section, but praying that if I do, it will be completely fine. I'd love your prayers too!

Mom's coming this weekend to put the last touches on the nursery so I'll post pics of that soon. And, we'll be re-packing little Graham's hospital bag....probably not going to need those cute little newborn clothes anymore!

38 week update

2011-09-14T09:50:00.000-05:00

Well, I said I would post a picture last week of 37 weeks...that didn't happen. And it probably won't happen this week either, unless I'm feeling skinny....so, doubt it! One more comment to add to last weeks list....

Walked into church this week and a sweet older lady says, "Kat, are we going to have to get you a wheelbarrow?" Bless.

We did see our doctor last week and baby Graham is measuring big....shocking, I know. My uterus had grown double what it should have in the 2 weeks since we last saw him. So....we go back to the doctor tomorrow and if Graham had another growth spurt then we'll do a sonogram to see exactly how big he is. Then, at that point, we'll decide if Graham is too big for me. When our doctor told us that last week, I had it in my head that I'd probably be induced or C-section early next week...but now, I'm not so sure. I'd love it if he came a bit early, but I've resigned myself to hanging in another 2 weeks if I have to.

Ultimately it's something I can't control...and if you know me at all...that's hard for me. I'm definitely learning to lean on the daily presence of the Lord and taking one day at a time. Bless sweet Graham for helping me learn that lesson. I'm sure Graham will show me more about the Lord in the coming weeks, months and years. I pray that Clint and I can do the same for him.

So...here's to big babies, a possible 2 more weeks of awkward comments, cleaning every one of my apothecary jars when just a small finger print shows up (nesting, big time!), and the Lord's sweet blessings.

Say What?

2011-09-06T11:55:00.000-05:00

Well, tomorrow marks 37 weeks, full term! And tomorrow marks one week since Clint got his tonsils out. That's been a tough road, but we're starting to see the light. Poor guy hasn't left the house in a week and hasn't eaten anything except mac and cheese, potato soup and milkshakes. Hopefully he'll be fully recovered in another week.

You always hear that people say the wildest things to pregnant women, and now I totally get that! Over the past few weeks I've gotten quite a few comments that make me think the person truly did NOT think about what they were about to say. Funny thing is...most have happened at church! So, I've learned to laugh them off as best I can. Here are the top three things said to me recently:

This one was about a month ago:
Lady: When's your due date again?
Kat: September 28th
Lady: Ohhh, I don't think you'll make it til then, you've been big for a while now.

Awesome. Thanks.

This one about 3 weeks ago walking out of church on a Sunday night. Granted I had just taught about 10 2-6 year olds so I'm sure I looked tired.

Man: Well, Kat, do you feel the same way you look?

Hmm...I'm sure I didn't look good, but really?

Then here's the last:
Lady: Kat, you and I carry babies really similarly.
Kat: Oh really?
Lady: Yeah, I looked a lot like you do, but I was having twins!

Like I said, I've learned to just laugh them off. Clint's huge, I'm short...we've got a lot of things going against us. We're headed to the doctor on Thursday for our first "check." I'll post a picture and an update then...until then, just taking care of my TWO babies!

Altus Shower

2011-08-29T11:45:00.000-05:00

We were blessed beyond belief this past weekend with our shower here in Altus. The hostesses did such a wonderful job of decorating and setting up. It was so fun to walk into the room and see all the cute ideas they had come up with. Baby Graham is one loved little boy already. Thank you, Tamarack for the generous outpouring of love! Now, time to find a place for all his stuff!

The food was yummy! And, they sent me home with about 20 of those cupcakes...exactly what I need right now! Ha!

My sister, Caroline, my mom and Clint's mom all came in for the shower. Caroline was quite the entertainer...I was ok with it...got the attention off of me at times! She even went home with a gift too! Being from Texas, we are always given a hard time about UT vs. OU. Clint of course is an avid UT fan, but he's in the minority here. I was surprised that we were only given one OU sippy cup for Graham! Clint wouldn't allow it in the house though so off to Caroline's house it went!

The sweet hostesses who did a great job. Thanks to them, we have everything we need!

Graham just took over our house...for such a little guy (fingers crossed) he sure has a lot of stuff!

Clint has surgery scheduled on Wednesday so keep praying for that. Then, it's downhill from there and Graham can make his appearance anytime!

On Texas Soil

2011-08-24T12:13:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately. We've been quite busy with showers, a little trip just for us, getting the nursery ready etc. But, we're on the downward part of things and have only 5 weeks until Graham makes his appearance.

This past week, I was in Abilene moving the freshman in and helping with orientation. It was my last traveling trip until after baby comes. I was so relieved to get home last night and know that I'm here for good now. One more thing to get through though before baby comes.....Clint gets his tonsils out next week. Yep, I'll be 36 weeks pregnant and my husband is undergoing surgery, we're crazy, we know. He's had strep 4 times since we've lived in Altus though so it's time....and I definitely don't want Clint getting strep around a new born so surgery it is. Prayers appreciated!

When we first found out that we were pregnant, we mourned (kidding a little) that our child would be born in Oklahoma! Ha! So, we quickly decided that at some point we would gather some Texas soil and would place it under my hospital bed so technically we can say that he was born on Texas soil. Well, while in Abilene, I gathered the soil...and not just any Texas soil, ACU soil.

I went around to some favorite spots on campus and dug around...sorry ACU, but this is important! Went to Jacob's Dream, my office at ACU, and then the main entrance of campus.

I seriously can't wait to get to the hospital and see the nurses reactions. I'm sure they'll hate it....but we'll LOVE it. And we've planned to keep the little jar of soil in his room so he'll know his roots. Cheesy, I know!

Sweet baby Graham, you'll be born on Texas soil and we'll take you for your first visit very soon. Here's the 34 week picture just to keep ya updated. Haven't taken the 35 week shot just yet...have to do laundry before I can take that...ha!

32 weeks

2011-08-05T17:10:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I just typed "32 weeks." That's insane...he'll be here in no time! We saw our doctor again yesterday and baby Graham is doing well. Our doctor continues to tell us that we have a really boring pregnancy...but that's just the kind he wants us to have! Nursery is coming along smoothly and just have a few more things to finish. Here's a 32 week pic...a little fuzzy, sorry!

I've had a little craving this week.....early on in pregnancy I craved corn dogs. I'd go get 2 from Sonic almost every day for 2 weeks. Don't judge. By day 3 of corn dog craving, I knew to take the exact $2.18 with me so Clint wouldn't see how many times I actually went to Sonic! Ha! But...this week my craving has been a little different. Don't worry, I've only allowed myself 2 of these guys so far.

My sweet boys

2011-07-28T12:56:00.000-05:00

Every night for the past few months Clint and I have been reading to baby Graham. We've heard it will make him smarter...haha! Who knows if it will do any good, but it gives a sweet time in the evenings to connect with each other and with Graham. Clint's a far better reader than I am....his impression of the Big Bad Wolf is by far my favorite. Here we are a few nights ago. Our sweet dog, Murphy decided to jump on the couch and join us. Typically, I wouldn't let Murph on the couch, but it was just so sweet...I had my three boys right there all in one place.

Working from home has been so great with pregnancy. I haven't had to buy all sorts of maternity clothes and I get to keep the thermostat exactly where I want it (explains our $400 electric bill this month). And...I can work from anywhere I want to. Murph and I went to the nursery to work today. I can see many days like this ahead!

Speaking of the heat....Clint and I will do a much better job at planning a winter pregnancy next time! This heat is just awful. That's the only thing I have to complain about right now. I know we've had at least 50 days over 100, and I would guess it's more than that. Hopefully these temps go down in the next 2 months! Who knew I'd get pregnant during the hottest summer EVER.

Due date is exactly 2 months from today. CRAZY. Today I went to get a pedicure and here's the conversation I had with the nail technician as I was getting into the chair.

Her: "When your baby come?"
Me: "2 months from today"
Her: "Ohhhh, you big!"

I'm just learning to take comments like that. What am I supposed to say back? If she saw my husband, she would understand....everyone would look like this if you were carrying Clint's child!

Baby Rules

2011-07-21T19:12:00.000-05:00

Ordered this sweet art work from Etsy last week. It came in today and I just love it. Can't wait to get it framed and hung in baby Graham's room. Bedding is in transit and we'll have it soon!

Nursery Sneak Peak

2011-07-13T13:36:00.000-05:00

4th of July weekend, Mom and Dad came down to help get the nursery started. We accomplished a lot more than we had hoped. We painted, and painted, and painted, put together his furniture, washed all his little clothes and much more! We're just waiting for his bedding to come in so we can put that together and decorate the walls. I haven't done much more since mom and dad left, but here's a sneak peak of what we've got so far....

Dad taped off the stripes and mom painted them. Good thing we're all perfectionists around here!

Quick look at his crib. Will look much different with that cute bedding!

One wall that I've started on. Have a bit more still to do.

Our rocker that mom and dad bought! Dad is staining that night stand to match the furniture too.

His little clothes...oh, I can't wait to get him home!

Here's a pic of his bedding. Forgive the iphone picture. It should be here within the next 2 weeks.

We've started our 2 week appointments with the doctor. I can't believe it's gone by so fast. Only 11 weeks to go! He's quite the gymnast lately too. Last night Clint and I were reading him a book and Graham basically punched me as hard as he could. Clint saw my belly move and everything....let's pray this isn't a sign of how big he'll be! Keep moving, little guy!

Maternity Pictures

2011-07-02T10:39:00.000-05:00

Clint and I recently had some maternity pictures made. Clint was confused the whole time why we were taking maternity shots...he kept saying it was just a scam by photographers to make more money. Maybe it is...but I just wanted cute shots for his nursery and shots of me and my preggo belly! A friend of ours in Altus has taught himself photography and agreed to take some shots of us. They turned out great! Here are some favs....

Gender Reveal

2011-06-20T23:12:00.001-05:00

Long before Clint and I found out the gender of our little one, I knew I wanted to have one of those cute gender reveal parties. So, about a month before our big appointment, I contacted my friend Ashley at Snowbird Designs to get her help in creating the perfect party. It turned out great!

Clint and I actually found out two weeks earlier than we thought we were going to find out, but kept it a secret (from most) until the big party. I was about 18 weeks and got that nervous feeling...you know...not showing that much, not sick anymore, not able to feel the baby yet nervous feeling. So, we randomly decided to make an appointment at Stork Vision in Amarillo to go get a glimpse of our baby. That was a great experience. We were able to take our parents and spent about 20 minutes in awe of the little one. When the sonogram tech went to find the gender, we kicked our parents out of the room so it would just be Clint and me. Immediately when they were out of the room, the lady said...I already know what it is. We were stunned...being only our 2nd sonogram we were still unsure of what we were looking at at times. I'll never forget when she said, "it's a little boy." I thought the tears were flowing before...now they REALLY were! Clint was ecstatic. He would have been happy either way, but I think deep down every guy wants a boy right? So, away we went with secret in hand for two weeks! LONGEST two weeks ever!

When the guests arrived we asked them to make a name suggestion for baby Burns (even though we were pretty set on a name). Some were serious, some were funny.

We had lots of blue treats and lots of pink treats.

The guests dressed in the color of their guess.

Then the big reveal. My grandma was there and we let her cut the cake. It was so fun watching her get so excited! It's a BOY!

We had such a fun time revealing the gender of our little guy. We're so blessed to have so many family and friends already care about sweet one. Clint, of course, teared up during the party when he addressed all the guests so that of course, made me tear up! We'll be basket cases come delivery. I made cake balls as party favors and we called it a night.

Here's a look at 25 weeks. I'll be 26 on Wednesday. Time is flying!!!

Let's try this again

2011-06-16T15:06:00.008-05:00

I've thought long and hard about blogging again. One day I'm for it, the next I'm against it. Today, I'm for it so I took the leap and decided to write. We'll see how long this lasts.

So...where to begin? A lot has happened since March 2009. I won't fill you in on all the juicy details, but we'll just pick up from where we are now. Let's see....

Clint graduated with his MDIV in December 2009. I was so proud of him. Can you believe that an MDIV is 84 hours long when most Masters are only 36? Way to go, Clint!
We got busy looking for churches and accepted a position in Oklahoma in March 2010. We moved to Oklahoma (did NOT become OKIES) in May of 2010. We live in the cute little parsonage pictured below.

The good news is that I get to keep my job working for ACU. So, I painted my office purple and off to work I go every morning...just in pajamas and no makeup. It's the life.
We're enjoying our life here. It's a sweet town and the sweetest church. We've learned more in the year that we've been here than probably the four years it took to complete the MDIV. Ministry is tough, but rewarding. Just like any job, I suppose. We've made friends here too. We love hosting people...especially our small group at Christmas time!
Soon after Christmas, probably the biggest change so far is that we saw this little guy pop up positive!
It's been a whirlwind of emotions. First, we saw the positive test, then I start throwing up (yep, pretty sick between week 7-13), then we see the little sonogram, then hear the little heart beat. It's just so surreal. I'm BLESSED with Clint Burns. He's been wonderful throughout this whole process. I'm 25 weeks and our baby boy, Graham, is due September 28th. Forgive the no makeup summer look..

That's enough for the first post back. More to come on our life in Oklahoma!

If I were going to blog...

2009-03-30T18:38:00.004-05:00

If I were going to blog...I'd tell you about my fun weekend with friends at the Ranch House a few weekends go. Can't beat a weekend with good friends, good food, good conversations and the cutest baby alive.

If I were going to blog...I'd tell you that I'm really ready for Clint to be finished with his MDIV. In the past week alone I think he's had 3 all nighters. I miss him.

If I were going to blog...I'd tell you that I LOVE the spring weather and taking walks outside. And...I'd tell you that I love Linds and Norm being back in Abilene and walking with them.

If I were going to blog...I'd tell you that I've been missing the Abilene girls lately...you know, Katie, Holly, Leslie, Johnna, Brenna, Amanda, Linds and Kenli.

If I were going to blog...I'd put pictures of my new office up on here. Sometimes I can't believe I work in the new prettiest building at ACU.

If I were going to blog...I'd tell you how busy I am at work...but that I still love my job with all of my being. Seriously.

If I were going to blog...I'd ask you where Clint and I should spend our 5 year anniversary coming up. Ideas are welcome.

If I were going to blog...I'd tell you about the Lord's extreme faithfulness to me over the last week. He does not disappoint.

But, I'm not going to blog. Sorry. Maybe later...if there is anyone that is still reading!

I've been changed for good...

2009-02-01T15:12:00.017-06:00

Right after Christmas, Kenli and I packed our bags and headed across the pond to visit our good friends Johnna and Lindsay in Oxford, England. Words really can't describe the trip...I mean really...it was one of the BEST weeks of my life. Really good friends, really good memories. Enjoy the pictures!

Buckingham Palace. Our first stop in London.

At the Texas Embassy in London. ACU is everywhere.

In Christ's Church.

A good start to 2009

2009-01-10T18:12:00.002-06:00

Welcome back, blog friends! Here's a sneak peak of my first official post in 2009. More later!

Taking a break

2008-11-14T21:45:00.002-06:00

Friends Hey. I'm not sure why I feel like I owe this to you, but in a weird way I do. I've decided to take some time away from blogging. Thanks for keeping up with us over the past 3 years....I'll for sure keep reading all about you so keep those coming!

Until next time....blessings.

Undefeated!

2008-10-19T23:40:00.005-05:00

Clint and I headed to Amarillo this weekend to watch the Wildcats take on WT. We were definitely in the minority with our ACU apparel, but we weren't scared! Even though we were surrounded by WT fans, Clint and I stood up and shouted after every touchdown the Wildcats made. Annoying...probably, but we had to show some school spirit right? ACU prevailed 52-35 to continue our undefeated season. Thata way wildcats!

Welcome Fall!

2008-10-15T13:46:00.002-05:00

Today is the PERFECT day! The air is cool and crisp and just my favorite. I'm wearing my denim jacket today...pulling it out of my closet again this morning was like seeing an old friend after several months. It is good.

Speaking of seeing old friends...I've just been missing people lately. Homecoming is around the corner and I'm sad that we won't be able to take this picture again. Boo you (you know) for moving away.

And, I miss this. I haven't been to a single flag football game all season. It's just not the same without these fun girls.

Core 7 or however many it is...I'm missing y'all today. Can we have a skype conference call soon? Who's in?

HaPpY BirThDaY!

2008-10-13T19:50:00.003-05:00

Clint turns 27 today. Late twenties...weird. As I sit here and type this he's off studying for his midterms, on his birthday. Life must go on despite what special day it is. We did get to eat dinner together and he had a piece of his favorite, red velvet cake. I just think he looks super cute here fixing to blow out his candles.

I normally don't buy Clint a birthday card, but this one really did say it perfectly.

"In the center of my ideal universe, there's a wonderful husband (you) and a loving wife (me) happily sharing life. Then there's the real world, with all its busy schedules and demands. But at the very center, there's still that same happy couple (us) loving each other through it all...which makes me think, it really is an ideal universe after all."

HaPpY BirThDaY, babe.

It's been a while

2008-09-29T20:10:00.002-05:00

I'm alive, I promise. For a few weeks now I've just been feeling overwhelmed! This is the first time I've had the time to sit down and blog. The reason I actually have time right now is because I'm at home sick. Boo.

So, what's been going on? Clint's back in full swing with grad school. He's taking 13 hours...an MDIV student is really only supposed to take 12 hours at one time...he's overachieving. Work for me is BUSY...that's all I'll say about that. It's crazy to think that in 8 months from now, Clint will be finished with school and we'll be moving on to something new. We've never really experienced marriage without one or both of us being in school. Weird.

Amongst the business, Clint and I have been having fun on our new Wii! It was an early birthday present for him and it's proven to be quite the gift. Making the Wii characters is my favorite part. If you take your time, you can really make them look like you or your friends. I'll post some pictures of our wii characters soon.

Also...get this exciting news! Kenli and I bought our plane tickets to go see Linds and Johnna in England!!! We're headed across the pond on December 29th. I simply cannot wait. I'll think of you when I'm in Paris during New Years...jealous? Here's the picture right after we bought our tickets. What's better than ACU Wildcats and a trip to England?

As soon as I'm feeling better, I'll answer the tag from Katie and post 6 quirky things about myself. Until then...

An Evening with the President

2008-09-10T20:17:00.002-05:00

Last night we had our Abilene recruiting event known as "An evening with the President." Each student has the opportunity at the end of the night to take their picture with you know...D Money. Once in a lifetime opportunity right?

So...most of you know that my good friend Linds just left to live in Oxford, England a few weeks ago. Well, we miss her terribly at work so we decided this would make her and us feel better.

Jordan, Linds and I were like the 3 amigos at work...usually agreed with each other about work stuff...went to lunch together a lot...and just really good friends. So, Jordan and I took the opportunity of a lifetime to the next level.

We miss you Linds! We're thinking about asking Royce to fill the hole on our lunch dates and office errands. I'm sure he'll agree.

Drum Roll Please...

2008-08-21T09:12:00.002-05:00

Well, I hate to disappoint, but nobody guessed correctly in the United challenge. I wish I had scratched off a grill or a car...or shoot....even a dollar would have been worth it. But no....I get maxi pads.

Did they seriously make that a prize? Who would go in and claim those? And...at our United, they write your name and what you've won on a large poster board that they hang on the front doors. Just let me know if you want your name and my winning prize on the United doors...I'd be happy to let you have them.

Welcome Home

2008-08-17T10:34:00.003-05:00

Guess who comes home today! I can't contain my excitement.

You guess...you win

2008-08-14T13:46:00.002-05:00

I've been pretty disappointed about the United game this year. The monopoly game was much cooler in the past...until now! I actually scratched off the matching 3 circles last week. Let's play a game...if you can guess what I won, I promise that I will actually give you the prize!

If you already know the prize...don't give it away! Here's a hint...it's not just one dollar.

2 in 1

2008-07-30T16:35:00.005-05:00

I was going to split this post up into two different posts...but I procrastinated too long and the pictures were getting old. So...lucky you.

The month of July flew by...I can't believe it's August 2008 already! Only three more weeks until Clint gets home. More on that later.

A few weeks ago my dear friend Brittany got married. The wedding was super fun and I enjoyed catching up with old friends. I LOVED sitting around remembering stories from when we all lived together on College Drive. That year brought some of my most fondest memories of college. Brit was beautiful and her wedding was awesome. Here are the pics.

Three of the roommates...Linds, Brit and me.

Brenna and Leslie were there too

So fun to catch up wit h these girls....Deb, Linds and Teri.

Summer wouldn't be complete without ACU Leadership Camps. I had the absolute pleasure to lead a group of 11th and 12th graders at Kadesh. I don't think I have the stamina that I used to have...there is no way I could do 8 weeks of camp during one summer ever again. But...one week was awesome. I instantly fell in love with 10 students who are so precious to me now. Kadesh always does great things in the lives of campers, but my heart was changed that week as well. Those camps will always be near and dear.

The girls of group 13...they are BEAUTIFUL.

And the entire group....I love them and miss them already! Oh and don't worry...I'm almost positive that I talked our entire group into coming to ACU in the next few years...just doing my part.

I need (another) vacation!

2008-07-20T18:12:00.003-05:00

About three weeks ago I was able to go with Clint's family to Lake Travis in Austin for vacation! Since the rules are pretty strict about Clint's internship he was going to have to stay in Amarillo while the rest of the family packed up and headed out...even me. Sure, I wanted Clint to come so bad....but I'm not gonna pass up a vacation offer...you wouldn't either. Don't judge.

It was wonderful. We were on the lake everyday, I didn't put makeup on once and I just wore my bathing suit for an entire week. It was awesome! Here is Allison and me on the jet-skis.

On Monday, I had the excellent idea that Clint just fly down to Austin. He was going to have Thursday and Friday off anyway...so why didn't he just jump on a plane after his Wednesday class? And that he did! I was giddy like a school girl when I picked him up from the airport. It had been three weeks since I had last seen him. Here's what we looked like all week...again don't judge the natural no makeup look.

Clint and I had to sleep on an air mattress, but it didn't really matter where we slept as long as he was there. I would have slept standing up for all I care. PS...it was his idea to do the Gata diamond...geek.

Again, I could careless that anyone sees how terrible I looked all week and how dorky Clint looks in this picture. We had 3 fun days together...a much needed break from not being together.

The vacation was awesome and I definitely didn't want to leave. I highly recommend the resort we were at....www.hollowsvacations.com. Don't worry...I've got two more posts ready to go after this one...so check back soon!

Finally...an update!

2008-06-20T10:03:00.003-05:00

So....when Clint went away for the summer, I had every intention to blog more frequently. I really didn't mean to let more than a month go by without posting....I guess the phrase, "see you in August," applied to more people than just Clint! So sorry...I know you've been checking everyday...yeah right.

Here's a quick overview of the summer so far!

Clint spent about 3 weeks over in Europe. He took a week long course in Croatia, then got to travel for another week or so to Florence, Munich, and Austria. He had many great stories to share when he got back...and emptied our bank account while over there. Awesome. This is a lady who cooked for him on more than one occasion (I think.) She couldn't speak a word of English, but insisted that Clint sit down and eat the bean soup she had prepared all day for him. She was a Christian and from what I know...adored Clint.

While Clint was traveling the world, I was busy doing really important things too. You can tell from the picture below that I spent my weekends dressing up like an American Gladiator and challenging 12 year olds to jousting competitions. It was for Highland's youth retreat and actually proved to be quite fun!

Last weekend I went to Amarillo to run my first ever 5K. My mom has been running a few of these and really wanted my sister and I to run one. So...I went up to Amarillo last weekend; ran the race, heard Clint preach, and got to spend some good time with my family. Here's my sister, mom and me before the race began.

I was actually really nervous about running a race, but it turned out to be just perfect. The weather was really cool and running on brick streets in the midst of tall trees is the way to go!

Please disregard my sweaty hair and red face. Don't worry though, right after this I ate a huge plate of pecan pancakes...I deserved it right?

Things to look forward to in July: family vacation at Lake Travis, Rosalyn's 4th of July wedding, and Brittany's wedding! I LOVE summer.

4 years strong

2008-05-14T22:52:00.006-05:00

Today...well tomorrow really, marks the 4th year anniversary of our of marriage. Just thinking about all the preparations and anxious feelings I was having 4 years ago right now gives me chills. I remember going to bed the night before the wedding...I was scared out of my skin, but couldn't wait for the big day.

My feelings today are much like they were 4 years ago. With Clint being gone for a few days now, he's constantly in my head...I keep wondering what he's doing, where he's going, what he's thinking. I remember having those same thoughts the day of the wedding...wondering if he was as nervous and excited as I was.

We didn't see each other the whole day of the wedding. I was busy preparing myself with the girls and he was out eating BBQ and watching movies with the guys. The time came for everyone else to walk down the aisle and I was left in the room...just dad and me. I'm tearing up just thinking of that. I kept telling my dad...don't say a word or I'll start crying...don't even look at me. He did well until right before the doors of the chapel opened. He just whispered...love you..and that was it. The doors opened, everyone stood up and I couldn't get it through my head why they were staring at me. I remember just saying that over and over to my dad...."Oh my gosh...they're just looking at me, dad." I didn't realize everyone that I had ever known was going to be looking me in the eye, mouthing sweet words, winking, or crying themselves. And then I lost it...tears were streaming down my face and by the time I got to Clint I was a basket case...a good basket case though.

When it was time to light the unity candle and for us to just have as much time alone as we could... (It's difficult to have alone time when everyone is still just watching you!)...Clint did say a few precious things, but then he busted out with, "I've got the keys to our hotel in my pocket...don't you worry." Classy, Clint...and it's on our wedding video for all to hear!

Anyway, the day was perfect. The honeymoon was perfect. And today, marriage isn't perfect, but it's the BEST decision I ever made...or will make for that matter. Clint truly is my partner in life. I'm more in love today than I was 9 years ago when we first fell in love, more in love today than I was 4 years ago when we tied the knot. Happy 4 years, babe!

Gosh...that got mushy fast. Here are some pictures to lighten the mood. Enjoy!

One of our very first pictures together as an official couple. This was taken the summer of 1999...a little over 9 years ago. I was about to be a Junior and Clint was starting his Senior year of high school...we were young and in love! I know you're jealous of those bangs.

I know it's probably weird that the first picture I posted doesn't have Clint in it...but I just love this shot. FYI...my photographer won an award at the Fair for this picture...famous!

I don't really remember anything at this point of the day...but I know we were both relieved that it was finally over!

Just one of my favorites.

This is one of my favorite pictures. You can't really tell, but Clint is standing two steps above me and is still that much taller than me. When we kissed at the end of the ceremony, he stepped down two steps before kissing me too...precious!

On a dinner cruise in Hawaii....I so wish I was there right now!

See you in August...

2008-05-11T20:34:00.002-05:00

So...this is it. For the past two or three weeks anytime Clint or I have left the house for any reason we'll say, "see you in august." Of course, we were just joking around, but really preparing ourselves for today. Clint is taking a class in Croatia and left for that today. He'll be back in two and half weeks. Once he's back, he'll be home for two days and then he'll leave again for his internship in Amarillo for 10 weeks. I'm ok with you praying for us.

Yesterday was a really good day though. We had a quick date, ran around town getting all the last essentials he needed, went on a walk, and even wore matching shirts. The matching shirt thing only lasted long enough for this picture...don't worry.

2008-05-07T22:16:00.003-05:00

Just a few pictures of what has been going on. More updates coming soon!

All the girls had a garage sale a few weeks ago. Don't judge our make-up free faces.

At the Ranger game for Linds' birthday. We got free matching hats...lucky huh.

Then, we got into the Byron Nelson for free...lucky again.

A few things...

2008-04-25T22:31:00.002-05:00

After my last post, quite a few people would come up to me and bring up the awkward text. It's still awkward...thanks for the reminder. But, in the midst of that story, I was reminded of another awkward story that happened just weeks before that.

I had a group of about 80 sophomores visiting ACU one day. Number one: We all know sophomores in high school could care less about college at that point. Number two: We all know they were there just to get a day off of school. Number three: Why can't I seem to be normal around teenagers?

Here's what happened. I was scheduled to give just a short speech about ACU...nothing big. So, I was busy talking away and the students were busying flirting with each other. Typical, right. I wanted them to pay attention and get excited about ACU...so I said,

"The first person who can show me the Wildcat hand sign will get a prize." (Giveaways always work wonders.)

This student in the back raised his/her hand and had the Wildcat up immediately. I was impressed and said...

"HE'S got it! Stand up and show everyone."

The student slowly stands up, embarrassed for some reason and says, "I'm a girl."

No lie...I say, "No you're not...show everyone the Wildcat."

Again, you know where this is going. He was a she!!! A very manly she though. I can't imagine how red my face was. I just played it off for the next few minutes, but couldn't stop thinking about it for hours. To my defense though...you would have thought she was a he too....don't judge me.

Earlier this week, I was in Colorado. On my flight back to Abilene, I picked up that Sky Mall magazine....I was bored and couldn't sleep. I was thumbing through the pages and came across this clock....

Really??? Who needs a clock to remind them what day it is?

One more thing...Clint and I are scheduled to get our George Bush money this week!!! We have a ten page list of things we're going to do with it....I can't wait.

So get this...

2008-04-11T23:09:00.003-05:00

This past weekend I was in Amarillo doing a little recruiting for the dear Christian College. Of course, since it's my hometown, I decided to go home a little early to get some good shopping done before the recruiting began. It's that time of the year...you know about every 6 months when you have to do the awful...shopping for new bras. So, there I was in Dillards trying on every bra.

I just realized this might be a little too personal for some, but stay with me. I'm trying them on one after another, but can't seem to find any that I like. So...I decide to get the lady who actually claims she is a "professional measurer." Whatever that means. So, my mom goes and gets her. She comes back to the dressing room and awkwardly stretches the measuring tape around my chest. While never making eye contact with each other, she tells me my size and I try not to cry.

I take her advice and go back out into the store to try to find a 38E....yeah right, just kidding. We're not that good of friends. While I'm busy searching
for my size, I decide to text my good friend Linds what I have just encountered. The text read something like this...

"She just told me I was a (insert size here)...I hate my life."

I buy some bras, eat dinner and call it a night. The next day, I go to my home church in Amarillo. I'm busy doing my ACU thing...talking to students, wearing purple and white, handing out t-shirts, the typical stuff. I get up to talk to the students and start talking about how ACU is the first school in the nation to give their students iPhones. There was a kid on the front row who almost had a heart attack when he heard this...literally he almost fell over in his chair.

So, after class was over, the blonde freshmen came up to talk to me. Here's how the conversation went:

Awkward kid: "Is it true ACU is really giving their students iPhones?"
Me: "Yeah, pretty cool huh. Here, why don't you play with mine while I pack up my bags."
Awkward kid: "Really....sweet!"

He proceeds to grab my phone out of my hands before I could even finish my last sentence. You know where this is going....I begin packing up my bags and I finish talking to some other students who I haven't seen yet. I make my way back over to him.....he has already checked my e-mail, logged on to my facebook account, taken a picture of himself, and read the last text message that I sent!

Yep, he sure did read it. Awesome.

2008-03-25T20:41:00.002-05:00

First off, let me say that I love Spring! I always think that Fall is my favorite season, but then Spring comes and I can't get enough of it! The time change has definitely taken it's toll on me though...it's just something about it being lighter outside longer that makes me all giddy. I can't seem to get any work done at work until the sun goes down...I'll have to break that habit fast!

Easter was great. Clint preached his first Easter sermon and really did a wonderful job. He had people repenting left and right...not really. But the little old woman next to me started crying...Clint's just that good...or probably the Lord is just that good. It was just the two of us for Easter this year so instead of cooking and making myself look like a good wife, I just made reservations at the Homeplace.

Check out that plate of food....better than home cooking!

On Sunday I wanted to get all my laundry done that had been piling up for weeks. I started with the towels and I couldn't figure out why it was taking them so long to dry. I eventually took them out of the dryer just so I could put the sheets in before we went to bed. I checked the sheets after about 30 minutes thinking that surely they would be dry...nope. So, I pulled our dryer out from the wall, pulled that slinky silver lent thing out...and there it was, a bird's nest! Sick. This is the third time this has happened since we've lived here. I took a picture just for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy the spring!

Only in Abilene...

2008-03-08T22:42:00.007-06:00

I've said it time after time...but this time, I REALLY mean it. I just love living in Abilene. Students ask me all the time what is there to do in this town...well, everything. The weekend started off small with all the girls going out to celebrate a few things...we started off painting pottery in this cute little shop and then ended up at Abuelo's for dinner.

Now...here's the juicy stuff. Linds, Johnna, David and I headed out to Rattlesnake Roundup in Sweetwater. Redneck! Our first stop was to the Dandy Western Wear to get me some boots, and then on to the festivities. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves on this one. We not only got to watch the snakes, but got to pet them and could even eat them if we wanted to...the line was an hour long or we SO would have done it. The highlight of the day was riding the mechanical bull...probably one of my prouder moments in life. Enjoy the pictures...and join us next year!

Look what happened in Abilene!

2008-03-03T20:15:00.005-06:00

It sure was close to 70 yesterday and then out of no where it felt like December today! It snowed most of the afternoon and the Abilene radio stations were even playing Christmas carols....it really can't get better than that. Of course, the office took a few minutes to go outside and play. It was wonderful.

Linds, Jordan and me before the rest of the team joined in.

Just playing around...busy recruiting students.

David...you ok?

We're ACU diehards!

this one's for you, Katie

2008-03-01T22:47:00.006-06:00

I really couldn't stand that sing song picture being the first thing people see on my blog so I decided to post again. And...Katie, you're right...it's been a while. To tell you the absolute truth, I just haven't had time to blog. It's been the last thing on my mind.

Sigma Gata Kai is currently in season again...basketball this time. We just finished regular season play with 3 wins and 1 loss. The one loss was against the ACU JV team...no really...and they take pride in playing in the recreational league of intramurals. One time, in the 5th grade, I got a technical foul for pushing a girl...the refs said it was intentional...I said I had no other option. Anyway, I found myself having no other options in this game as well. Luckily, no technical fouls were called, but my body was black and blue the next day. Awesome.

So...not much else is going on. But, to make this post worth something I'm going to share a few sentimental thoughts. If you'll remember my new year's post...I know you all read it...I wanted my "feeler" side to come out more. So...I'm making it come out. I've always mentioned the great group of friends I have here in Abilene, but I don't think I've really ever shared what they really do mean to me...so here goes.

When Clint and I were thinking about moving away from Tulia, I distinctly remember saying to him that moving back to Abilene was not appealing to me at all. I did not want to do that. Three weeks after that comment I was interviewing for the job at ACU. Little did I know, Abilene was the PERFECT move for us. I quickly rekindled friendships with girls here and of course, added some new ones to the list.

So...Lindsay, Katie, Johnna, Brenna, Leslie, Holly, and Amanda..this one's for you. My favorite thing about this little group is how we celebrate life together. I love that all of us were there for Cora and Claire's births...how we celebrated Riley's first birthday...oh and Norm's too. I love that all of us know who pink shirt is and completely understand the need for a blizzard.

I really love how we plan trip after trip together, but not a single one has actually happened. I love truth or truth. I love Red Robin, their hamburgers and fries...but most of all the company. I love that Lind's office is 20 feet from mine, but we still call each other at least 20 times a day.

I love that we graduated up to 8 years ago and still play intramurals...I really think this is just an excuse to see each other more. I love how we can talk about our husbands, our frustrations, our dreams and just life. I love Andy, Bevin, Tessa, Brad, DeAnna and Jenni...oh and I really love the desserts Amanda would have for us every week.

This could be borderline cheesy, but it's ok. Here's to the next 10 years in Abilene...everyone in???

I can't wait...

2008-02-13T16:41:00.003-06:00

This was on the front page of the Optimist four years ago this week. Linds and I saw the photographer...he was waiting to shoot our picture until they announced the winner. I told her to make the worst face possible...obviously she didn't, but I did and it looks like I'm giving birth. Awesome. Who will be here for Sing Song??? I simply CANNOT wait!

Sick and tired...no really

2008-02-04T20:13:00.000-06:00

So, last week I thought I was safe...but apparently not. I stayed home sick today from work with a 101 fever. I really can't remember running fever, or even taking my temp for that matter since I was little. I was a huge faker back in the day. If I wanted to stay home from school, I would just go get the thermometer out of the bathroom, hold it up to the light fixture and then go tell my mom I was running fever. It worked almost every time. (Sorry if you're just now finding this out, Mom.) Anyway, I'm not faking today...promise. So, what's a girl to do besides sweat a lot and drink loads of gatorade on her sick day? Here's what...

I sat in the same chair all day sipping on gatorade and watching T.V. I couldn't stop making that "what the heck," face while watching Tyra. She's crazy. And who knew Ellen was so funny!

On to bigger and better things. Clint has been planning his summer plans for some time now. He couldn't decide what to do with his summer, but today God revealed a perfect plan. It looks like if all goes well, Clint will spend a week in Croatia studying Church History the first week of summer, and then spend ten weeks in Amarillo doing a preaching internship there. Of course it makes me sad that we'll spend all that time apart, but it really will be perfect for him. He was so excited today when he got the good news. So...if you have any free time this summer, come visit me in Abilene!

A new year; a new you

2008-01-19T21:56:00.000-06:00

So, as promised I'm blogging about my new years resolutions. I've never been big on resolutions, but this year, for some reason is different. I mean, I've always had a few things on my mind, but I'm putting them in writing this year. I'm not going to forget by mid February what they are. I'm going to work on them...some daily, some weekly, some monthly...who knows. I've devided them into categories to help me remember them! I'm not a pro by any means, but hopefully the 2008 resolutions will be a success....so drum roll please.

1. Health: Like millions of America...I want to loose weight. I'm going to go ahead and say that I want to start with 20 pounds. There, I said it. 20 pounds. I can do it. My goal is by summertime. We'll see. No, you'll see. I'm going to do it. Another goal in this category is to eat three meals a day...healthy ones at that. My new favorite thing for breakfast is oatmeal. Who would have ever thought I would like oatmeal, but I love it! I cut up a banana and chop a tablespoon of pecans up to put it in....so GOOD! I want to drink more water too. I've never been good at this. Give me a Sonic Vanilla Coke and I'll have it down in no time...give me a bottle of water and it will take me all day. So, I'm starting with 4 bottles a day. I should do more I know.

2. Spirituality: I want to be challenged this year. It's so easy in Abilene to get comfortable. The church where Clint preaches at is not necessarily the place we'll grow spiritually so we're thinking about different options. I want to read more. I always enjoy reading when I actually sit down and do it. I want to find situations that I will be challenged, that I will have to think differently, that I will have to defend what I believe. This is my toughest one, and not sure how I'll go about it, but I want to be moved...I want to be changed.

3. Life: I know...a pretty big category. But I just want to be better. Clint said this a few months ago...that he just wants to be better at life. I want to be better at loving people, better at being passionate about life, better at slowing down, better at listening, better at taking advice. I want to laugh more, encourage more, pray more and LOVE more. Again, haven't nailed down how to do this, but I'm trying to be cautious of this every day. I'm usually a thinker, but I want my sensative feeler side to come out more.

So...that's it. Some pretty broad goals and some pretty detailed ones too. Most of all, I need accountability.

On to more exciting things! Clint's laptop completely died this week. We noticed it wasn't taking any charge from the outlet so we tried to fix it, but earlier this week it went completely dead. So now....I'm blogging from this incredible machine!

Also...reading my friend, Lindsay's blog, made me remember this. Anyone watching American Gladiators? Clint and I are LOVING it! I just can't believe that one guy is as tall as Clint, but has 100 pounds of muscle added to him...whoa! But...get this. I had to be in 4th or 5th grade when American Gladiators announced that they would be traveling all over the nation to compete with individuals across America. I remember watching the show with my dad and sister when it came across the screen that the Gladiators would be coming to Amarillo! Amarillo...who goes to Amarillo? We were thrilled...beyond excited. So, of course my dad got tickets for us to go. I could barely sleep the night before and I couldn't focus on one thing at school that day.

My dad got home from work and my sister and I had our matching shirts, washed out jeans, keds tennis shoe, side ponytails and hot pink scrunchie selves ready to go. He told us that we could pick any place in Amarillo to go eat before the big show! Awesome. After much consideration, guess what we picked. Stars...you know that ghetto drive-in that's not half as good as Sonic. It was probably better that way so nobody would make fun of our matching red and blue eye glasses as well. I ordered a cheese burger with mayo only, no vegies. We scarfed down the hamburgers and shakes and off we went! I was peeing in my pants with excitement...not really, but I was stoked!

I don't remember much of the show just the excitement leading up to it. I do remember our favorite Gladiator, ICE, was there. The Gladiators dominated, I went on to middle school and the show was canceled. Luckily now though, I wear contacts, my hair is too short to fit into a scrunchie and the show is back! Life is good...oh, but I still order my cheeseburgers with mayo only. Sick, I know.

Who wants it?

2008-01-11T11:19:00.000-06:00

Ok...so here's the story. I planned a quick trip to Lubbock to eat dinner with some students. I left Abilene about 3:30 and made it to Lubbock around 6, just in time for dinner. I may have noticed that my car was overheating the entire time I was driving, but I just wanted to get there, so I pressed on. There may or may not have been some smoke coming from my car at one point, but that's beside the point. I enjoyed a yummy dinner at Pei Wei in Lubbock (probably not on the diet plan, but I'm over it.)

So, I call some friends of ours in Lubbock to come check out my car. Around 10, I decide that I probably shouldn't drive back to Abilene that night. So, I stayed with them...no clothes, no toothbrush, no anything! My plan was to have the car to the mechanic by 7:30, they'll fix it by 9, and I'll be back on the road by 9:30.

Man, that would have been so perfect. Instead, it's 11:30 in the morning and my car won't be done until 5 this afternoon. Awesome. I mean wearing the same clothes for over 24 hours, not having any foundation for my face, not having a CHI hair straightener....it's everything I dreamed today would be. So, if you're in Lubbock come find me.

So, my first priority when I get back to Abilene is to sell my car! Who wants it? I'm buying a new one...somehow, somewhere, I'm getting something new. It would be a great first car for a 16 year old, just someone buy it. This is what it looks like:

You want it, don't you. Anyway, more to come about new resolutions, and all that stuff. Enjoy the weekend, hopefully I'll make it home soon!

The last for 2007

2007-12-29T22:34:00.001-06:00

Well I can't believe Christmas has come and gone. We're still in Amarillo for just a few more days until we go back to Abilene. This time away has been a blessing. I've enjoyed sleeping in, watching movies, drinking wassail and just being with family. I'm definitely rejuvenated in moments like these. Here are the few pictures that I did take. Clint and I standing in the snow. Someday he'll thank me for making him take all these pictures. It snowed more than once while we were in Amarillo. I just love a white Christmas.
My side of the family celebrating Christmas.
I know this is probably the strangest thing ever, but we got ear candles in our stockings at Clint's house. We (me, Clint, Scott and Lauren) had been talking about doing this all week and then they ended up in our stockings. It sounds and looks pretty gross, but you just put that long thing in your ear and let it burn all the wax and dirt out. We eventually had to take it outside because the smoke detector in the house was going off! The coolest thing though...when it's done burning, you can take it out and look at all the wax it pulled out. I know, soo gross! Everyone was in awe of the wax that came out of Clint's ear....let's just say that when I pulled the thing out of my ear everyone was even more impressed. SICK! Anyway give it a try. The next home remedy I want to purchase is a neti pot...anyone had any luck with those?

Happy New Year...see you in 2008!

The most wonderful time

2007-12-16T22:04:00.000-06:00

I want to be a better blogger....really I do. I look at other blogs almost on a daily basis expecting an update, yet I still don't have the motivation to update my own. I wish I had cute pregnancy pictures like some, or perhaps even cute pictures of a baby to show, or even just a really cute dog to share with everyone...but instead you're getting a glimpse of our Christmas tree. Maybe next December will be more exciting. Until then though....our tree.

I could only select a few ornaments this year to put on the tree. Because I can probably count all the branches using just my fingers, I had a limited amount of space to hang the probably 30 ornaments in our collection. So without further hesitation, the selected ornaments are: This is Santa skiing. Clint's mom gave us this one during our ski trip 3 years ago. If you remember, I actually hate skiing, but really love this ornament.

We got this Santa two years ago while living in Tulia. I just love him. You might not be able to tell, but he's dressed as a farmer. You remember Tulia's welcoming sign right...."The richest land and the finest people."

This is the only non-Santa ornament on the tree. It's super special this year since our dog Murphy doesn't live with us anymore. That dog looks just like Murphy...brown spots and all.

This Santa has no real meaning behind him. He's on ice skates and just cute. Maybe I'll make up some story to go along with him...any ideas?

We got this snorkeling Santa to remind us of our honeymoon in Hawaii. Clint's family is thinking about going to Hawaii next Christmas....please please please keep your fingers crossed for this!

So that's it. We get a whole week and a day off for Christmas. I absolutely cannot wait for the break...it cannot come soon enough. Clint is finally finished with the worst semester of his life. We're praying for a B in Hebrew...you can pray too. Now, only a year and a half left of grad school for him. Enjoy Christmas everyone!

It's beginning to look a lot like....

2007-11-25T21:51:00.001-06:00

CHRISTMAS!!!

Just a few pictures of our little home decorated for Christmas! I loved pulling all these boxes out and decorating our tree. It's smaller than usual, but just perfect for us! It was snowing outside while I was doing all of this too....Happy Holidays!

I'm spoiled

2007-11-14T21:09:00.000-06:00

I celebrated my 25th birthday on Monday. I thought I would feel older since I'm mid way through my twenties....but nothing yet. I'm just the same. This really was one the best birthdays I've ever had. The girls kept talking about going to Prime Time on Sunday night. Prime Time is this great new place in Abilene...I went along with the plan just because I wanted to have fun that night. Needless to say, when we walked in to the restaurant all of my favorite Abilene people were there waiting for me. I think this is my first surprise party ever....thanks, Linds! Here's a pic of everyone after we ate dinner...they made me do the Kojie pop-out...am I doing it right? This was after all the fun we had...notice we're sweaty and red faced!

We got to play laser tag all together. The only rule in during the game was no running...well I think that's the most I've run in a long time! It was so fun....everyone scored in the triple digits...except two people. You guess who.
We also played miniature golf....so fun!

So....then I got another huge surprise last night from Clint. He took me on a wonderful date in down town Abilene and then gave me the best gift ever. If you'll remember Clint and I were high school sweethearts. Right before I came to ACU, Clint gave me a small diamond promise ring. Once we got engaged, I didn't wear the ring anymore. Clint ended up finding the ring and put the diamond in a necklace for me....SO SWEET! I love it, and cherish the time and effort he put into making this day so perfect!

I'm off to Amarillo next week for recruiting and then Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving...oh and the cold front came in today...yessss!

She owes me...

2007-11-08T21:35:00.000-06:00

I usually don't watch any sort of awards show or anything when they're on TV. I'll watch the red carpet specials before the shows, but never the shows themselves. Last night was the exception. Carrie was up for big awards. You know...Carrie Underwood. I love love love LOVE her! So when she walked away with not one, but two awards last night at the CMAs I remembered how she got where she is today. Here's the story...

It was a little over two years ago when Carrie became the American Idol. I remember it quite well. She was one of my picks from her very first audition...I just knew she could win it! You know how on the show, they pull the bottom three out every week and eliminate someone from there...well, she was never in the bottom three. Never. She was a crowd favorite from day one. It came down to the finals...it was either her or Bo Bice. Bo Bice...sick. So I watched them both sing, "I wanna be inside your heaven," for the finale and I knew Carrie had it won hands down. Clint, however liked Bo. Who does that? So we made an agreement right there. He could vote for Bo twice and I could vote for Carrie twice. We shook, we voted, and he went on with his evening. I went for a walk later that night with my cell phone, and little did Clint know I was calling in and voting for Carrie the entire time! I probably racked up about forty calls for her...I was so proud.

Needless to say Carrie won, nobody was surprised. Clint didn't find out what I did for quite some time and it's still a rough subject to bring up. He thinks I cheated...I just played smarter than he did. I admit that I cried my eyes out when she sang the final night. She was and is sooo good. So last night, I may have teared up again when Carrie won female vocalist of the year, but please don't tell Clint! He'll make fun of me even more.

In other news, Sigma Gata Kai lost in the quarter finals. Who knew Tony Romo was enrolled at ACU? The girl was unbelievable. Oh well, we're geared up for basketball now. Oh, and DeAnna's gonna walk away with the Bachelor....I call it, she'll owe me too.

Everything Changes

2007-11-01T17:21:00.000-05:00

I started blogging a little over two years ago right after Clint and I moved to Tulia. I recently went back through everything I had written and loved remembering the funny stories and the things running through my mind at particular moments. I started the blog because I could only anticipate what was to come in Tulia, Texas and wanted my friends to be able to keep up with me. The blog then and for the past two years was properly titled, “New Beginnings.”

Clint and I were beginning our lives as real adults. This was our first big move as a married couple, our first church to become ministers at, our first real house together…so many “firsts” for us. Soon after we moved to Tulia, we adopted our first puppy! Murphy added so much to our family and we love that he is still a part of us. (We had to give Murphy to Clint’s parents when we moved back to Abilene since we don’t have a back yard.) Tulia is such a monumental place for us…cheesy I know. But for real, it is.

We grew so much when we were in Tulia….physically because of all the potlucks…but spiritually as well. It was a little over a year ago that we left Tulia. Just thinking back on that morning that we told the kids brings tears to my eyes. I hated to leave, but knew that the Lord was calling us in a different direction. So here we are a year later….

I started at ACU a year ago tomorrow. Funny how time flies. So, we’re not in the “New Beginning” stages anymore. I’m not sure really where we are in life so I’ve decided to call the blog…”Somewhere in Between.” I’m so content about where we are in life right now. School is tough for Clint, but we know it will pay off. My job is difficult at times, but I’m so thankful for it. So there it is…a new title and a new look...tell me what you think!

The Greatest Homecoming on Earth

2007-10-22T23:09:00.000-05:00

I love this time of year...the colder weather, the smell of the heater coming on for the first time, and wearing sweaters to work are my absolute favorite things! I was giddy this morning as I went to work in the cool crisp air! Sigma Gata Kai had a football game tonight and we all had to wear sweatshirts and tights....it was awesome (not to mention that we won too!)

Well....here's my recap of homecoming. To make a long blog short...I'll go with a top ten list...in no particular order though.

1. The Homecoming Musical, Aida! Clint and I went on Saturday night and even though I was dead tired from the day, it was so fun to go! The two leads were amazing and I just love knowing that ACU has some very talented students. I loved seeing students that I recruited on stage as well!

2. I loved the parade. Of course the Squigs were precious and it was so fun to stand with friends and remember when we were in the parade years ago. Don't judge me....but my freshman year at ACU I didn't even know there was a homecoming parade! I woke up in my dorm room that morning to all these girls shouting....I looked out my window and was quite suprised!

3. Of course the football game will make anyone's list! I'm so sad that we lost, but it was an exciting game to watch. Linds, Kenli and I wore our purple with pride and even joined in with school spirit by putting wildcat tatoos on our cheeks! We're cool.

4. I did decide to go to the Siggie breakfast on Saturday morning. I hadn't been to the breakfast since my junior year, and I now remember why. Sorry to say.....but it was lame. I'm never paying money to wake up at 5 in the morning to sit with the girls I see on a daily basis anyway. It only made me more exhausted as the day went on. Linds and I did start hissing at one point though...that was funny.

5. I loved seeing friends that I hadn't seen in quite a while. Shout out to Kenli, Linds King, and Jenny...soo good seeing all of y'all.

6. Both of Clint's sisters were in town for the weekend and it was fun to catch up with both of them. We haven't seen each other since June so it was nice to have them at the house and hanging out with them.

7. Here I am at 7 and can't really think of anything else to put on my list. Overall, I just love ACU Homecoming. Now, if it will just stay cold outside and Christmas will be here before we know it!

8. This is totally non ACU homecoming related, but go check out this blog. http://www.fabulouskblogdesigns.blogspot.com/ She makes the cutest blog designs and I want a free one! Let's cross our fingers that my name gets picked.

Happy Fall Break everyone!

2007-10-14T22:20:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday was Clint's 26th birthday! We celebrated by going to Amarillo for the weekend so that our parents could spoil us. We enjoyed some great meals and it's always comforting being with our parents. My birthday is next month so we both were treated with gifts and good wishes. This is the first time in my life, that I really have felt a difference in age. At dinner with Clint's parents we figured out that Clint and I had celebrated 9 birthdays together....crazy! I mean, sure we're not that old....but we just feel different. Anyone get it?

So in honor of Clint's birthday here are a few things I love about him:

*I love his height. Sometimes I forget how tall he really is, but think about it...I never lose him in a crowd, I never feel scared when he's around and, kids make the funniest faces and say the funniest things about how big he is. But I also love how he doesn't make a huge deal out of it either. Anytime we're on an airplane and the person in front of him leans their seat back, I'm always like..."you want me to tell them how long your legs are?" He never wants to inconvenience anyone over it.

*I love how passionate he is about being a minister. He studies hours on end every single week and it's inspiring how much he wants to take in. He's preaching at a nine member congregation 40 miles from our house....who does that and loves it as much as he does? I asked him last week how long he plans to preach at Cottonwood and he said, "until they don't want me, or until I can't learn any more from them." I get frustrated at times because it's out of my comfort zone, and just not the most fun to drive out there every week....but he is constant...constantly learning and constantly loving on those people.

*I love how he is always striving to be better. His mom asked him at dinner the other night what his one wish would be for his birthday. He said that he just wants to get better...better at being a husband, better at being a brother, better at being a son, better at being a student, better at being a minister...just better at life. Can't get much better than that!

Those are just a few things that I love about him...I'll stop bragging now. We did get to make a stop in Tulia while we were in the area. We LOVED seeing everyone and felt so encouraged by the church family there. Life in Tulia was so simple and Clint and I do miss that at times. Nobody has moved into our old house and the bottle of antifreeze I left on the front porch a year ago was still there. There's a sign on the side of the road as you're going into Tulia that says, "The richest land and the finest people." It's funny, but in actuality, it's right on target.

Long time...no blog

2007-09-20T22:14:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I'm back...for now at least. Everytime I sit down to blog, I just can't think of what to say. Life has been busy, a good busy though. Clint is in the full swing of classes. He's taking 12 hours which is a full load for grad students. He's also the TA for two different classes, and he's still preaching. Work never quits for me....I sometimes feel that it's all I do. Of course, it's not all I do, but all I think about at times. I really need to break that habit!

In my 100 things about me I said that I secretly want to live in Abilene the rest of my life. I really just think I want to live in Abilene with all the same people for the rest of my life too....who's in? It was a year ago that Clint and I were thinking about moving back to Abilene....time sure has flown.

Brenna, Johnna, Linds and I went to the Fair the other night. Linds and I were particularly interested in how to eat healthy at the fair. We read in the Abilene Reporter News that these are the things you could eat at the fair if you were concerned with calories: pickles (not fried),baked potato (no toppings), water, and mustard. Really? So instead, I fasted the entire day and then ate pretty much everything in sight once I got there. We stayed til it closed and I have never wanted to puke so much in my life. Linds and I with our sausage on a stick. This was our first stop followed by: aggie fries, fried pickles, dippin dots, cheesecake on a stick, and a funnel cake. Don't judge us.

This was us after going through the Fun House....it really wasn't as fun as it looks...we just wanted a cute picture.

This random guy walked around the entire fair....and he walks around Abilene dressed like this. Again, don't judge us for taking a picture with him.

On Saturday we went to the ACU football game....it was as fun as high school games used to be. We were too old for the student section though....you can't tell though right?

We had our annual retreat at work this week. We worked one day and played the next. It was my first time to play paintball and although it was fun, I wouldn't insist on going again. I got away with only one bad bruise....I pretty much stayed in one place at a time. There's no way I would trust any of the guys I work with...they are hard core.

I'm about to start traveling for work again. Next week I'm off to Denver and Colorado Springs...I can't wait! Oh and I almost forgot.....we're playing flag football. The girls in Admissions and a few others are playing in the Rec leauge. We were all in different clubs in school so our team is called Sigma Gata Kai...funny huh. I'll post pics of that once I get them. We play GATA this week...get excited! That's it for now...check back in a month!

2007-08-19T10:23:00.000-05:00

Well....summer is pretty much officially over. All of the freshman moved in yesterday and it was so rewarding. I loved roaming the halls of Gardner and seeing what each room looked like. I woke up yesterday morning with butterflies in my stomach, the same feeling I had six years ago at this time. I just want that same experience for all these students...the one that I had at ACU. Welcome Week kicks off this week so it will be fun to see each one of them here actually on campus. I can't wait!

Last night the beautiful Katie Brophy got married! Her wedding was so fun, and of course she was a stunning bride. I didn't get too many pictures, but here are some that I did get. The other pictures are just some fun ones over the summer. I really can't believe it's time for school to start again. I'm ready for the Fall to get here...it's my favorite season!

The bride and I at her reception.

We looked good...we know.

4th of July with the girls.

Clint and I in New Hampshire.

Us in New Hampshire again.

On our anniversary in May at the Ranger game.

100 things...

2007-07-26T23:09:00.000-05:00

I've been seeing this on a few blogs lately so I thought I would join in. You never realize how hard it is to think of 100 things that make yourself unique until you sit down and actually do it. Here goes...

1. I've gone by Kat since 3rd grade.
2. My softball coach would yell "Kat" instead of Kathryn...it just stuck.
3. My boss wants me to go by Kathryn...I haven't gotten used to it yet, probably never will.
4. I wash, blow dry and straighten my hair at night. It saves me time in the morning.
5. I'm a night owl.
6. When I was young, I used to eat marshmellows and ketchup...sick, I know.
7. Now, I can't stand when Clint squirts out a puddle of ketchup just to dip his fries.
8. I get motion sickness pretty easily.
9. I have a weak stomach all together.
10. I played volleyball for 8 years.
11. Two of those years, I was on a traveling team.
12. I was a defensive specialist....never got to play the front row.
13. I used to get my hair cut every 6 weeks...now it's usually every 3 months.
14. I was in 3 high school musicals.
15. And competed in two one act plays.
16. I was the editor of the high school newspaper...geek, I know.
17. I asked Clint on our first date.
18. 6 months later he asked me out on the second date.
19. We dated for five years before we were married.
20. I have to stand on my tip toes to kiss him.
21. He's 6'8 and we sleep in a Queen size bed.
22. I only have half of a....well you should know.
23. I hate flying in air planes.
24. I can't go to sleep at night until the house is picked up.
25. I can't stand shoes not being in the closet.
26. I can't stand hangers without clothes on them.
27. Therefore, I usually do laundry quite often.
28. I hit the snooze button at least twice every morning.
29. I clean the toilets every Saturday.
30. I never wash clothes in hot water, it makes me nervous.
31. I never go to the movie theatre....Clint hates that about me.
32. There's a right and a wrong way to load the dishwasher. If you don't know the right way, just let me do it.
33. I really like the people I work with.
34. ACU is the second university I've worked for.
35. Wayland Baptist was the first.
36. I used to be a youth minister's wife.
37. I'm secretly terrified to be a preacher's wife.
38. I worked ACU Leadership Camps all four of my college summers.
39. I can't wait for my children to go to those camps.
40. I have the names all picked out for our kids.
41. Who knows when they are going to come though.
42. I love "The Bachelor."
43. I try to work out 5 days a week....sometimes it doesn't happen.
44. I secretly want to live in Abilene the rest of my life.
45. I love the Core 7.
46. I brush my teeth first thing in the morning.
47. I've worn contacts since 5th grade.
48. My major at ACU was Human Comms....I think it was the easiest major available.
49. I tear up everytime Clint speaks at Kadesh.
50. I wonder how tall our kids will be. Hopefully, I'll even them out.
51. I was the chaplain of siggies one year...it was tougher than I thought it was going to be.
52. I love practical jokes.
53. I never skipped school.
54. I usually always follow the rules.
55. I'm super competitive.
56. Clint beat me in putt putt last week, and I didn't talk to him the whole way home.
57. In 7th grade I was on the B basetball team....I should have been on the A team.
58. I made the A team the next year though.
59. I quit basketball all together after that.
60. I don't like snow skiing.
61. But I like wearing the outfits.
62. I love water skiing though.
63. But hate how your thighs have to show when you're doing it.
64. I'm required to make 40 phone calls a week....can I get your number?
65. I had personalized license plates on my first car.
66. They said, "KittyK"
67. I don't have an I-pod....but really want one.
68. I read blogs of people I don't know....who doesn't?
69. I can't wait to be a mom.
70. I tear up at every wedding I go to.
71. I can't stand "The Simpsons" and can't understand why anyone would see that movie.
72. I could eat a cheese burger everyday.
73. I got braces when I was in third grade.
74. I couldn't say my R's when I was young.
75. I've had my ears pierced several times. They would always close up though.
76. I got my second hole pierced right before pledging Siggies.
77. Therefore, that second hole closed up, and I have't gotten redone.
78. I've been to New York twice, but want to go back at Christmas time.
79. I could spend days in Target just walking and looking around.
80. I don't like to talk on the phone.
81. I almost went to UNT, but at the last minute changed my mind.
82. I'm so glad I did.
83. I was the Co-Chair of Freshman Follies, and probably made some enemies.
84. Hopefully I didn't keep the enemies.
85. I secretly just sung the melody in every Sing Song Act.
86. I couldn't move my arms and not sing the words at the same time.
87. I wish I knew how to scuba dive.
88. I sunburn easily...but it turns tan in a matter of hours.
89. Sometimes I wonder why people stare at Clint.
90. Then I remember how tall he is.
91. I get stys in my eye often.
92. I love beauty pageants.
93. I've never had the chicken pox...promise.
94. I just cut my hair off and am sort of regretting it.
95. I've cried many times after hair cuts.
96. My love language is quality time.
97. I've always wanted to enjoy reading, but I don't.
98. I have a major sweet tooth. I love dessert!
99. I love looking at people's pictures of facebook.
100. I really do want to "change the world" somehow.

That's it! I could proably post another 100 at some point, but I'll spare you the time. Now...you do it. I tag Linds Hall and Leslie. Have fun!

2007-07-20T22:46:00.000-05:00

I've been a bad blogger lately. I think that we're all in agreement, that it's not that we don't want to blog...it's just that we don't have anything to blog about. And what's a post without pictures....so I waited til I could make a triumphant come back. This is it!

Lindsay had the wonderful idea of making these last few weeks of summer really feel like summer. So we've been doing summer type things...laying out, swimming, walking...well that's about it, but we still have a month to go! A few weeks ago, we decided to take Lindsay's dog, Norm, swimming with us. Nobody else was out at the pool and Norm did so well. He would just bounce around the whole pool and get so close to jumping...but he never did. Here's a shot of him wanting to jump! Don't mistake him for horse...he is a dog, promise.

I got to babysit Riley a few weeks ago as well. We were just sitting in the chair chillin, and then all of a sudden the chips I was eating were all over me. It was priceless. How can you get mad at that face?

Leslie celebrated her birthday as well! Happy Birthday Leslie! We treated her to lunch and pedicures that afternoon and enjoyed our girl time together.

This past week has been SO crazy! I couldn't resist being on the ACU campus and not being a part of camp. So..I worked out a plan to still work 40 hours a week and lead a Learning to Lead group. It was difficult at times, but very much worth it. I've discovered that I'm not as crazy as I used to be when I was a counselor. I was more of a sit back and let others go crazy type leader this week...nothing like I used to be! Leslie and I got to lead a group of 4th and 5th graders and they were absolutely precious! I'm always amazed at how much they know about the Bible and how much they know about life in general. Leslie and I laughed a lot this week, and it was so good to be a part of camp again. It's interesting to see how a 4th grader can influence your life in so many ways. The Lord was definitely at work within me, and hopefully within the campers as well.

Here's a picture of our group during one of the class times.

We got to choose our group color....of course we chose Hot Pink! We matched almost everyday! Oh and as we walked around the campus all week with our 4th and 5th graders we would always chant, "Drop it like it's hot...pink!" I'm not sure they got it...but we loved it!

Another picture of class time.

Here they are...the Hot Pink Panthers! Drop it like it's hot pink!

So that's it. Clint is leading a group at Kadesh this week with the famous Brenna Schartz. That group will be out of control! He's excited to be back in that atmosphere again as well.

On a sad note, a lady in our church passed away this morning. She was elderly and in the hospital when she died with her husband right by her side. She was a precious example of what truly serving the Lord looked like. Clint will perform her funeral on Tuesday. He's a bit nervous about it...being his first one, but I know that the Lord will bless him. Pray for him if you get a second on Tuesday afternoon. That's all for now...more to come!

4th of July!

2007-07-05T21:51:00.000-05:00

I've always loved the 4th of July. I think this was the first time in my whole life that I wasn't with my family on the 4th. We're usually grilling out and also celebrating my aunt Kim's birthday. It was a little sad not to be eating one of my dad's awesome hamburgers and digging into cake and ice cream, but we still managed to have a great time with our Abilene gang.

We did get to celebrate Riley's first birthday! He is the most precious baby boy ever...and he sure did love diving into his cake. Holly's such a good mom, she went above and beyond for his birthday....so fun! Later that day I lounged by the pool with Linds (sorry, not posting pics of that) and then went to see the fire works with the girls.

Has anyone seen Paula Abdul's new reality TV show? Please don't judge me, but I just watched it for the past 30 minutes....I feel like throwing up. Enjoy the pictures!

The weather in Abilene has been so humid...please disregard my frizzy hair!

Riley digging in!

The boys created their own four square court....geeks.

The girls, plus baby Cora, watching fire works! Yes, I'm supporting the Tulia t-shirt! Go Hornets!

On Golden Pond...

2007-06-23T22:53:00.000-05:00

Well, we're back from vacation...it was awesome! I wasn't sure why Clint's family picked New Hampshire for vacation this summer, but once we got there we all understood. We had a cabin that was on Squam Lake. My in-laws kept telling us that it's where the movie "On Golden Pond" was filmed, but none of us kids had even heard of that movie...so we weren't too excited. The best part about the vacation was that I only put makeup on one time, and only fixed my hair twice. We lounged around on the lake everyday and just relaxed.

It's so easy for me to get caught up in my daily routine here in Abilene and forget to stop and notice what God's doing in my life. I was able this past week to be calm, and realize what He has planned for me. It's so refreshing to be centered again.

Here are a few pictures of the vacation. I wanted to post pictures of the day we went water skiing, but I will spare you all the misery of my thighs. Oh and one more thing....we spent all of Monday and Tuesday in the lake just playing around, skiing, and boating so I was obviously in the sun all day. Well...I woke up Wednesday morning and something had gone completely wrong. My lips were the size of Angelina Jolee's. I had an allergic reaction to the sun and they swelled up three times their normal size. Again, no need to post pictures of that. Luckily, I'm all better now.

Passport, ACU's student orientation is this week. Where has the summer gone? I'm so excited to finally get to meet the kids that I've been recruiting this whole year. They are long days, but well worth it. Enjoy the pictures! Clint was reluctant to take this picture...but I made him.

All the kids after water skiing...(notice I'm standing on a box...I'll never be as tall as the Burns family!)

Clint and I in front of the little pub we ate at one night. The towns around us were so cute and just like I imagined New England to be.

Rusty, Scott and Clint in the canoe....they tipped the boat over only moments after this picture. Although we lauged a lot a first, it was quite scary for the 20 minutes it took them to swim back to shore with the canoe.

Lake Squam, right off of our dock.

Clint and I about to take the canoe out.

The whole family after hiking up Rattle Snake Mountain. The view was incredible.

And all that Jazz

2007-06-09T21:31:00.000-05:00

This weekend, Clint surprised me with a quick trip to Dallas to celebrate our anniversary. I knew that we were going somewhere this weekend, but I didn't know where until we got there. When I got off work on Thursday, I got into my car to find Part 1 of the Anniversary Celebration. Clint had put a change of clothes in my car along with a sweet note telling me that I had a pedicure and manicure appointment in 20 minutes. I quickly changed clothes, and was pampered for the next hour or so.

The next morning we headed out of town to Dallas. Dallas isn't a huge deal to some people....but it's always a lot of fun for us. That night Clint had a wonderful evening planned for us. After getting ready for the night, I got another sweet note telling me what to expect next. Clint took me to the restaurant that we went to on our first anniversary. It's called La Duni and it's simply wonderful.....if you live in Dallas, definitely check it out!

During dinner, I got another note with theatre tickets inside. The Broadway cast of "Chicago," was in Dallas and Clint got tickets to go see it. He actually didn't know that I have never seen the musical or even watched the movie....we even own it! So it was better than he thought....we had great seats and Lisa Rhinn was the star! You know....Lisa from Dancing with the Stars, she also played Billie in Days of our Lives back in the day! So it was definitely cool seeing her in person. After the musical we actually went back to La Duni for their outstanding desserts. I don't even want to know how many calories is in the one piece of cake I had!

Overall it was a great anniversary celebration. Clint did a wonderful job of surprising me and wooing me. Today we just hung out in Dallas and headed home this afternoon. Clint starts his summer job tomorrow as a waiter at Red Robin....he picked Red Robin because all their food comes in those baskets so he doesn't have to worry about breaking any plates!

Next week we're headed to New Hampshire with Clint's family for vacation on the lake! Have a good few weeks...

A day at the ballpark

2007-05-27T20:51:00.000-05:00

For our 3rd wedding anniversary, I suprised Clint with tickets to the Ranger vs. Redsox game in Arlington today. I loved putting the date together for us, and he was totally suprised! I was so excited to give it to him that I almost spilled the beans multiple times...but I didn't! So we drove to Arlington today and ate lunch and then enjoyed a great day at the ballpark. I haven't been to a baseball game like this since I was very little, and Clint hadn't been in a few years. We had great first base line seats and almost caught a foul ball three different times! Two of the people that did catch the foul balls were sent to the hospital for breaking their wrists....so maybe it's a good thing we didn't catch them! It was quite the drama!

I was trying to get Sammy Sosa in the picture, but he wouldn't look at me...

It was raining just a bit when we got to the ballpark, but the sun finally came out and it was great weather!

See how close we were! We even won some tickets for a future game this summer....I really hope we get to go back! Overall, it was a great anniversary celebration. I loved just hanging out with Clint without books or work hanging over our heads. We're moving down the street this week, so it could be a bit busy. Can you believe it's June....where did September go?

More pictures!

2007-05-13T18:31:00.000-05:00

I think I've resorted to typing less and just posting more pictures. It seems easier that way...and maybe more enjoyable for my audience. This post is way over due, but I still want to tell you about it. Last weekend we went to Leslie's in-laws lake house. It was just the 7 of us girls...no makeup, no fashion shows, no boys....just careless fun. We ate til our stomachs hurt...and then ate some more. We played truth or truth til we knew every detail about each other, and really had the best time. Sometimes, I feel like I'm in college all over again...that's ok with me. When I was back in Tulia and the idea of moving back to Abilene came up, I hate it. I was definatley against it at first, but my idea of Abilene after college was completely wrong. I'm loving it here, and these girls are extremely precious to me. These are the types of relationships we're called to. We had a strick packing list for the weekend. Everyone could only bring one bag...this was the entire lugguage for 7 girls...pretty impressive!

Leslie and I in the car...Brenna's back there too!

Me, Katie and her sunburn. I forgot my sunglasses, so I had to borrow the aviators from Lindsay....they look much better on her!

I was minding my own business, just laying out on the deck when a dang wasp came up and stung me. It hurt for about 30 minutes and then I was fine, but I did have a bit of a reaction...good thing it was only like this for a few hours!

Gotta love self timers!

Scott and Lauren graduated from ACU this weekend. They are moving to San Antonio next week to start medical school. Notice that my Wildcat is the best one...perfect form! Our 3rd anniversary is this week, so hopefully I'll post about the nice things Clint did for me...cross your fingers!

Nothing New

2007-05-02T21:49:00.000-05:00

Well, nothing new has been up lately so here are some pictures to hold you over. Work is still really busy, and Clint is almost finished with his first semester of school since we've been back. We're getting ready to move in about a month and I'll be glad to be settled in finally! More to come... Here's the little church that Clint and I go to every Sunday. Clint leads singing, teaches class and preaches. He's a one stop shop. It's not our ideal church, but it's great experience for us!

Here's the OSS team at our Mr. Gattis party. Coach Brenna presented all of us with awards...we're a little too excited.

Here we are again with our first place trophy! Just wait til flag football...

Darby, Linds and I participated in the ACU rodeo about two weeks ago. We were supposed to dress a goat...but we were the only team that didn't even catch one! Wait til flag football on this one too!

We had a surprise birthday party for Lindsay at the bowling alley. I absolutely love these friends and all the fun we have together. We're headed to the lake this weekend and I can't wait! Don't mind where Kaitlyn's hand is in this picture....she didn't mean to!

Founder's Day!

2007-04-15T03:50:00.000-05:00

Life has been a bit busy lately, therefore my blogging has not been top priority. I've worked a lot these past few weeks and it always seems I'm either in a meeting or returning phone calls. I experienced the worst part of my job thus far this past week. We decided which students would receive the "most prestigious" award at ACU this past week...the Presidential Scholars. It's my job however to call and tell the students that most of them didn't receive the scholarship. Some were silent, many cried, and all were disappointed. Those phone calls were so difficult. The Presidential process is very lengthy and competitive so I got to know the students who were going for it pretty well. I hated being the one to tell them. Good thing that only happens once a year.

This weekend Clint is gone to Dusty's wedding so I got to spend so much time with the girls. It was a blast. Friday night was filled with fun activities and then Saturday we decided to go to Abilene's Founder's Day. We walked down town despite the chilly weather, and even spent the whole day exploring historic Abilene. We all ate way too much, but it was so fun! Here are a few pictures from the day. Johnna, Brenna and Katie....those funnel cakes were sooo good! Too bad the wind caught one and it ended up in Johnna's lap!

Linds and I with our sausage on a stick!

We rode the trolley all over down town and learned so much about the history of Abilene...we're geeks, we know.

It took us about 10 shots to get one good picture at this fountain, but finally our persistence paid off! We've got our OSS Intramural party tomorrow night at Gattis, I'll post those pictures soon!

Intramural Champs!

2007-03-30T22:02:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite activities at ACU was participating in intramurals. When we found out that any ACU staff member could also play in intramurals...we jumped on the opportunity. We called ourselves OSS...it stands for Old School Siggies!! Most of us were Siggies so we thought we'd be cool and call ourselves that. We just wanted to have some fun with eachother, but we started winning every single game. Last night we got to the playoffs and ended up winning it all! We were shocked! We beat out all the clubs and even the impossible ISA team. This is my first intramural champion team to be a part of....it was so fun! Next week we're even having our team party at Mr. Gattis! I love being in Abilene and all the fun opportunities we have here! Go OSS!

There she is...

2007-03-24T12:04:00.000-05:00

Ever since I was a little girl, I've loved watching any sort of beauty pageant. I remember gathering around the television with my family when every pageant came on....no matter what pageant it was, we were watching it. My favorite part has always been when they announce every single candidate. My favorite was always Miss Texas....how could I go against my home state? My dad could always pick the exact winner after viewing the 50 candidates...he never missed one!

Well anyway, as you may know Miss USA was on last night. I was so excited that I invited all the girls over to the house to watch the pageant...and we even had one of our own! It was wonderful! We all wore a formal dress and after the candidates were announced we even made our own sashes. Lindsay was Miss ACU, Leslie was Miss Thang, I was Miss Demeanor (get it?) and Darby was Miss Thailand...cause she lived there for a long time. There were others...but I can't seem to remember them. In between commercials we took our own headshots and had a secret vote for Miss Photogenic...Amanda won...she's so lucky! I actually won Miss Congeniality...and was so shocked...haha! We shared our special talents and Leslie won that round. It was sooo fun!

After typing all this, I might realize how dumb it sounds...but who cares. I love doing goofy things with girlfriends. I could never do this in Tulia! After the top five were announced in the real pageant, we all LOVED Miss Tennessee....and she went on to win the title. We were so proud! Anyway...here's a picture of the night...I love girlfriends! And I think we could all give Miss Tennessee a run for her money someday!

Megan: Miss Awkward, Leslie: Miss Thang, Brenna: Mrs. Devin Harris, Darby: Miss Thailand, Holly: Miss Chief (get is..mischief), Amanda: her's could be inappropriate, Me: Miss Demeanor, Lindsay: Miss ACU

If anyone is still reading...

2007-03-18T21:21:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if anyone still reads....but I'm going to try harder at this blogging thing. Here's the deal though...in Tulia I had loads of time on my hands and plenty of interesting stories to tell. Here in Abilene I don't get many free moments, and nothing quite as funny or interesting happens here....I'm mean there's not that many people or situations to make fun of any more. Tulia was filled with those situations.

I'm still loving my job. Since January, I've traveled to Atlanta, Albuquerque, Amarillo and Lubbock for recruiting events. It's been quite the adventure in each city, and I really enjoy seeing families chose ACU. When I hear students tell me that they have chosen a different university it really does break my heart sometimes. We're selling something that's intangible and it's difficult for families to see what their student could really get at ACU...but that's life I guess. I can't wait for these students that have chosen ACU to be here and see what we're all about...they'll love it!

Clint has started preaching at a very small congregation in Cottonwood Texas. It's about 40 miles Southeast of Abilene and has about 8 weekly members. This week my parents were in town and we had some visitors so we blew attendance out of the water with a whopping 15 people. They didn't even have enough cups for communion prepared. Clint teaches Bible class, leads singing and does the sermon...he's a one stop shop. The singing today was awful, and it makes Clint and me laugh so much, but the people are so genuine. They already love Clint and are so gracious to help Clint grow into the preacher he desires to be. I want to take some pictures of the church building next week to prove to you all how small it really is. It's cute though...and we're thankful.

Even though I didn't win the little weight loss challenge I was in with a few girls here, I'm still working out and really changing my eating habits. I love working out when one of my favorite TV shows is on...the other night while watching Grey's I looked down and had been on the elliptical for over an hour! It's easy to work out when you're distracted!

Well...that's it for now. All of you keep posting because I still enjoy reading yours! Oh and who wants to teach me how to get my blog looking cute...mine's still the old boring stuff! Leslie, come teach me! Have a great week!

Don't give up on me yet!

2007-02-11T19:24:00.000-06:00

I know, I'm an awful blogger. But don't give up...have hope! Since it's been quite a while since I last visited my blog, here's a quick update on everything that's been keeping me busy.

1. Although I really do love my new job, it has been a life change for me. In Tulia I would come home at 5 and not think about work one bit until I got there the next day. Our life after 5pm was relaxing and quiet. Now, I don't go into work until 10 or 11 on most days and that's super nice, but I stay until 7 or 8 everynight. By the time I get home at night, I cook super and then Clint's ready to go to bed. We don't get to see each other much, and we haven't adjusted to that yet. I do however, really love my job and the people I work with are wonderful!

2. I took my first recruiting trip to Atlanta, Georgia a few weeks ago. It was my first time to stay in a hotel by myself, rent a car by myself, and maybe even fly by myself. It felt so weird. Luckily David Pittman came along for a few days and was such a help. It's fun to have another state in the territory I recruit. I'm headed to Albuquerque, New Mexico in about a week or so. I really do enjoy talking to high school students about their college decision and why they should consider ACU...I mean why shouldn't you consider ACU???

3. Clint reads all the time. He's really taking this second go round at grad school like a full time job. I think he needed time to mature a bit before he could really take this grad school thing seriously. He comes home and explains deep theological stuff to me at night, I pretend to get it...but I don't. He'll make a wonderful preacher someday...I can't wait.

4. I've been working out at Hendrick Health Club pretty much everyday lately. I don't think I'm going to win the weight loss challenge I have going with a few girls, but my body feels better and I can tell a difference in my health. I tried a new step class the other night...it was awful. I couldn't get a single one of the steps and I think I worked the same leg for the whole hour. They told us if we get lost with the steps, to just keep marching. I was doing a lot of marching...oh and the instructor was 4 months prego....really. That made me feel really good.

5. I'm a new fan of Grey's Anatomy. I started watching it during Thanksgiving and I can't miss a show now. Clint actually likes it too and sometime we argue with what's going to happen next. I'm usually right about that sort of stuff though...stick to your theology, Clint.

6. So that's what's been up. I think my digital camera is having some issues. I would post some pictures of our life here in Abilene, but I can't. So instead, I'll give a shout out to our new friends James and Leslie...and Kaitlyn and Cora too. We love them, and I think Leslie and I might be the same person, except she has red hair. Linds Hall and I have a ball at work together, and I'm so glad she's there to laugh with. Jordan and Katie and I had a girls night the other night...I definitely didn't have those in Tulia. Here's a pic of Clint's family in Florida over Christmas.

Keep reading...don't give up on me yet!

Finally

2007-01-08T21:11:00.000-06:00

Life has been so busy lately and obviously blogging has been the last thing on my mind...until now! Blogger won't let me post pictures right now, so those will have to come later, but here's a quick update.

The week before Christmas, Clint and I went to Florida with his family. It was such a great week. We hadn't spent a week together since the beginning of November. Each day we drove our boat out to a different beach and it was simply wonderful. We saw dolphins each day swimming and playing in the ocean, and it was so relaxing to have that week together. On our way back, Clint and I got bumped off the plane to Amarillo from Dallas. Although it was so frustrating, we made it through and decided to rent a car to drive home that night.

Christmas was great with both families as well. It was quick because we had to get back to Tulia to say our goodbyes. Christmas Eve was our last Sunday in Tulia. It was bittersweet. We were sad to leave our good friends there, but are now so excited about the opportunities for us here in Abilene. More on that later.

We made the big move to Abilene on December 30th. We filled a whole rental truck and four other cars. It was so packed, and we were lucky to get all our stuff to Abilene. Oh and did I mention that it was snowing in Tulia when we were loading...cause it was. So now we've been in Abilene together for a little over a week. Clint started classes today, and it's so great.

Our apartment is cute and fits us quite well. We just love living together again. I love not having to drive back and forth, and we LOVED going to Highland Church last Sunday. In our two and a half years of marriage we have never been just participants in worship. We have always been leaders of somesort, and it was different not to be leaders last Sunday. We're looking forward to this new life.

I still can't believe sometimes we're back in Abilene. It's different to live in a town with a WalMart and Starbucks. It's different to have restaurants to choose from, and different being back in a younger community. God is good, and we are thankful.

2006-11-20T18:53:00.001-06:00

Life is so busy. I've been here in Abilene for two weeks now, and it's so wonderful. I've got a pretty good grasp on the job so far, but there are still some things to learn. For the past two weeks I lived with a friend's mom, Jamie Truitt, and it was so fun! Yesterday I moved in with Jordan Purser and her roommate and it's going to be just as fun. It's stressful not having a place to call home, but I'm so grateful for relationships like these that I do have. Continue to pray for Clint and me as we make this transition. Our last Sunday in Tulia is Christmas Eve. It's stressful to live in two different cities, and I will be so excited when we are both in Abilene.

Sorry I've been so bad at updating this, but life is busy. Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-20T18:53:00.000-06:00

Here we go again

2006-11-01T20:37:00.000-06:00

I'm at home now for a few more days until I make my way back to Abilene. I really can't believe I'll be doing the Abilene/Tulia trip twice a week again. My last few days at work were fine. Those were great people that I left, but I never made any close relationsihps that I was sad to leave. At times, I look back on my 6th months at Wayland, and am disappointed that I didn't reach out to others more. I can't help that I didn't reach out to them now, but I can do better in my next position. I think it will be much easier in this new environmennt anyay.

We spilled the beans to our church and youth group that we were leaving and it was one of the most difficult things that Clint and I have ever done. We will definately miss the relationships that we've made here, but are still confident that we made the right decision. It's hard to leave a place where you are loved so much, and feel that you made a difference in people's lives. But at the same time it's excited to go to a place where I know we will be challenged in a whole new aspect. Our feelings are bitter-sweet.

I've got a few more days here in Tulia and then start at ACU on Monday the 6th. I'm still homeless...so let's pray I find a place to live between now and then! Here's a few pics of the people we'll miss when we leave Tulia.
Me, Jenn, Jennifer and Melissa. If it weren't for these girls, living in Tulia would have been awful.
Clint and his BFF, Jaxon
Justin and I at our Trunk or Treat. He wore his dad's football uniform from ACU. How appropriate that we're doing the wildcat!

Big News!!!

2006-10-20T12:39:00.000-05:00

I can't keep the secret any longer...here's the long story (it's too good to keep it short)

As you know Clint and I moved to Tulia last July after Clint decided he wasn't liking grad school, and that he was ready for full time ministry. His heart has always been in pulpit ministry, but we accepted a job in Tulia for youth ministry. We dove right into our small church and community. We love the kids here and have made some of the best friends we could find.

Fast forward to this past July. Clint came home from Kadesh at ACU with many different things in his head. We sat down and he began to tell me how he could now see how grad school could help him in the future. We also agreed that we like living in a larger community, and Tulia has only 5,000 people and one grocery store. So...we started looking. We put Clint's youth ministry resume into several other churches in bigger cities, but we kept getting the same response....each church liked what Clint had to say, but we were too young. It was an understandable response, but we kept getting frustrated. One church even mentioned that they thought Clint might be better suited for preaching. They hit the nail on the head.

Fast forward to this September. Still doing a lot of thinking and praying, Clint and I went to ACU lectureship. It was a great time for both of us, and the start to our future. While we were there, Clint was bombarded with the question if he was coming back to grad school. He gave the same answer to most, explaining that we didn't know really what was going on, but that was definately an option.

Friday afternoon, I went to visit Linds Hall in the admissions office, just to catch up and visit with her. She told me about an admissions counselor opening and that I should think about applying. I left her office a few minutes later, only to recieve a phone call from Lindsey's boss asking to speak to me about the position. I went in and talked to the boss (really it was my first interview), and then left her office ready for my second interview on Monday. I stayed an extra day to have the second interview. We left Abilene trying to think about what had just happened. Had I really just applied for a job, really without knowing it? Things were crazy, and we had no clue what was going to happen next.

We got back to Tulia, and started praying even harder! If this was what we were supposed to do, then we wanted it to be extremly clear. The next week I got a call from the admissions office wanting me to do some tests and that sort of thing. They invited me to come back to Abilene and give a final presentation to their entire staff. My mom and I went down to Abilene two weeks ago, I visited with the other admissions counselors, gave my presentation, and left Abilene not knowing a thing. Clint and I were still in shock about what was happening and that everything was happening so quickly!

I got the call this Monday and accepted ACU's offer! So, starting November 6th, I'm the new admissions counselor for ACU. I'm thrilled! Clint will begin going to school again for his MDIV in January. We couldn't be more excited. It's obvious that the Lord had a hand in our future. If Clint wants to be a pulpit minister, that MDIV is necessary. It's a great time in our lives to do this as well...we don't have kids, we're still young enough to fit into the college scene, and we've been in full time ministry and understand now how that education will help us.

We've told our elders at our church and will tell our kids on Sunday. Many people in the community already know because it really is difficult to live in a small town and keep secrets. I'm not sure how the youth group will take it, but I'm confident that we are making the right decision. It's an open door and we would be foolish not to walk through it. Be in prayer for our weekend!

I'll update later this week on our feelings and more about my position. It's so exciting to see God at work in our lives. I would have never imagined that this is where we would end up, but the Lord has been faithful, and we are thankful for this faithfulness to us through this entire process. Blessings on your weekend!

2006-10-04T10:34:00.000-05:00

Those of you that I've actually talked to about our situation will be excited to know that I'm going to Abilene on Friday for more than just a visit. I want so badly to tell everyone what's going on, but again the sensitivity of the situation is too extreme. Your prayers are appreciated during this time. Hopefully we'll know something soon.

Not too much else is going on. The bosses at work are all gone this entire week so we've all been playing and not getting much done. When the cats away, the mice will play! I'll post more next week...now I have to prepare for my trip to Abilene!

I wanna go back...

2006-09-19T21:02:00.000-05:00

Driving into Abilene on Thursday night, I began to get a bit emotional the closer I got. I was so excited to be on campus again, and seeing many friends that were there as well. Don't judge me, but right before I took the Abilene exit I started singing all of the Siggie songs....in my head of course. Not out loud, don't worry, I'm not that lame. Well...Ros close your ears for this one...I started thinking about the Siggie stomp, and I couldn't remember the words! I was so upset with myself. Don't worry though, my siggie sisters helped me through and reminded me of those precious words.

We had lunch with Bob and Jan on Friday. What special people those two are. The opportunities they have presented are great, so we've got some decisions to make. That afternoon I ended up in Lindsay Hall's office and many conversations lead to another. I can't go into extreme detail, but let's just say that I stayed an extra day in Abilene unexpectedly because of wonderful things Linds Hall did for me. Thanks Linds!

I loved being a bid night again. I didn't love not knowing anyone that's actually in club, but I loved seeing and being with girls that I was in club with. Of course many of our conversations were those of what club was like back when, but those special bonds made in Siggies couldn't be made any where else. It's amusing to me that it took me a few years out of club to actually see and get what club is about. In college, it was about having fun for me. Sure I was with a great group of women then, but the connections I have now are much more meaningful than I would have ever thought...and though it's cheesy...it's because of Sigma Theta Chi. I wish those girls knew how much it really means.

Clint is still away at lectureship, and he is loving being there. He is being fed there, something that was very much needed for him. Our future is looking more and more clear. I want to tell everyone how God has been working, but the sensitivity of the issue is extreme. Know that God has revealed a plan for Clint and me, and that we couldn't be more thrilled. God is good.

Here's a story that happened today at work that I love.....This morning I threw on some clothes that I have purchased since living in Tulia. Clint and I don't make the big bucks and the closest clothing store is about 30 miles away....and it's not The Gap...it's WalMart. So yes, I do much of my shopping at WalMart. I used to be ashamed...not anymore! Today I was getting a copy from the printer and this girl walked by and said..."Kat you look so Banana Republic-ish today." Now, I usually could care less what this girl says...but get this. My shirt was purchased at WalMart, my pants from Target, and my shoes from Payless....haha tricked her!

As sand through the hour glass...

2006-09-07T11:11:00.000-05:00

Remember how I thought things would slow down once school started again....I was wrong. We are still continually busy. Here's a brief update of our lives...just in case you wanted to know:

1. Our dog, Murphy, got sprayed by a skunk over the weekend. Clint and I were inside and I could smell something coming from the backyard. After a few minutes of us arguing that there was "a smell," I finally went outside to find our poor dog. Clint couldn't smell anything, so he thought I was making it up. When I brought Murphy in, he realized that he was wrong. We had to soak him in tomato juice to get the smell out. I can't decide which is worse the smell of the skunk, or me and my dog covered in tomato juice...both were pretty disgusting!

2. Clint and I started a sexual purity study with our youth group last night. I've got the girls, he's got the boys. I had prayed and prayed about this night with the girls. I knew that they were pretty resistant to even studing this. Last night, my first night with the girls, was amazing! God completely out did himself. The girls were open, and I really think this will be a blessing for all of us.

3. Clint and I are still trying to figure out what's next for us. Although I love being a youth minister's wife, we aren't sure Clint's gifts lie in youth ministry. He's so gifted in many areas, but we are trusting God to take us where we are supposed to be. It's a difficult battle...you could pray ok.

4. The first Tulia football game was last week, and even though the whole town comes out for the games, the team still can't manage to win. The opposing team had two baton twirlers who couldn't seem to get it together either. It was quite the entertainment to see the girls crash into each other and then see the batons come crashing down on top of them. I couldn't contain my laughter!

5. We're going to Abilene in a week, and I'm so excited. If we're friends, and you live in Abilene...let's see each other!

Picture Update

2006-08-10T21:06:00.000-05:00

The summer is finally winding down and I'm so glad! The summer is a busy time for a youth minister. School starts on Monday here, and we're back to our usual Tuesday Movie nights for Middle school kids and Thursday Bible Studies with the high schoolers. I'm looking forward to getting back into the grove. Tomorrow night we end the summer with a huge bash. We're expecting a lot of kids to show up at our lock in tomorrow night. We start out at our church, then travel to Mr. Gattis for all the free pizza and games the kids want from 10pm-2am. Then we're back at our church for devos, murder in the dark, and lots of fun! You could pray for us...that we'll be alive on Saturday. Here's a few pictures from the past few weeks. Enjoy the last few days of summer! Me and Jen on the tubes at the lake. I was sooo sore the next day.
This is me getting up on the wake board on my 5th try! I had no idea what to do once I got up, but I kept screaming to Clint, "Take my picture, take my picture!" I was proud that I got up, and stayed up for a pretty long time!
I got to visit camp for just a few days, and sweet little Michal Kate just happened to be at camp. I'm so glad we got to see each other!
Here's Clint's Kadesh group for K3. He loved the week, and brought back many insights from it. Hopefully we'll be able to post about those really soon. Until then, you could just pray for us ok.
Here's a group of our middle school girls at our swim and serve night. First we started off at Faith City Missions to help feed the homeless, and then went swimming at a local pool. Updates about the lock in will come soon. Blessings.

Happy Birthday Momma

2006-07-26T22:31:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Mom! I would tell you how old she is today...but she'd get mad at me. Let's just say she's half way to 100. If you've met my mom, you know how great she is. She is a blessing to all she meets. She has a joy about life that you can easily see, and her laughter is contagious. Mom, I hope today and the rest of your life is filled with blessings. Love you.

A lousy top ten

2006-07-20T10:54:00.000-05:00

My blogging has been lacking lately because I haven't had too much to write about. Just to keep you updated with my life, here's a top ten list of what's been going on in good ole Tulia, Texas.

1. Clint was at Kadesh all week last week and I hated being home all by myself. I did get to go down to camp for Thursday night and all day Friday. I'm not sure it was a wise idea to visit because it just made me miss camp so much more. Sweet little Michal Kate was at camp and we had been anticipating our reunion since we heard the good news that we would see eachother.

2. Although we had a wonderful visit in Abilene, our house somehow got broken into while we were gone...ugh. All they stole was Clint's X-box and all his games. Weird that they didn't take our lap top computer that was two feet away from the X-box. Clint has been in mourning since we got home, but has decided that his X-box getting stolen is only a sign from God that he needs an X-box 360...yeah right! (I'm just upset that the X-box is gone and we didn't get any money for it!)

3. My job at Wayland is boring! I literally sit at a computer all day and search the internet. My bottom is actually starting to hurt when I go home at night because I've sat for hours doing nothing.

4. Clint and I are eagerly praying about our future. We're ready for the next step. We are at a weird time in life where we really don't know what's next...we know what we want to happen, but sometime God has different plans.

5. Summer isn't as fun when you have a full time job. I like wearing mesh shorts and pony tails to work rather than skirts and high heels.

6. I can't seem to remember how old I am. I'm constantly having to think if I'm 22 or 23. I always end up having to subtract 1982 from 2006. That makes me 23, going on 24. Weird.

7. I miss my college friends. My friends here are 30 and have kids. I have to be mature when I'm around them. If you are reading this, I probably miss you.

8. Clint's gone again all next week. This would be a great opportunity for those people who I miss so much to come and visit me in Tulia. I'll give free corn to everyone who comes to visit!

9. I moved offices at work yesterday. This one is a bit bigger and closer to all the other ladies in my office. There is this big ugly picture of a moose that has to stay in the office though...can it stay under the desk? I hate it.

10. If you have a blog, could you update it like twice a day? It would give me more to do at work. Thanks.

2006-07-05T21:42:00.000-05:00

I know I promised the video of Clint and me in our condo's swimming pool, but I can't figure out how to post the video....sorry. If you know how to do that sort of stuff please let me know.

I know I always seem to talk about Clint or children on my blog, but I can't help talking about the things I love! Since we've come to Tulia, Clint really has become a hero. I guess I'd never really encountered him with children much before we came here, or at least with children over a period of time. Because we're the youngest couple at our church, our friends are much older than us and all have children roaming around. Here's some of my favorite stories that have happened just recently.

Clint played the main character of "The Big Kahuna," in our VBS skits about a month ago and since then he's become a legend. Kids really can't differentiate between reality and fantasy so it's easy for them to fall in love with him. About three times a week we are over at our friends Zac and Jenn's house. They have a little boy Jaxon who is 2 and Skylar who is 6 months. Jaxon has fallen in love with Clint. The other day Jaxon's dad was going to play video games and sat down in the chair Clint usually sits in. Jaxon immediately begins to scream at his daddy demanding he get out of Clint's chair! Last night while some kids at church were shooting off fire works, Jaxon got a bit scared. His mom went over to comfort him, but when she got there he pushed her off and ran for Clint! Clint loves it of course, but it's gotta be a blow to the mom.

Last week some other friends of ours were in Red River when their 3 year old Josh saw one of those sculptures of a bear. After looking up at it for sometime, Josh says..."I don't think it's as big as Clint." Then on the way home there was a tree that had fallen over in the middle of the highway. All the cars were carefully going around it, and when it was their turn Josh says, "We should call Clint to move it."

I really love that kids love Clint. Josh's dad told Clint last night that he used to be Josh's hero until Clint came around. I think this quality about Clint is just one more way in which he's like Jesus...sounds silly I know. I think though that those kids have it right on track. Our Father is loving and compassionate and can hold us when we are scared or afriad, but at the same time is powerful and majestic.

Clint has recently done some preaching here and there, and has gotten much better at speaking. We're really praying that God has that in store for us in the future. To hear Clint's most recent sermon go to http://www.coctulia.org/sermons.htm and then scroll down to the bottom and click on "The Truth Shall Set you Free."

It's corn season again here in Tulia and boy is it good! Corn is one of the few good things this town has going for it!

Refreshed

2006-06-22T19:15:00.000-05:00

We've been back for almost a week now and I absolutely loved my time away! Brent and Linds' wedding was so great for so many reasons. Weddings are fun period, but getting to see a lot of friends that I haven't seen in a long time was so wonderful. I wish we all lived in the same town...I'll happily move away! Someone else get married so we can all see each other again!

I got to stay with Linds at her house while I was in Houston and that was so special. Linds cracks me up in every way and I know we'll be friends for years to come.

After the wedding, Clint and I left for a week long vacation in San Diego. It was fabulous! Of course we saw all the sites like Sea World, The Zoo and the beautiful ocean, but we spent a lot of our time at the pool and just relaxing. We ate at some great restaurants and had many laughs. I didn't want to come home. Later in this week after this post sets in, I'll post the video of Clint and me doing our version of the Shamu show in our condo's swimming pool. We were quite entertaining!

I need a vacation

2006-06-05T14:00:00.000-05:00

I appologize to all my five faithful readers for my lack of blogging lately. I've been busy! Since my last post, Clint and I did celebrate our 2nd anniversary. I was busy typing away in my office when I heard all the ladies in the front giggling about something. The next thing I know there is a huge bouquet taking over my desk. Although I was a bit embarassed, Clint did a wonderful job of giving me love and attention that day. Lauren and Scott got married on May 20th and the wedding was great. Clint once again performed the ceremony, and once again got many compliments on how wonderful he spoke. I loved spending time with friends and seeing all of Clint's family. Congrats Lauren and Scott!

I've been busy planning VBS and recruiting people to help. Clint has put up flyers all over town, and has knocked on almost every door in Tulia. Last week me and the women of the casserole club cut out 400 puzzle pieces among a variety of other projects. Preparing for a VBS is extremely hard work! But it's finally here...our VBS started Sunday night and I was happy with the turn out. When I'm with children, being silly, and learning about God...I'm in my element. I love it!

I decided to get my hair cut here in Tulia finally. I've been driving back and forth to Amarillo to get it cut and that finally had to stop. I went to the local beauty salon in Tulia (there's only one) and let me tell you...it was just like the movies! If you've seen Steel Magnolias then you know exactly what I'm talking about. When I was getting my hair washed the girl next to me was ranting and raving about how her boyfriend just got thrown into jail and totally ruined her birthday. This town is definately a mission field for us.

On Thursday we leave for Linds and Brent's wedding and I couldn't be more excited! I can't wait to see friends that I haven't seen in so long! After that wedding, Clint and I are flying to San Diego for a week vacation! I'm looking forward to that as well! Enjoy your next few weeks...I'll be on vacation!

Going on number 2

2006-05-14T16:52:00.000-05:00

As of tomorrow, May 15th, Clint and I will have been married for two years! I really can't believe that it was two years ago that we all gathered in Amarillo for one of the best memories of my life. I really wish I had some pictures of the wedding I could post, but these pictures are since we've been married.

These past two years have been the most rewarding and blessed times of my life. Thinking back on when Clint and I were in high school and we were dating, I never really thought God was involved in that relationship. Today I am fully convinced that it was the Lord who brought us together. Relationships like marriage, just don't happen, they are God spoken.

The past 10 months, living in Tulia, and fully on our own now, has brought its many blessings. Marriage isn't easy, but with good decisions and the right words, marriage has been the most amazing journey I've been on. Clint is a wonderful minister, truly called to do God's work, and it's a joy to me to be by his side, on his team, working together.

Our engagement picture...we look so young!
Clint doing his thing in Bible Class.
Thanksgiving at our house in Tulia with our new dog Murphy.
Clint giving a lesson to the youth.

Our most recent picture taken in Dallas during LTC. Two years and we're still in love!

Bigger than Clint...

2006-05-03T21:15:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a week and a half since I started my new job and I still really like it! It's so peaceful compared to working at the bank. Mom and I went shopping for decorations for my office last Saturday and I thought we had bought a lot of things. Well, when I got to my office and started putting it all up, it only covered a few shelves. The entire back wall of my office is covered in shelves and they are so hard to decorate! Donations are accepted. I'll post some pictures when I get more things to show!

On a completely different note, a mother of a four year old girl at our church told me this story tonight. She was talking to her four year old daughter, Laura and Laura said, "Mom, I love you bigger than a tree." The mom replied, "Well, Laura, I love you bigger than the sky." And here's what Laura said in response..."Mom, I love you bigger than Clint."

1 down...2 to go

2006-04-24T20:17:00.000-05:00

I tried to post pictures of our Easter weekend with our youth group at LTC, but it was late and I didn't have enough patience, but our weekend in Dallas was great and the kids did great as well. This past weekend was my sisters wedding...there's pictures to follow. Clint performed the ceremony and got so many compliments on it...he's so good at that...he even had major pink eye! That's one wedding down for us, and two more to go.

I started my new job today at Wayland Baptist and it was simply wonderful. I'll be working with the two Alaska campuses and get this...I even have my own office. I can't wait to decorate it! I'll update later this week as I learn more about my position. The spring time and summer time are crazy busy for youth ministers so I'll appologize now for my lack of posting. Have a good week. All the girl cousins at the rehersal dinner.
Clint smelling my bouquet...luckily his eyes were closed so you can't see the gross stuff coming out of them.
My sister and her bridesmaids.
The preacher and matron of honor!

The bride and her precious flower girl!

Ok...so maybe I will grow up

2006-04-07T23:30:00.000-05:00

Soooo...yes I got a new job! Thank you Jesus! In two weeks I'll start working at Wayland Baptist University in the External Records Department. Here's what I'll be doing....when a new student enrolls at Wayland, they'll decide their major and what not, and then they'll come to me and I help them set up their degree plan. I'll look at their major and then help them line up their four year degree plan. I probably won't be working with the campus in Plainview because WBU has got 15 different camuses around the US, but I'll be based out of Plainview and do a lot of work via phone and email.

I'm so excited that I'll be back in a Christian atmosphere and actually using my degree! When I placed my letter of resignation on my bosses desk today it felt sooo great. It was definately one of my most proudest moments in life thus far. Yes, I'll be back to driving to Plainview everyday, but the pay and great job is totally worth it. Thanks for your prayers, I'll keep you updated. My first day isn't until the 24th of April.

I don't want to grow up

2006-04-06T11:30:00.000-05:00

Since I've got some time I decided to post about my recent feelings toward growing up. You see, it's 11:30 am and I don't have to go to work until 1pm. Usually I would have slept until around 9 or so, taken my time to get ready and not leave my house until 12:50. But now that I'm in this so called adult world...the situation has changed.

Please don't make fun of me when I tell you where I just came home from. There is a younger group of ladies at church that have started what they call a "casserole club," and yes, I've just become a member. We had our first meeting this morning at 10 so I had to get up, look for all sorts of recipes so I could let them know what I'm going to make this month. It's sort of a neat idea, but I just can't grasp that I play bunco with a group of ladies each month, and now I'm a member of a casserole club. It's weird.

So if any of you out there have any good recipes for casseroles please send them my way, I don't want to be embarassed at the casserole clubs next cooking night. Thanks.

Busy Busy Busy

2006-04-01T22:06:00.000-06:00

Remember when I used to be good at this blogging thing...sorry I haven't updated, but I'm sure you understand how busy I've been lately. I don't have anything exciting to write about, but did want to update on a few aspects of life and let you know why I've been so busy.

*This past Thursday I had bunco at my house. About nine ladies all came over for dinner and to play this crazy dice game so I was busy cooking and cleaning for that. Overall, I think my bunco night was a success...I feel old talking about playing some dice game with ladies...isn't that what retired women do?

*Clint's been gone since Thursday morning for this ministry called Kairos. It's a prison ministry based in Amarillo and its a weekend long retreat for the prisoners. He gets back tomorrow evening and I can't wait to have him back home!

*Not this weekend but next we're taking our youth group to LTC in Dallas...that big youth convention. We've got lots to do before then, and then the big trip will surely be fun.

*The weekend after LTC my sister is getting married so all the fun festivities for that will be taking place. Clint's performing the ceremony and I'm the matron of honor, so we both have some duties that weekend.

*Our weekends slow down come May but then Lauren is getting married May 20th, then Linds on June 10th. After Linds' wedding I get a week in San Diego for vacation! I can't wait!

*Then summer is in full swing and we've got VBS, mission trips, camps and weekend trips planned almost every weekend. I sort of want to re-think this youth minister gig...just kidding.

*I did have a job interview for the position at Wayland Baptist about three weeks ago, and last week they told me that I was still in the running, but they haven't made up their mind yet. The more and more I work at the bank, the more and more I want this new job.

*But speaking of the bank, it's going ok. For the most part I like my job, but some of the people I work with are very discouraging. I've never really felt a strong calling or tug to pray for someone spiritually as I have a girl that I work very closely with. Everytime I get alone or just think about praying her face pops into my head. Could you perhaps pray for her, and pray that I can somehow be used by the Lord to bring her into a relationship with him? Thanks.

*Other than all that, life is going pretty well. We've got the middle schoolers coming over every Tuesday night, church on Wednesday nights, and the high schoolers coming over every Thursday night. We love what we're doing, but it does get exhausting.

Don't know when the next post will be, but I hope all of you are doing so well, and if we're friends and haven't talked lately...let's do it real soon...I miss adult conversations!

Born again

2006-03-21T21:02:00.000-06:00

Sorry I haven't written in a while...life has been busy! Being a youth minister's wife definately brings both rewards and challenges every single day. A few weeks ago we started having our youth group over to the house on Tuesday nights for movie night. It has been going pretty well, but I definately lost it last week and had my first "talk" with the kids. It was hard, but very much needed. That was one of the challenges...but then this past Sunday came one of the best rewards thus far.

Clint had the opportunity to baptize a 7th grade girl in our youth group. It is the first baptism he's performed and I was just so nervous for him. During our invitation song the young girl rose from her seat and started making her way down front. Clint met her there and before I knew it, tears were just streaming down my face. I was so proud that Clint had studied with this young girl and that she so strongly was making a committment to Jesus. It was so precious.

Clint got up in the pulpit and announced that Stephanie was going to get baptized and tears started dripping down his face. He was nervous, but extremely proud too. When Clint and Stephanie entered into the water the look on their faces was so memorable. Clint explained baptism like a marriage and his words were like none other. God has definately given him a unique gift. I think the entire congregation was in tears. When Stephanie rose from the water my emotions were so overwhelming and I could truly feel the Lord's presence in that place.

During her baptism, Clint talked about how Stephanie was going to die that day, and be raised up a new person. A person who was from now on was choosing Jesus above all else. He talked about this death we have and how we are born again. A little boy in my Wednesday night class was so tickled to see Clint in the water that he was giggling throughout the entire thing until Clint began talking about this death. When Clint said that Stephanie was going to "die," Joshua (the four year old) leaned over to his mom and said..."Is Clint going to kill her?"

I love the innocence in children even at a precious time like this. Have a blessed week.

Borrring...

2006-03-09T21:10:00.000-06:00

I know that a lot of my posts lately have been about kids, but I can't help but not tell this one. I would like to think that I'm pretty well trained with kids, but you never know I guess. Last night in my Bible class with the little ones I decided to read, "You are Special" by Max Lucado. It's one of my favorite books, and really thought that the kids would enjoy it.

So I start reading the book and the kids were really into it. I kept reading then all of a sudden a little boy named Aidan shouted out..."Kat this is boring!" I ignored his statement and kept reading. A few pages later he started saying...Borrrring.....Borrring. I didn't know what to do, I told him to please listen and I know he'll enjoy the ending.

Well after the story was over I planned an activity to where the kids would say kind things about the other kids in the class and every time something nice was said about you, you would recieve a star...kind of like the story.

Well I had Aidan go first, hoping this would get him interested. He said, "I'll say something about you Kat. "Yes I thought...I can never get enough compliments, just kidding. Well guess what Aidan said...."Kat, you're borrring!"

I've never experienced this kind of self esteem loss....except that one time when Kenli and E-Wall had that cheer about me....jerks. Anyway, I went along with class and just told myself that he had picked that up from some tv show or something and that I really am a better teacher than he thinks.

On a side note...there are some opportunities with my job so keep that in your prayers!

Only in Tulia, Texas

2006-03-02T21:10:00.000-06:00

As you know I'm currently working in the bank here in Tulia. So far it's been much better than working in Plainview. I've moved up to 40 hours a week...but really its more like 45 or so. I open the bank everyday at 7:45 and stay til we close at 6:15...the days are really long! Well working in a bank in Tulia is much different I suppose than working in a bank in a larger city...here's what has happened so far.

Last week I was at my usual spot in the drive through at the bank when a lady in a mini-van drives up. I say hello to her and ask her how she's doing. Usually at this point the customer puts their deposit in the tube and sends it on its way for me to process...but not this lady. She asks if Cynthia is working, my boss, but I couldn't find her any where. I ask the lady (remember this is all over the microphone speaker) if I could give her a message and this was her response:

"Could you tell Cynthia that her son has been making fun of my daughter at school and I'm really getting frustrated with it. Please have her call me at home asap."

I respond..."Ok, sure I'll give her the message." The mini-van mom replys....

"Her son has been making fun of my daughter because her dad is in jail and he's even made up a song about him...it goes like this...."

And then yes...she proceeds to sing the song about the dad in jail over the microphone for the entire bank to hear. I was clueless...what do I do? Was I supposed to write the song down? Was I supposed to sing it back to Cynthia...I couldn't believe what was happening. When I relayed the message to my boss she seemed like nothing had happened and in Tulia, Texas nothing had happened...this behavior is completely normal!

Cute Kids

2006-02-24T21:28:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday nights at church I have the wonderful priviledge of teaching most of the children in our congregation. I've got them all from 4 years old to 7 years old. They definately keep me on my toes and each week I have a great time with them. Each week we have a rock/paper/scissors tournament and then describe the best part of our week. It's so fun to hear answers like (the best part of my week) was taking a nap, or playing with my mom. They are so precious. These past few weeks we've been talking about our different body parts and how we can use those parts to serve Jesus. Last week we were discussing how we could serve Jesus using our lips. I asked the kids what they thought and this was what was said...
Kat: How do you think we can serve Jesus with our lips?
Kids: Umm...sing.
Kat: Yes, thats a great way to serve God, how else?
Kids: Umm...I don't know.
Kat: What do you do right before you go to bed?
Dylan: Use the bathroom?

Just goes to show that kids will say the cutest things. I pulled out my camera this week and they went crazy! I can't wait to have kids of my own one day!

Blessings

2006-02-21T21:16:00.000-06:00

With everyone posting blogs and pictures about sing song it makes me so sad that I wasn't there, but I did have a fun weekend in Dallas celebrating my sister's lingerie shower. I'll be in Abilene this Sunday for just a bit so I'm looking forward to that.

As you know I've been working at the bank in Plainview for about a month now. At first I really hated it, I wanted to quit after only three days. I put my application in at various other places praying that something would come up soon. After I recieved my benefits package from the bank and could look at all the great things they provide such as insurance and paid vacation, I decided that it was worth it for a bit to stay. The past few weeks though haven't been pretty. I've been annoyed, belittled, and tired to say the least. Some nights I wasn't getting home until 7pm. The management was frustrating and I wasn't enjoying my job...but for some reason I stuck it out...and today it paid off.

My boss came to me and told me that there was an opening at the bank in Tulia and she was going to transfer me there! Now instead of driving 30 minutes to get to work, I literally drive 30 seconds. I don't have to pack my sack lunch the night before anymore because I can just drive three blocks back home to eat with Clint. The money I make now doesn't have to pay for gas just to get to and from work. I am so excited and so thankful.

I've been praying (and know you have to) that I would find peace in my job, and now I have. I actually can't wait to go to work tomorrow and start fresh. Thanks for your prayers, I'll keep you updated on how it all works out.