Snow!

We started getting ice yesterday, which is typical of Oklahoma. For some reason, it ices, rather then snows. So, Eric got sent home from work, which I absolutely loved since I had the day off as well. And then this morning we woke up to the ground covered in ice with a layer of sleet/snow! Ellen has never experienced either, and we have discovered that she loves it.

My girls

These are my girls. I miss them all the time. Its a state of being, rather then a feeling I get here and there. They have laughed and cried with me. They have watched from the very beginning of Eric and I's relationship to seeing 2 1/2 years into marriage. They have let me cry on their shoulder when Eric and I were apart. They have witnessed the Lord change and mold me into the woman I am today, the whole while being used as tools to sharpen me. Lindsay is my strong one. This lady knows her Bible in and out, is a prayer warrior over my life and has remember EVERY detail about me that it puts me to shame. She poured her life into me as a Biblestudy leader and along the way somehow became one of my closest friends. Sam. Sam has changed me more then anyone. Probably more then Eric. She is part of way I am so in love with Eric. They are so alike. Sam reminds me of what life really is suppose to be like, filled with joy, laughter, silliness and above all, Godliness. She loves people. She has taught me how to sit back... and just breathe. I am forever changed and forever indebted to her. Being her roommate for 1 1/2 years was some of the best years of my life. These girls are gifts straight from the heart of my sweet Savior to me. I love them all the time no matter how little we talk. They truly are my best friends.

Everything really IS bigger in Texas...

We went to Dallas with some of our friends this past weekend. We had so much fun getting out of Oklahoma City and seeing some the what Texas says they're really all about. We got amazing Mexican food, like the real Tex-Mex, we went shopping (yay Anthropologie!) and got to spend some quality time with friends. A huge perk (and actually the real reason we went to Dallas in the first place) was because Jeremy was getting ordained at the church that he attended while going through seminary. We were able to go to the church service and see the elders and pastor pray over him and Michelle. It was really cool. Anyway, here are some pics from it.

She made us hug Texas. No really, she MADE us.

Gotta love Michelle when she gets excited.=)

Jeremy being.... Jeremy.

Dinner at Chuy's - YUM!

Jeremy receiving his ordination.

So cool.

Christmas in VA

It has been a while since I've written anything. The holidays were quite the whirlwind for us with 9 Christmas parties/functions to attend here in Oklahoma and then we were off to VA to visit our families. We were able to spend a total of 6 days in VA split between Madison and Northern VA. It was a wonderful time being with family. I have missed my sisters, brother and parents so much. It was hard to say goodbye because this was the last time he would see them before he gets back from deployment.

A Christmas wreath I made. You can't tell from the picture, but its really falling apart. I think this is it's last Christmas.

Our tree!

We met Sam's fiancee Mike. They are getting married in September and we got to spend some time talking and getting to know him.

Chris and Danielles little girl, beautiful Emly Quinn! She is such an intelligent and happy baby. This was the first time I had gotten to meet her. She is so alert and aware of all her surroundings. It is fasinanting to watch her.

Waiting to open gifts with Eric's family

Chris and Danielle - we love hanging out with them. (Always with Settlers not far from reach.)

Phoebe! She is no longer a baby but a little girl.

Sarah opening a present.

Phebes trying to put on her hot pink converse sneakers from Uncle John.

Love her.

Ruth was pretty excited about getting her own gift in Secret Santa.

Fuse-ball match against the newly marrieds

We got to hang out with some of our best friends. Jordan and Sam who live in L.A. were in town and then Brandon and Lindsay who are on staff with Cru at JMU. Danny (on the far right) lived with Brandon and Eric in the White House while at JMU.

Sam, Linds and me. I miss them all the time.

So precious to me.

Let it snow let it snow let it snow... NOT.

Its cold in Oklahoma. Its not as cold as Virginia can get, but man, this wind will just rip right through you. I am dearly missing warm weather. So, this is my ode to the beach. To the days we lived in sunny Florida, a 2 minute drive from a white sand, clear water beach. It was absolutely perfect, except for when the smell from the paper factory would whiff in over the bay and the stench would flood the air. Then all you wanted to do was puke. Haha, it really wasn't that bad and it didn't happen that often. We would walk for hours, collecting shells and throwing the baseball. I loved it. It was our first year of marriage and it was such a gift from the Lord.

Christmas time!

I lead a Biblestudy of mostly upper-classmen from OU. The study is through the college ministry that Eric and I are involved in at our church. I absolutely LOVE these girls and have so much fun with them. Lindsay is my co-leader who is a senior in the Nursing Program at OU. She is a joy and such a blessing to me. These pictures are from our Christmas Biblestudy where we just spent time together, decorating cookies and painting ornaments. I miss them already as they are all on winter break.

This is Lindsays ornament. She is SUCH a good artist. She makes everything beautiful

Aubrey - a senior who I have fallen in love with. She makes me laugh all the time with her dry sense of humor and practical outlook on life. And she also lets me borrow all her Twilight books.=)

All of our cookies!

From right to left: Jenna, Anna, Lindsay, Allie and Stephanie.

A gift from Mom

I'm missing my mom. She is in Chad with Dad for their yearly trip. They left last week and I'm so used to calling her on my way to work each morning. Its been a lonely drive the past couple days. I feel her absence even more when Eric is gone because she is such an encouragement to me and always speaks Truth over me when I am feeling alone or sad. These are the flowers that she bought me when she came out to visit in March this past Spring. We planted the potted flowers together and then Eric and I planted the rose bush after she left. They provided so much joy with all the flowers that they blossomed. They were a perfect gift from her because she loves flowers so much. They reminded me of her every time I filled my kitchen with little bouquets.