A little bit of life

Last Friday, Tori's class took a Field Trip to tour the Texas Ranger Stadium. Her Dad took the opportunity to go with her. She was thrilled to have him along for the experience. They had a great day together!


Saturday morning we hosted our first ever garage sale! We did this together with families from our small group through our church. We were raising money for a project called Share the Joy. All of the money from the garage sale will go towards helping someone in our community who is in need and will be given in the name of Jesus. The day was truly a blessing from start to finish. We raised alot of money and as people came and asked us what we were raising money for, they too became generous and wanted to participate...we are all eagerly anticipating how the Lord will direct us as we share these funds with someone in need.




Timo and I made a quick trip to Wal-Mart this afternoon and when he saw the Bull, he insisted that he needed to ride, he had been really demonstrating good behavior today so I thought I would say yes...we were both anticipating a bit more of an active ride. I think he thought it was only slightly the fun he had imagined. He was bracing himself when he slipped the quarters in and got his one hand high in the air, ready to perhaps be thrown to the other side of the store...instead he discovered this bull was a so slow he could be used for rocking babies...

We have a Winner!

I AM THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE THE WINNER OF THE BOOK,
DO HARD THINGS IS

JESSICA BAILEY!

Jessica, I know your heart is strong for the Lord and He is at work in you.
I pray this book will bless you and challenge you to trust Him even more as you follow him. The path you are choosing is hard but it is SO worth it. You are honoring the Lord. He SEES you. He will honor your choices to follow him. Keep seeking Him and you will experience more than you can ask or imagine. That is HIS promise! Expect blessing Jessica!
Have your parents send me your address in an email and I will get this book in the mail to you immediately!

Moments with my children

As always, Tori and I enjoy doing fun things together. Last weekend we had fun trying to coordinate our clothing!! We both had found some fun shoes that were available in both of our sizes, at Payless and we wanted to wear them...so we searched our closets and found some clothes we already had that coordinated...I LOVE TORI so much I can hardly stand it!!!




We have loved having some beautiful weather this past week so that we can play in the back yard. The kids found a ladybug and had so much fun watching her, losing her, looking for her and finding her over and over again. Not sure how we know if it is a her...


My sweet Timothy will be 5 years old next month!! That is amazing! His birth is such a mile marker in my life of God doing a new thing in my heart...I love thinking about his birth and the joy that surrounded his life entering ours...He was our heart's desire. We are into party planning and birthday anticipation these days in conversations with Timo!!

DO HARD THINGS Blog Tour

I grew up in a Christian family. I was taught the Bible and I always had a desire to love and serve the Lord. Even so, somehow that love was best demonstrated at church or on summer mission trips. My relationship with the Lord was compartmentalized for church moments and often at other times outside of church, I found myself wrestling on my own with things that would have surprised those who only knew me in the church setting.
The summer before I entered my Junior year of college, things began to click in a new and deeper way. I found myself falling in love with my Lord. I found myself surrendering everything in my heart to Him. When I look back at my journals and at the Bible that was my constant companion during that season of life, I see the cries of my heart were, "Lord, I will do anything for you. Send me to a hard place. If no one else is willing, I am willing." I have a quote cut from a magazine glued in the front of my Bible that says, "Never do anything that anyone else can do or will do if there are things to be done that others can't do or won't do." That became my mission. Find where the hard places are and go. At that time in my life this lead me to different places in Africa every summer during my college years, on 2 occasions to Mozambique during a civil war. I remember moments of fear and then moments of trust and courage that came when I took that step and placed my life in the Lord's hands. Even at that young age, the Lord allowed me to experience some amazing things and let me experience his presence in powerful ways that let me know with solid assurance that he was with me.

It is with these things in my mind my attention was drawn to a new book that has just been released by Multnomah Books. It is written by Alex and Brett Harris and is called DO HARD THINGS . The subtitle is A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations. When asked to review this book I was thrilled with the opportunity. This book was an easy read, one I could not put down as I read about teenagers who are serious about putting into action what God has called their hearts to do right now...not just assuming what they will do for God later when they "grow up"!! I was greatly encouraged to read stories about teenagers who are stepping out in faith to do things that are so far beyond what is expected of them in our culture. As they do this, they are finding God is faithful to equip them with everything they need along the way.

With over 10 million hits to their website TheRebelution.com, Alex and Brett Harris are leading the charge in a growing movement of Christian young people who are rebelling against the low expectations of their culture by choosing to “do hard things” for the glory of God.
Written when they were 18 years old, DO HARD THINGS is the Harris twins’ revolutionary message in its purest and most compelling form, giving readers a tangible glimpse of what is possible for teens who actively resist cultural lies that limit their potential. Combating the idea of adolescence as a vacation from responsibility, the authors weave together biblical insights, history, and modern examples to redefine the teen years as the launching pad of life and map a clear plan for long-term fulfillment and eternal impact.
Written by teens for teens, DO HARD THINGS is packed with humorous personal anecdotes, practical examples, and stories of real-life rebelutionaries in action. This rallying cry from the heart of revolution already in progress challenges the next generation to lay claim to a brighter future, starting today.

I would love to encourage you to recognize people in the comments who have stepped out in faith to DO HARD THINGS for the glory of God. Please note especially if they were teenagers when they stepped out in faith. When asked to review the book, I was given a copy to give away on this blog. Please take the time to nominate someone you think would be challenged and encouraged by receiving a copy of this great book!

A Recent Moment with a Dear Friend

My friend Judy Miller.........when I think about her my heart is so full...I have so many sweet memories of our times and conversations together in Benin......
She came to Benin as a Missionary for the Southern Baptist one week after we arrived in Benin in March of 1999.
She lived in Cotonou Benin, the capital city and served in the role of Business facilitator for the Southern Baptist missionaries. Over the years she became known as the goto person for all missionaries in Benin, when there was a need or a crisis. We had to go to the capital city at least once a month, sometimes more, for shopping, medical care, banking and sometimes for fellowship with other missionary friends. I remember seeing Judy around in that first year but not really having the opportunity to really know her. The first time that I have a memory of a conversation with Judy came when I was in desperate need for some help. It was August 2000 and Randy had malaria. He was having a severe reaction to the medication that he had been given. The reaction was worse than the malaria. He had been receiving the meds through an IV for 4 days before we realized that the reaction was from the meds. He had hives from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet and had scratched them so much that he was bleeding all over his body. He had not been able to sleep in 3 days and I had not either. Tori was 2 years old at the time. I was under supreme stress and had packed our things in the middle of the night, thinking that we might be leaving for the States. As soon as their was enough light to begin our 3 hour journey to Cotonou, I got a very sick Randy into the car, as well as toddler Tori and drove straight into Cotonou and went to Judy's office. I went to her because I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I remember walking into her office, sitting down and pouring out the details of our circumstances to her. I remember her saying, "I have some thoughts on what we can do, who we can call, but first let me pray with you." She took my hand across her desk and began to pray. As soon as we were done praying she picked up the phone and put me in touch with people who could give me wise counsel and help me make a decision about what to do next. From this time on, Judy and I began a journey into a deeper friendship that sustained us both through many hardships.

As I reflect on the entire story of life in Benin, Judy is a part of it all. There is not a season of our life in Benin that Judy was not a part of. She has heard of every major event or experience that we ever walked through and often she was the first person that we called. Judy knew the people in our lives. She knew our life well and I think it would be safe to say that she is the one person who would know and understand the best what our daily life involved over the span of our time in Benin. She was a friend who I could laugh and pray with. She was a friend who could always challenge me and help me gain perspective. I remember a time as well that we were in a large group and she was aware of something miraculous that we had experienced, she leaned over to me and said, "If you do not get up and share your testimony, the rocks are going to cry out." She came to our home and we went to hers. There were times over the years I would drive 3 hours just to have lunch with her and then turn around and come home. One time when I was in the hospital with malaria and Randy could not stay with me because he was caring for Tori, Judy spent several nights with me in the hospital. Judy was consistent. She opened her home to us and welcomed us like we were family. Every Christmas that we were in Benin, we went to her house for a Christmas party and she would let Tori, and eventually our other children as we had them, decorate her tree. This was something that we looked so forward to every year. Most everyone that came to visit over the years met Judy and could see how very much she meant to us.

Saying goodbye to Judy last July was very painful. We said goodbye in Benin. Since then she has moved to Mali, West Africa. We are still in touch and my heart turns even more often to prayer for Judy now that we are here and she is still there. I am writing all this to explain why recently when she came to America for a little over a week so that she could speak at a Missions' Conference, I flew to Nashville to spend a few short hours with her. Not just anyone could motivate me to make a daytrip to Nashville, but for Judy Miller, there was no hesitation. I would do anything I could possibly think to do to encourage this friend of mine. We had lunch together, laughed a lot, shared our hearts, did a tiny bit of shopping and prayed together in a Waffle House parking lot...real deal friends. I was so blessed to be with her again. Rich moments...all because of Jesus Christ.
To say I'm thankful, seems not enough.

Tonight was a very special night at Richland Hills. This was the night for all the babies born and adopted in the year 2007 to be blessed and dedicated to the Lord. Lael was legally adopted into our family on March 20, 2007. She was in our home and hearts on August 19, 2005...but the legal paperwork says March 20, 2007. Countless prayers from this church were a part of the labor and love that brought her legally into our family and back to America. Because of this, tonight was a precious memory to add to our collection. We arrived at church early for a reception for all of the children and their parents. The elders were there and mingled among us with words of blessing, encouragement and moments of prayer. One of our favorites,(we have lots of favorites)Phil Martin prayed for Lael. He knows our family well and actually took the time to pray over each one of us. The atmosphere was truly special...lots of love and hugs! Lael knew the evening was special and took every opportunity to smile, skip, jump and smile some more. She is really excited about her new Bible! And we are excited about being in a church that is intentional about blessing our children and surrounding us with love and support as we raise our children to know God and follow hard after Him. How blessed we are!

Live life with Faith

Best Friends who had an incredible weekend at the retreat!
Thank you Lord for this opportunity for Tori to be challenged,affirmed,blessed and have a blast at the same time! We are so thankful for all the adults that gave generously of their time to share their testimony and to encourage our Tori and others to live a life of faith without fear!!

A glimpse into our fun weekend!

This week has been so wonderful. Friday night was such a special evening. I received the Alumnus of the Year award from Fort Worth Christian at their Celebration Dinner. Having Randy, Tori and Timothy, my parents, Randy's parents, Becky, Tony, Sam, Emille, Andy and Jessica there with me on this evening added to the sweet blessings.

I have enjoyed the opportunity to be reflecting on my years at Fort Worth Christian and the shaping of my spiritual foundation that took place over the years through a tapestry of teachers and friends and special memories. God worked through it all to pursue me and mold me into someone that wanted to follow hard after him. I was blessed to have teachers that captured opportunites as I shared windows into my life. I had teachers that were not shy about speaking boldly into my life, giving me direction and showing me where I could find courage. These teachers reaffirmed to me the authentic faith that I saw at home through my parents and encouraged me to grow spiritually, as well as academically and through extra curricular activities.
Below are some of my very special teachers who were at the dinner on Friday night.
Barbara Treat, who taught me French for three years, and who was the first to show me on the globe that there were West African countries where French was spoken, MaryAnn Felps who was my High School English teacher, who set the bar high and encouraged me and challenged me in wonderful ways, Kelly Cawyer, my 7th grade Biology teacher and Basketball coach,Carol Brownlow, my eighth grade Bible teacher, precious precious!!,and Sweet Lena Nelson, my cross-country coach who loves me dearly and pushed me to do things I thought I could not do. She loves to take credit for teaching me to persevere through hard things!! I love these women and I am so thankful for their influence in my life. These are the ones who were there on Friday night. There are even more teachers that are a part of my story...my testimony ... and I thank God for them every time they come to my mind!

Lael's new hair

For three hours last Thursday night, Lael sat patiently while her hair was done in braids all over her head. It was amazing to observe and precious to see...because Lael was loving it. A very kind Kenyan woman whom I have recently met, said she would come to my house and do this for Lael. As I sat there for those 3 hours with Lael, my heart was aching missing Laurance, my best Aja friend in Benin. For as long as Lael has been with us, Laurance was the one to fix her hair and we used to sit together and talk while she would bring some personality to Lael's hair!
Lael loves her new hair and has had a lot of fun this weekend showing it off and hearing sweet affirmations from her siblings and cousins.

Happy Birthday for me!

Today has been such a great day! My precious husband got up early and made a delicious breakfast and brought it to me while I was still in bed! I ate breakfast and had sweet conversation with him, while amazingly, all 4 kids remained asleep. This is highly unusual! When Timo got up, he was eager to show me a special surprise. Without me knowing, he and his Daddy slipped out last night and went to get my favorite flowers...Tulips!! They are so gorgeous and Timo was so proud to give them to me!! My mother and sister in law Emille, enjoyed time with my 3 younger ones this morning while I was working and then Randy watched all the kids and cousins minus 2 sweet nieces of mine during lunch. My mom, Becky, Emille, Precious Bailey and Brylee, and myself went to a local tea room!! It was SO FUN! Thank you Mom for this very special treat!

I received lots of kind words and wishes today and my heart has been so blessed. I am so thankful for my 37 years. My journey with the Lord has been so good. I love having history with Him. This gives me peace as I press on and move into the future! I am expecting blessing in the days to come! My favorite verse is Psalm 84:5
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
My heart is set on HIM!

 

 

Easter at the Ranch

Click on the pictures to make them larger so you can see the precious faces of our sweet kids!!

We had such a great weekend. It started early for Tori and Timothy who went down with my mom on Thursday. My Dad came and got Jonathan and Lael after work on Friday night and they joined the troops! They were so excited. The first words out of Jonathan's mouth on Friday morning were..."Paw's coming for me today!!" This was just before Randy and I left for Dallas to see Amy Grant. It was a win win for everyone!! Randy and I joined everyone Saturday night and we had had a great time Sunday being together, riding around on four wheelers and hunting Easter eggs...sweet memories!

Jesus is alive and at work in our lives! Praise His Name!! How great to focus on his Resurrection power this weekend! We are sinners and Jesus is our Great Savior! This is good news! Don't be afraid! Come and See! Go and Tell!

 

Almost 9 months back into life in America, the disorientation continues. I wrestle with what is re-entry and what I can compare to others as just nomal life in America that is fast paced and fatiguing. I love being with my husband and my four kids and there is great comfort in being with them regardless of where we are. We are moving along in the rushing river of life in school and church and our jobs and doing our best to stay engaged with each other and in our pursuit of knowing God. Whenever I stop for even a few minutes of silence and go for a walk alone, tears can fill my eyes and I am amazed to think that I am living here and running through my days. I am still not wishing I could be back in Benin, however, I am grieving a way of life, the familiarity of life and my home and the way our family functioned together and the things we were able to do. I am in such a different world and functioning in new ways and new roles and I wonder when it will feel like the real me is living in my skin. I am still learning what it feels like I should already know. That is as basic as how I interact with friends and family. I have lived across the world from both in a somewhat isolated world for so long that I find myself struggling with basic reaching out, connecting and sharing intimately on a regular basis. I want more connectedness and yet it does not come naturally for me.

Last night at the Meyerson, as Amy Grant sang songs that were familiar to me, I was touched in deep ways. I find myself looking at life with an altered view, reflective and at the same time very impatient with myself. The lyrics from 2 different very familar songs encouraged my heart's thoughts at this very moment in time.........

It takes a little time sometimes
to get your feet back on the ground
It takes a little time sometimes
to get the Titantic turned back around
But Baby your not going down
It takes more than you've got right now,
Give it time, Give it time

Well it may not be over by morning
But Rome wasn't built in a day
You can name that thing a thousand times
It won't make it go away

You can't fix this pain with money
You can't rush a weary soul

AND

Every road that's traveled teaches something new
And every road that's narrow
Pushes us to choose
And I'd be lying if I said
I had not tried to leave a time or two
But every road that leads me
Leads me back to you

Here we stand in the middle
of what we've come to know
It's a dance, it's a balance
Holding on and Letting Go
But there is nothing that we can't resolve
When Love's at stake
When Love's involved

Once again I find myself so thankful to be walking through life with Christ. I am not alone and His ways are gentle. He is here and I need Him.

For those of you who may have heard that Amy Grant is in town this weekend at the Meyerson in Dallas, you may have wondered if I was able to attend. The answer is YES! My sweet husband gave me tickets on Valentines Day for tonight's concert with the Dallas Symphony. We went tonight and it was a perfect date. It was truly an amazing evening. I will write more about it soon. Happy Resurrection Weekend!!

We have enjoyed having Aunt Becky back from Canada and this means more time with our Fort Worth cousins! We had some good time together at the first of the week. We have enjoyed having Tori home from school for Spring Break. I have wrestled with the reality of being a working mom this week, when I really want to be hanging out with my kids and thats it....ughh....



Tori...Benjamin...Lael...Jonathan...Pate...Timothy

Upwards

Tori with her Coaches Ryan and Kelly...

With Special Guests Ronnie and Judy Vaughn...

With Proud Parents...

Team pictures, featuring Tori and Very Special Friend, Maddie...


This weekend brought to an end Tori's first season playing Basketball. We have enjoyed so much watching her play and watching her learn the game. She has made so much progress and even in her last game yesterday, she made a very impressive steal, broke away and ran down the court, dribbling the ball and made the shot!!! We were beside ourselves and Tori was all smiles for the rest of the game! We are so thankful for her coaches Ryan and Kelly. Tori's confidence has certainly bloomed under their coaching and specific encouragement.

Tonight was the awards and pizza party. It was extra special to have Nana and Papa join us for this very special event. Every team member was given their chance to stand in the chair and receive words of praise from their coaches. Tori also received a certificate and a new basketball. Coach Ryan gave Tori the certificate for being the team member who displayed the virtue of Diligence on the team. This is the person who makes a constant and earnest effort to accomplish a task. Ryan also commented that whatever Tori was asked to do, on court or on the sidelines, she did it with Joy!!! We are so proud of Tori and so thankful for the opportunity to have participated in the Upwards Basketball program.

Happy Birthday Jonathan

We celebrated Jonathan's third birthday with a small family party...it was perfect! Randy made Jonathan's cake and it was cute and very deceptively delicious!!! He added sweet potatoes to the mix and it was sooo good!!!
Presents, cake and cousins!

Jonathan brings so much joy to our lives. He is tender and gentle. He loves people. He loves to hug and even when he is hurt, he is usually the first to want to hug and say he is sorry. He loves to laugh. He loves to talk to God. He keeps me on my toes. He is curious about everything and many times that has already led him into trouble. I am thankful for angels that prompt me or others like cousin Pate to go and look for Jonathan when we have not seen him in the last five minutes. There is always a reason for those promptings!!! He challenges me. He does not respond to the same ways of parenting that Tori and Timothy did and this has had Randy and I seeking the Lord for wisdom on a daily basis as we seek to train his sweet heart to obey and respond to us quickly when we speak to him. He is so precious and this little person can move me to tears in a heartbeat I love him so much.

His middle name, Ruisseau, is the French word for river or stream. Psalm 36:8 says that "we feast on the abundance of your house O Lord and we drink from your river of delights." I believe that Jonathan is a refreshing drink from the Lord's river of delights. It is our prayer that Jonathan will know the Lord at an early age, that he will taste that Living Water and that streams of life will flow from him.

What a joy to celebrate his life yesterday and to be here with family to share in that celebration! Jonathan you are dearly loved. Your a treasure!

Encouraged

Thank you so much for your prayers for the family that I mentioned in the previous post and for your words of encouragement and prayers for me. Keep them coming! This morning was declared a protect my mental health day! A day to just stop and take a moment to get my house back in order and to let my mind be free. It has been a day of blessing and enjoying my sweet children and my heart is thankful. We played up at the church and then over at my mom's house for awhile. I got in some much needed sister time with Becky. I am hoping we can do some more of this tomorrow!!! I am very thankful for the flex-schedule that Christian Homes provides, which allows me to take some time to regroup before diving back in. They are such a wonderful agency and I am so honored to be serving with them.

This has been a difficult week. My last post had Randy and I in the middle of a wonderful conference. Saturday night I received a phone call that a birthmother that I have been working with for the last several months had gone into labor. The next morning I received a phone call that there had been severe complications from a c-section and that she was dying. The baby was healthy but his mother was not going to make it through the day. I went quickly to the hospital. By the time I was there, she was no longer responsive. The nurse said it was possible that she could still hear. I had seen pictures of the baby and I told her how beautiful he was. I told her she had done a wonderful thing by making a plan for this baby's life and that we would do everything possible to make certain that her wishes for him were fulfilled. I found myself with my hand on her forehead praying for peace and mercy. She passed away Sunday evening. In the days that have followed there has been great grief and shock and diverse reactions as to what should happen now. My heart is heavy and I am tired. I love my job and I am thankful for the provision that comes through it. I love being in a position to minister hope and to be light in the darkness. Even so, today I find myself wrestling and striving to find the energy to press on. I know the Lord will renew me tomorrow but this is where I am today.

Randy and I are enjoying a great conference this weekend. We are Advocare Distributors and we are attending their Leadership Training Conference this weekend here in Fort Worth. We have been using the Advocare products for many years and they have made a wonderful difference in our lives. The Speakers and the testimonies have been amazing and we have been so blessed. Today we were challenged and encouraged by John Maxwell to be intentional about adding value to the lives of others. He talked about the Characteristics of Highly Successful people and what they are doing that sets them apart and allows them to make a difference in the lives of people. We add value to people's lives when we serve them. His words truly resonated in our hearts. I am sure I will be sharing more about the things that we learned from the conference in future posts. Tomorrow we will be led in worship by Michael W. Smith at the conference and we will hear some more great speakers before we close out in the afternoon.

Our sweet 4 children have been enjoying some quality time with their grandparents and we are deeply grateful that my parents are enjoying them too!

This blog has officially become my own. Randy now has his really cool Marketing Blog. Notice the link on the side and be sure to go and check it out. I had fun working with Amanda at froggiebloggiedesigns.blogspot.com to help me with a new look.

Pressing On is reflective of the themes of my life right now as we continue this transition. It has now been 8 months and I still feel very disoriented. I consider it progress that I can at least recognize that my lapse of memory and my inability to be organized and remember simple recipes that used to be a part of my weekly routine, have to do with my entire world completely changing. The land where I "grew up" as a mother, cook, teacher, and organizer of my home was Benin. I am still learning how to do this in America and the transition seems so challenging even still. Sometimes it seems easier to be learning and remembering completely new things, as in my work with Christian Homes than it is to remember or re-learn things that it seems I should already know.

In the stillness of my heart I feel the peaceful presence of the Lord gently leading me to press on one step at a time. I am so thankful for the stablizing presence of the Lord.

My Sweet Valentine

I had a wonderful Valentine's Day!!! I am married to my Sweetheart....I am absolutely crazy about him. He is my best friend. It is so rare that we have time to ourselves, just the two of us. I can't remember the last time that we had a real date...we always talk about wanting this to happen and we have just not been able to work it out....well a sweet blessing came our way!!!

On this day we were given the sweetest gift by some very very special friends....money to go to a very nice restaurant and the best most fun childcare....we were so supremely blessed and so were our kids. Later in the day, I received from my sweet husband a special delivery of chocolate strawberries...unfortunately, everyone was happy to share these with me!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day, Kelly!!

I love my wife so very much. I am crazy about her for more reasons than I can count. But I had to share a few here (think of this as Randy climbing up and shouting it out from the rooftop - I am not going to literally do that because of safety reasons).

Our kids absolutely adore their mother! When she walks in the door, after being away for even an hour, they run to her with arms open wide and cannot get enough hugs and kisses! They love their Momma and they love to shower her with love (I think she's been a very good example of that to them!) While making sure their clothes match every morning can never be underrated (honestly, it's the job I do the worst in our family), outfitting our children is hardly on the radar when I think of remarkable things that Kelly does for the kids. She makes each one feel loved and special. She speaks to them in ways that I never do (well, don't do enough). She is firm and yet always aware that her words have power and influence. I love watching the ways she praises the kids and the ways she touches the heart of every one of our kids. She has this incredible sense of knowing exactly what they need (I tend to bark alot).

At this time in our life, we are enjoying a family dynamic that might not work for other couples, but it's what we both love. Kelly absolutely loves her job with Christian Homes and Family Services...I mean, can you imagine a better job for Kelly than one that is focused on adoption!?!! She is a perfect fit and I know all of her team at CHFS knows that (you guys are great to work with!!) She is so good at speaking to groups about the adoption story and she is already proving that she is an incredible voice of hope to potential adoptive parents. But I can tell you that Kelly's servant spirit is never more clear and her mercy and compassion are quietly the most evident when she is working with birth mothers. I am so proud of the stories I hear and the words that I hear come from her mouth when she is interacting with these young ladies. While others may continue to stare with condemnation, Kelly gently reminds these often frightened and confused young women of the profound maturity of their decision to make the best choice for their child. The world continues to tell these ladies to shrug the maturity but Kelly and the CHFS team (and other adoption advocates) certainly provide a voice of hope. I'm proud that we are affiliated with CHFS and I love that Kelly is in the job she is in!

Kelly enjoys a unique model with CHFS that permits both of us to work based out of our home. We love it! We both live a full day juggling work (in and out of the house) and 4 kids - but we can't imagine it any other way. We 100% share in every responsibility that we enjoy as parents. This is totally fun and exhausting at the same time! And while I get my marketing company off the ground, I am so thankful that Kelly is not only willing to work, but she loves what she does. Honestly, if she didn't do what she does, I could not be enjoying the joy of launching a lifelong dream. That thrills me and I am so grateful for the provision that God is giving our family. I know Kelly enjoys her profession so much, but I also know she would be great in any role (paid or unpaid) where she is serving, speaking and demonstrating love, hope and mercy.

I am continually thankful for my wife's faith. While this year of transition has stretched and challenged our faith more than any other year in recent memory, we both know that the preceding years of solid faith-building experiences are helping us through these days. I love it that Kelly lives her life completely, fully connected to the Lord. She is authentic in her struggles and deep in her commitment to pressing on. We enjoy the blessing of walking with God!

ALSO - I can announce to everyone that Kelly has been chosen as this year's FORT WORTH CHRISTIAN Alumnus of the Year!! I'm so proud of her and we will celebrate this recognition at FWC's Celebration Dinner on March 28 (2 days after Kelly's BD!)

Happy Valentine's Day Kelly !! I am the most blessed man in the land...actually as we say (since it was the walking-down-the-aisle-as-we-were-pronounced-husband-&-wife-song), I am still the Lucky One!

KELLY - I LOVE YOU!
-Randy

About 2 months ago Randy and I heard about the "Hannah Montana 3D Concert Movie" that was coming to town for one week only (this week). We are not intense crazy fans but we do enjoy the Hannah Montana TV show when we have the chance to see it and we thought seeing the movie would be fun. Because of the Hannah hype we knew to buy tickets early and we felt more comfortable knowing the movie tickets were a set price. Randy bought the tickets for Tori and I just after Christmas and we chose not to tell Tori about it until today. This morning I told Tori that she and I were going to have a fun afternoon together and she was thrilled to hear what we were doing. We arrived to find out that this week the HM movie is completely sold out and we were "lucky" to have tickets. We walked right in and were still surprised when we saw the people lined up outside the doors of the theater. People had come hours earlier to make sure they were among the first to be let in so that they would have a good seat. Tori and I quickly realized we were the most relaxed in this group of intense Hannah Montana fans. Little girls and their mothers were all dressed up, many of them wearing pink or blond wigs. This was defintely an atmosphere that Tori and I are not accustomed too!! Once we were inside and seated in the theater, we were reminded by the employees that this is not a movie and that we were free to get up and dance and sing and enjoy the concert! The theater was full of screaming squealing little girls chanting Hannah! Hannah! Hannah! Tori was a bit reluctant which was fine with me!!:) We put on our 3D glasses and totally enjoyed the show! Although Tori preferred not to dance in the aisles, I did have the joy of hearing her sing along with all her heart, knowing all the words to all these songs. That was fun! I love hearing her sing. We had a great afternoon together enjoying something fun and this was a blessing for both of us. We are so thankful that Randy was persistent in finding out about the tickets and getting them early and that he gave Tori and I the treat of this time together. What a great Daddy he is!

When I got home, Randy immediately headed out the door to a SuperBowl party with friends. Tori, Timo, Jonathan, Lael and myself met my mom for dinner at Boston Market and then headed over to my parents house for some more playtime. We are back at home and getting ready for bed. This has been a full weekend and we are tired.

God is so good and his presence is so real. This weekend I have needed him to be directing my every step, thought, and conversation. He has been completely faithful. I encourage you to trust him more with whatever challenge you are facing. He is more than sufficient...but we never know if we do not place ourselves in situations where he can demonstrate this power. I feel so blessed to know him. Expect His blessing this week. Anticipate experiencing Him. He will not dissapoint.

Vote for the Best Super Bowl Ad

Randy's got a new marketing blog and on it you can vote for your favorite Super Bowl ad! Go vote!