there were birds everywhere!
This weekend, my sister, mom, and I met up in Horseshoe Bay (funny title, huh?). We didn't really realize until we got there that it was right at a four hour trip for each of us, which worked out really well. We wanted to take a chance to just hang out with each other without spouses and children around. We needed some girl time!
The resort we went to was the Horseshoe Bay Marriott Resort, and it was beautiful. The different pools and restaurants of the resort were spread out among a few miles, so golf carts and passenger vans took us everywhere we needed to go. On Friday night we ate dinner at a great restaurant overlooking Lake LBJ, then we sat in the Caprock Pool for about an hour chatting. When we got back to the hotel we walked around the grounds for a while...and they were amazing! The art and landscaping that surrounds the hotel were amazing in the dark, we could not wait to see it all during the day!
On Saturday my mom got a massage for her birthday, a treat from her daughters. Anita and I ate breakfast and got ready to go while she was gone. Then we went and sat on the man made beach for...well, most of the day! I love the beach, but I hate the salt water. 
Switch out said saltwater with lake water and I'm a happy girl! I got to spend a little time reading more of one of the many books that have been assigned to our team (thanks Gary!), it's called The Case for Christ. It's about a journalist who set out to debunk the existence/purpose/history of Christ. I was reading in the chapter where he interviewed a Jewish Christian, and it was by far the most interesting chapter so far. The book is getting better the more I read!
Saturday night we got dressed up and ate at one of the fancier restaurants at the resort, I had great slow cooked short ribs with polenta and seasonal vegetables...and orange truffle cheesecake with ganache for dessert. Have I ever mentioned that ganache is one of my favorite things in the world? You could put it on top of just about anything and make it taste like a million bucks!
Saturday night I walked around the hotel and took some pictures of all the cool stuff I saw on Friday night, but the camera (probably actually the photographer!) was not at the top of its game. I didn't get the best shots, but I still got some good ones.
Saturday night we watched some movies and then hit the hay.
Sunday we ate breakfast at a golf course that had been skunked the night before. I don't know exactly how it happened, but they said a skunk got under the floor and did its magic (wording my own, who really talks like that besides me?) Anyway, we ate our breakfast outside to avoid the smell, and the food was great. After that we went back to the hotel and played golf...well, miniature golf. It was like putt putt, but with actual putting greens and no clowns opening and closing their mouths. It was really neat, I felt like Tiger Woods (but poorer and much less talented). After that? You guessed it, we went down to the beach again and sat around! 
It was wonderful, I really loved it down there. That night we ate dinner together and then my sister Anita had to leave. Her little boy started kindergarten today, and she needed to be there with him. How exciting, and a little scary, for all of them. Mom and I watched a few more movies (well, I watched them and she fell asleep!) and then hit the hay again. This morning she and I ate breakfast and then said our goodbyes as well. I came home to a husband who has been doing many much needed and much appreciated odd jobs like getting our closet light to work (thanks also to Aaron, sorry I was so bossy about you coming as soon as possible. I was tired of taking a flashlight into the closet to see my clothes!) I also came home to a dog who has had projectile diarrhea for the past three days. We think the combo of having other dogs in our home for the past two weeks and me being gone for three days might have had some stressful effects on him! Usually when I'm gone Matt is too, so he's kind of used to how all of that works. When I just up and left though, we think he got a little confused and worried! Who knows, I just hope he doesn't get sick again (like I can complain, Matt's been cleaning up after him!)
My sister, mom, and I had a great time. We talked about growing up, marriage, divorce, the future, our friends, our family, money, etc. It was great to share our hearts with one another in a slow paced, relaxed environment. I'm grateful to my mom for treating my sister and I to such a wonderful weekend.
the fountain near one of the pools 
the view from our room
Last weekend we had an amazing time in College Station. No, we weren't running around in our A&M t-shirts...we were participating in our second to last module through Halbert. Last weekend was a family/supporter weekend. Our team, a team moving to Thailand in about a month, our financial supporters, and our parents all gathered in College Station for a weekend of catching up. We got to College Station on Friday evening, and then the Thailand team and our team gave our presentations to the crowd. It was a good opportunity for our parents to see what we show to churches when we visit them, and to just get a better idea of what we're planning to do in Australia. We talk about it here and there with them, but they don't get to hear our day in and day out conversations about it.
The tears started Friday night. I didn't cry, but my eyes watered. Me, the girl who doesn't cry! I got emotional telling my story...partly because it's been a stinking seven year process and partly because I'm so excited! The possibilities are endless in Ipswich, and my brain can't wrap itself around them all. I'm super excited. The tears started again on Saturday morning. We have Gary to thank for those! He was going through a powerpoint that showed the adjustment process that we will experience, and telling the families and supporters the best way to help us deal with those adjustments. It was an emotional time because he was in essence saying, "your kids are about to leave, and when they come back they're going to be a lot different than when they left", and that was hard for parents to take! There was a lot more to what Gary said...I don't want him to think that's all anyone got out of it! That was just kind of the snapping point for a few people. I also don't want it to sound like I don't think it was valid for parents to get upset at that, because it totally was. Before I dig myself into a bigger hole, I'll continue! The toughness of that conversation led to a time when all of us team members had to leave the room, and the parents just got to debrief a little. Apparently it was an amazing time when they all got to be honest, I hope they all got a lot out of it.
Crying station number three was our time alone with our parents to share how they've blessed our lives. You can imagine how that went! I've always felt encouraged by my family, but we've never been a, "hey, way to go" kind of group. All I can say is that those thirty or so minutes with Matt, Leonie, and my dad was one of the most amazing times of sharing I've ever experienced...in my life. I will never forget it. The evening ended in some amazing chicken fajitas and Snickers ice cream bars, mmmmmm.
Thanks so much to my dad for coming to College Station. Thanks to A&M COC for feeding us and hosting us. Thanks to Mr. Hogan for letting us stay at his house and spending time in conversation with us. Thanks to Jenica's family, Gregory's family, and Leonie for coming to support each of us. Thanks to Halbert for investing so much time and love into our teams. Thanks to the Thailand team for being so fun! Thanks to God for continuing to make it clear that we are on the right path, because sometimes satan makes us wonder.
Matt, Jenica, and I went to Colorado this weekend. We left Friday at 6am for Brighton, Colorado and returned back in Abilene at 2am Monday morning. What can I say, we're young and crazy! We went to visit Gregory, who has been doing an internship there for the past two months. He has been interning with a guy named Hobby who is launching, organic, home based churches in Brighton. Organic is such a fancy shmancy word these days...all I mean is that they're trying to keep it simple. There were other people that Gregory was working with and being mentored by, but Hobby was kind of the go to guy. The funny thing is that Matt and I knew Hobby before Gregory did. We met him and his wife in 2004 in Searcy, Arkansas. They were in the beginning stages of forming a team to move to New Zealand, and Matt and I visited with them to see if the team was a good fit for us. They were amazing people, but Matt and I were not quite ready for that kind of commitment. Long story short, Hobby and his wife Jerry ended up feeling like God had different plans for them and went to Colorado instead. They are amazing people that God has really bestowed wisdom and encouragement on. Hobby is the kind of guy that makes you feel really important to God and to others, it's quite a gift.
On Friday we got to meet a few people in the leadership group that Gregory really hung out with this summer, and got to tell them God's story in leading us to Ipswich. They in turn gave us many words of encouragement. It was an awesome start to the weekend! On Saturday morning we drove around and Gregory showed us different spots where he spent most of his time this summer: Funshine Daycare, the city pool, the park where the church met, etc. It was great getting to share in the things that he invested his time and energy into. After that we went to Boulder and hiked a mountain. We were all huffing and puffing...I'd like to blame it on the altitude! It was a really beautiful hike, and the view from the little summit we ended on was amazing. The four of us also got to talk honestly about our team, since we have not been together since Gregory left for Colorado. We talked about the things that we think are lacking in our team, like encouragement and the ability to dream creatively. It was a good time together, we were able to be a lot more honest than we have been in the past! We still have a really long way to go, but it was refreshing to be together and talk about what was on our hearts. That night we walked down Pearl street, ate dinner, and enjoyed the outdoor mall scene. It reminded us all of the mall near Southbank in Brisbane that we went to last summer, Queen Street Mall. It was nice to reminisce!
Sunday morning we got to participate with the church in the launching of their house church. It was amazing to meet all the people who were doing church in a house for the first time, people were kind of nervous but really excited! What was really amazing was to get to participate in a house church other than the one we are part of in Abilene, to see what they did and how they did it. Everyone on our team felt like God showed us a lot that morning. After that we drove home...and boy was it a long drive! I'm really sick of fast food now and am pretty exhausted from getting so little sleep last night (or this morning rather), but man was it worth it!
there were birds everywhere!
Switch out said saltwater with lake water and I'm a happy girl! I got to spend a little time reading more of one of the many books that have been assigned to our team (thanks Gary!), it's called The Case for Christ. It's about a journalist who set out to debunk the existence/purpose/history of Christ. I was reading in the chapter where he interviewed a Jewish Christian, and it was by far the most interesting chapter so far. The book is getting better the more I read!
Saturday night we watched some movies and then hit the hay.
It was wonderful, I really loved it down there. That night we ate dinner together and then my sister Anita had to leave. Her little boy started kindergarten today, and she needed to be there with him. How exciting, and a little scary, for all of them. Mom and I watched a few more movies (well, I watched them and she fell asleep!) and then hit the hay again. This morning she and I ate breakfast and then said our goodbyes as well. I came home to a husband who has been doing many much needed and much appreciated odd jobs like getting our closet light to work (thanks also to Aaron, sorry I was so bossy about you coming as soon as possible. I was tired of taking a flashlight into the closet to see my clothes!) I also came home to a dog who has had projectile diarrhea for the past three days. We think the combo of having other dogs in our home for the past two weeks and me being gone for three days might have had some stressful effects on him! Usually when I'm gone Matt is too, so he's kind of used to how all of that works. When I just up and left though, we think he got a little confused and worried! Who knows, I just hope he doesn't get sick again (like I can complain, Matt's been cleaning up after him!)
