Welcome Home Brother!

Many of you know that my brother-in-law, Jake, has been serving our country abroad for the past 5 or 6 months. Well, he came home the other day! Praise the Lord. What is even more unique about his homecoming is that he got to see his 4 month old baby, McCall, for the first time. He was able to be there the day she was born, but this was the first time he has seen her since then.

My sister hired a videographer who captured the "fly-in" when Jake flew home. Jake is the pilot who is flying the first airplane in the video (he is the Commander) and is leading the pack.

This video made me cry my eyes out when I saw it. It makes me so proud to say that my brother serves our country and fights for our freedom!

Welcome Home Jake! We love you and missed you so much!

Incredible Friends and the Hill Country Vineyards

Rachael and me at Luckenbach! Our first time there!

A couple weekends ago, Max and I drove down to Boerne to see our dear friends Rachael and J. We were there for only about 24 hours but it was the most enriching 24 hours we have had in a while. Rachael recently had baby Trip, who is absolutely precious. This was the first time I got to see Trip and he was such a great baby. We took him with us on Saturday to the vineyards - and what a trooper!

Saturday night, Max, J, Rachael, Trip and I went to Luckenbach, Texas. It was some incredible people watching and a great time had by all!

Rach and J - We miss you so much and wish you lived closer. We hope to come again sometime during the holidays! Thank you for having us!

Puppies Don't Like Swimming!

Max and I love to take our puppies swimming. After all, they need to know how to swim in case they fall in the water. They are not big fans. The only way they will tolerate it is if they are on the rafts! I guess Greyhounds are not really the swimming-kind.

Baby's First Swim!

Shelby and I took McCall for her first swim a few weeks ago. McCall really enjoyed the water. Below are some pics of her first swim!

A Beautiful Wedding

It has been too long since I have posted. I have been wanting to write a post about Carol-Sidney (my cousin) and Houston's wedding. We had such a great time and Carol-Sidney was a gorgeous bride.

Congratulations, Nunu and Houston! We love you guys and can't wait to see you soon! (These pictures below are in the wrong order!)

Precious Little McCall was a great baby through the entire wedding. My mom had this precious gown made for her!

My sweet hubby and I matched and did not even mean to!
What a gorgeous cake!
My sweet sister and me. I miss you sis!

Last but certainly not least (I could not figure out how to change the order) - the gorgeous bride!

A family affair

I am headed to Amarillo to go to my cousins wedding. I am so looking forward to spending a weekend with my family. Shelby and McCall are going to be with us and I can't wait to be in total aunt-mode. I saw McCall two nights ago and let me tell you - 3 months and 15 pounds - the precious baby does not miss a meal!

I will send photos and an update from the wedding when I return.

John Stott Study on Galatians

We are doing the John Stott study on Galatians, Galatians - Experiencing the Grace of Christ with our Bible Study right now. I worked on our study this morning and was struck by a few key points...

1) God chose Paul to be a disciple before his birth separating him from his mother's womb (Galatians 1:15)
2) Before Paul experienced the revelation of God's calling he was carrying on the Jewish traditions of painstakingly keeping the law and persecuting the church with the intent to destroy it. What a transformation he made after experiencing the calling of God!
3) Paul was not interested in pleasing men, nor did he have any human influence that colored his ability to share the Gospel.

After reading today in Galatians 1 - I was struck by how often we as humans seek to please man, not God. Paul's example of following the calling set out by God was very convicting to me. It is not man who determines my calling or success, but God.

I hope this is as much of an encouragement to you as it was to me!