Nate & Gina

To blog or not to blog...

2010-09-28T16:50:00.002-05:00

So it seems that the last time I blogged was when Nate & I got engaged...apparently I'm not the best at blogging! I guess it could have been due to the fact that we were planning our wedding, but that's not that big of a task so I really have no excuse;)

I don't think I want to spend all night blogging since it's been over a year so I'll give a quick update:

1. Nate & I are happily married:)
2. I still work at the Pregnancy Care Center (on a hiatus at the moment), no longer doing childcare. I reception. I love my job, I love my co-workers & I love the Lord for blessing me so much!
3. Nate & I are currently living in Arlington, VA while he attends a 14 wk. intensive - a program that usually takes 2 yrs. to complete. He will have 8 masters credits when we leave here in Dec.! I'm so proud of him!
4. I will eventually update my pictures, but they are on the mac & I'm on the dell. Soon enough my friends, soon enough:)

That is all for now...hopefully I'll get better about updating you with all the fascinating details of my/our life!:)

Wedding Plans!

2009-09-16T00:45:00.001-05:00

Forgive me for not keeping up with our blog the past several months! I have been hard at work planning our wedding, amongst working & many other things!!! No worries...I am just about done with our wedding page & will be sending the link out soon! Love to you all!

We're Engaged!

2009-06-26T18:19:00.005-05:00

We are waiting to confirm a date for our wedding, but we are officially engaged:) Nate did an incredible job & made our engagement more special than I could have ever imagined it to be! We are so blessed & so thankful for each other, & we can't wait to see how God continues to use us for His glory! Thank you so much for your prayers...please continue to pray for us as we plan & begin this new & wonderful journey together!

Nathan & Gina ~ Engaged June 13th, 2009!

I have found the one my soul loves!!! Song of Sol. 3:4

My gorgeous roses & my breath-takingly beautiful ring!

With Christ as our foundation, all things are possible!:)

Kids are tiring!

2009-05-11T15:54:00.005-05:00

So...I have quickly learned just how tiring kids can be! I started my job at the Pregnancy Care Center (where I've been volunteering since last Aug.) last Monday. I'm still helping with receptioning, but my main job now is to watch little ones while their moms attend parenting classes & Bible studies, as part of our Bobby's Boutique program. I typically have up to 5 kids in age range from 9 months - 6 yrs. It's quite a task keeping kids that far apart in age all entertained at the same time! God has definitely been giving me energy to keep up because I have never really worked with kids by myself before. I have helped teachers, but never been completely in charge, until now. Thankfully the kids have been fairly obedient & haven't fought too much so that is a blessing. Anyhow, prayer for energy & endurance is always greatly appreciated!

The PCC Staff! 4/27/09

The cruise my mom & I took at the end of April was phenomenal! I'll post a few pictures, but if you want to check them all out, you can visit my facebook page:)

Drill Time - 4/20/09

Captain's Dinner - 4/21/09

Cozumel was absolutely beautiful! 4/22/09

Our own private island! (plus, 20 other people or so)

On our way back to the boat

Last night on the cruise...we were sad:( 4/23/09

Nate & I have started our crazy wedding season, with one coming up this weekend that I'm singing in, & the others will be in July & Aug. Since we'll be at a wedding on Nate's bday, we're going to dinner with a group of friends on Friday night to celebrate him & the wonderful gift he is to so many:)

Oh, we also went out to celebrate my dad's birthday, & also made it a belated dinner for my mom's birthday since she & I were gone on her actual birthday:)

TGI Fridays - 4/28/09

Mother's Day went well...went to church,to lunch, then just spent some time with family. I am so thankful for my mom, as I know Nate is for his, as well. We love you both:)

Lunch for Mother's Day at Tiago's - 5/10/09
Yes, this is a quick update, & I'd write more...but it takes forever to upload & place the pictures! Have a wonderful week!

I'm a slacker!

2009-04-13T00:17:00.014-05:00

For some reason I'm having a difficult time moving these last couple of photos so I guess I'll just leave them at the top! Happy Easter:)

4/12/09

Shawn, me & Mom at lunch on Easter

So I've done a pretty awful job in keeping up with this blog lately! Things have been constantly busy & I should probably be doing other things right now, but I really wanted to update our blog:)

I had a wonderful birthday celebrating with friends & family! I even got to extend my birthday into April by having dinner at my friend, Kristen's house, last week! It was super fun, as was the Magic Time Machine & dinner at Macaroni Grill with my family! Nate even got me a new phone for my birthday so that was a special gift, which I appreciate very much:)

3/21/09

The making of my birthday hat!

Fun times at the Magic Time Machine:)

Waiting our turn to play Deal or No Deal at D & B's!

I think we tied:)
My actual birthday ~ 3/31/09

Dinner at Mac Grill w/ Nate, Mom, Jess & Shawn

The big 2-7!!!

Dinner at Kris & Matt's ~ 4/6/09

I don't know...we're weird sometimes (or alot)

My beautiful friends ~ Harriet, Heather & Kristen!

Time for some piñata laughs!

Getting my game face on...under the blindfold

To say I destroyed the piñata might be a bit of an understatement

Piñata baseball:)

Tator drove me around the block on the camo motorcycle!

And here is a link to a really funny video of me whacking my birthday piñata:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJhOah46w1s -> I highly encourage you to watch it...it will bring you great joy;)

Nate & I also started playing in a sand volleyball league with our friend Dave a few weeks back so that has been an interesting journey:) We've had fun..for the most part;) We also just started attending a Bible study on Thurs. nights called, "Discovering the Will of God" so we're really excited about the things the Lord is going to teach us throughout the study!

Today we enjoyed celebrating Easter with friends at church & with my mom & brother at lunch. I was also very honored & blessed to be able to sing during the 2 services at church! The Lord is so good & used the song to touch many hearts so I couldn't be more grateful:)

My friend, Ashley was in town!:) 4/12/09

Jeremy, Nate & Zach (I accidentally erased the one of the girls)

Literally one of the best people on planet earth!

My mom & I are leaving on Friday for a fun trip to Florida! We are actually going on a cruise next week so that should be a wonderful girls' get-a-way! Sadly, Nate won't be joining us, but it'll be a good time for him to rest up:)

This week is going to be pretty busy with working at the Pregnancy Care Center, a health fair, playing volleyball, going to the Missions baseball game, packing, & Bible study, but it will be a great week...for sure!

I stole this off of K. Tope's blog

2009-03-13T15:36:00.003-05:00

25 questions... the relationship version

1. What are your middle names?
Dawn & Edwards

2. How long have you been together?
Since June 2008

3. How long did you know each other before you started dating?

About 3 months or so

4. Who asked whom out?

We just sort of started hanging out...not exactly sure

5. Whose siblings do you see the most?

I guess my brother, Shawn, but not much more than we see Heather & we live in the same city!

6. Do you have any children together?

Negative....one day, God-willing

7. What about pets?

Negative again

8. What is hardest on you as a couple?

Having to stay up late some nights to have quality time because we don't hang out at all during the day

9. Are you from the same town?

No, Nate is from IL

10. Did you go to any of the same schools?

Nope

11. Who is the most sensitive?

I'm way more sensitive

12. Where do you eat out most as a couple?

We love going to ethnic restaurants, but more often we grab Wendy's or swing by McAllisters

13. Where is the farthest you've traveled together?

San Diego! Well, not together...he flew out & met me about a week after I flew out there

14. Who has the craziest exes?

Um, no comment

15. Who has the worst temper?

Depends on the situation - I'm worse in traffic & sports, he's worse when he's stressed or tired

16. Who does the cooking?

We take turns

17. Who is more social?
We're both social, but he's more social by nature...I've learned to be social because I'm more of an introvert

18. Who is the neat-freak?

19. Who is more stubborn?

It depends

20. Who hogs the bed?

N/A

21. Who wakes up earlier?

Nate

22. Where was your first date?

This one is tough...we hung out a lot before we were dating so I'm just going to go with The Oasis

23. Who has the bigger family?

It's probably about the same

24. Do you get flowers often?

On special occasions

25. How long did it take to get serious?

Not long at all...we knew going in to it that it was an intentional relationship we prayed over & believed the Lord had brought together:)

I should be asleep, but....

2009-03-13T02:06:00.004-05:00

I am waiting for some pictures to download so I am still awake. I haven't stayed up with the blog lately so I figured I'd type while I wait for pictures.

A couple of weekends ago we got to spend the weekend at Canyon Lake with some of our most favorite people in the world! There was a nasty windy cool front that blew in, which messed up my plans for laying out, but we discovered the best game of all time: RUMMIKUB. If my video camera wasn't old school I'd post a video of the official Rummikub winner dance, but it is, so unfortunately you will not be able to partake of the fun, other than in pictures. We had a blast & we look forward to doing it again soon!!!

Becca, Kristen & me chillin' in the hammock - 2/28/09

Shuffleboard fun with Matt & Nate

B, K & G doing the Rummikub dance

This is why we are friends!!!:):):) I love it!

Last weekend we visited Bandera Road Community Church for a special event. The filmmaker of the documentary, "Lord, Save Us From Your Followers" made an appearance after we watched the film & then did a q & a session with the audience. The documentary is awesome. If you have a spare hour & 45 min., I highly encourage you to check it out! The link is http://www.sermonspice.com/lsupreview. We spoke with Dan Merchant (the guy who put it together) afterwards & he is super cool.

The next day we got to go to the Spurs game with my best friend, Kristen & her husband, Matt. We had incredible seats & the Spurs won. Plus, Kristen & Matt are probably the coolest people on the planet.

Spurs game! 3/8/09
Spurs fun with the Minors!:)

Timmy d-ing up Shaq - ya, we won!

Anyhow, this weekend should be full & fun-filled so I'm sure I'll update again in the near future. As for now, I'm going to check & see if those pictures are done downloading!

Oh, and Texas weather is RIDICULOUS! Last week we were in the 90's....the past 2 days it has been rainy & cold. The high today was 50, I think. The joys of living in Texas;)

4 years

2009-02-17T13:35:00.004-06:00

I just wanted to ask for prayer for my mom, brother & me as we near the 4 yr. anniversary of my dad's death. It is crazy to me how quickly time has gone by. The anniversary is Feb. 26th & we still miss him every single day. Thank you for your prayers...the Lord is faithful & gives us the strength we need for every moment. Be blessed:)

Christmas Eve - 2004

Christmas - 2004

Last picture with my daddy - 1/29/05

He had the best smile & heart! Such a man a faith!

James 5:16, "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results."

Día de Amor:)

2009-02-17T00:17:00.006-06:00

Valentine's Day has come & gone, but it was a great one!!! Nate & I celebrated the night before at a restaurant I've been wanting to go to for several years now so it was very special:) We look forward to the many more to come!

Our master chef at Benihana! 2/13/09

The rice was delicious...just ask Nate;)

Best Vday EVER!!!:):):)
We also did a Walk Thru The Old Testament seminar at our church on Sunday & it was fantastic!!! We highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the Bible & grow in their walk with Christ. It was fun, entertaining, interactive, and all-around a great time! Check it out at http://www.walkthru.org/!

This week is going to be pretty busy, but it was great to spend the day together since Nate had a day off:) I have volleyball playoffs tomorrow night so that is something I'm really looking forward to. My team is 8-0 in the same league we've played in the last couple of years! Wed. we have youth, Thurs. we are going out for a friend's bday, and hopefully this next weekend we'll get to relax & what-not:)

Have a blessed week!

Always getting behind...

2009-02-11T14:10:00.009-06:00

Superbowl fun with Cachoo, Nate, Randi Kai, Kayla & Payton!

Beautiful sky at Randy & Kari's house

Nate & Randi Kai with the horses

Colton thanking Nate for his walking chair!

After Church - 2/1/09

Gina & Colton!

Uncle Nathan & Colton:) 1/31/09

So much snow! 1/30/09

Blues Game!

Dinner with the Wards in St. Louis!

Heather (Nate's sister) & I enjoyed a day at the Science Center:) 1/28/09

Sledding time! I also learned I wasn't prepared with my clothes selection...TX doesn't call for warm clothing!

Kicking snow because it's awesome! 1/28/09

I don't feel that I keep up very well with this whole blogging thing! Is it normal to be stressed by trying to figure out a time to blog?! Haha...I'm such a dork! Things have been crazy lately so that's probably part of the reason I haven't been a faithful blogger;)

2 weeks after returning from Honduras, Nate & I ventured to St. Louis to visit his family. We had a great time & even got to go sledding! It was my 1st time to see "real snow," which you have to admit is pretty exciting. I do " " because I don't consider Texas to have "real snow." With the exception of the random snowfall of 1985, San Antonio hasn't produced any snow that deserves the term snow. Yes, I have been in a couple of ice storms in North Texas, yet again, ice does not equal snow! Anyhow, we enjoyed our time there so check out our pictures at the top of this post. Blogger is being dumb & won't let me drag the pictures & I'm not re-attaching them because it takes forever! They are out of order too...oh well.

Since returning from St. Louis...the action has been pretty much non-stop. Nate actually had to take an out of town trip this week & just got back last night so we haven't seen each other in 2 days. We are going to the Silver Ring Thing tonight at Community Bible Church - http://www.silverringthing.com/. We are enjoying teaching our youth on Sunday morning & look forward to learning & growing more, in order to equip them for God's work:)

So, yes...this blog is quite short, but it will suffice for now:) Until next time...

Back from Honduras!

2009-01-22T14:25:00.009-06:00

I have been meaning to write for some time now about my recent trip to Honduras, but I have been going non-stop pretty much since I got home last Sun. around midnight! I really want to take a nap right now...however, I want to let all of you know about our time in Honduras. Today I actually got to share with the 7th, 9th & 10th grade girls in Sunday school so that was such a blessing! I'll try and break it down by day...here we go:

Day 1

Nate was so sweet and took Jeremy, Lisa & me to the airport around 3:45 a.m. and hung out with us for a bit before we went through security. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 5:40 a.m. so once we had boarded the plane they told us we would be a bit delayed because of the O2 tank. We sat on the plane for 1.5 hrs. (we had already missed our connecting flight in Atlanta by that point) and they finally announced they were de-boarding the plane because there was a leak in the O2 tank. We went to check with the ticket counter about a flight going out later in the day, but were told that Tegucigalpa isn't exactly a booming tourist destination this time of year so only 1 flight a day flew there. We were re-scheduled to fly out the following day at 5:40 a.m. The rest of the team that we were supposed to meet in Atlanta on Monday barely made their flight to Honduras because their flight from Birmingham to Atlanta was delayed. God is faithful though and they made it without incident:)

4 in the morning!

Lisa & Jeremy

Day 2

Nate again was a doll and repeated the same schedule of events as the day before to get us to our departure gate on time. We made it out of San Antonio and safely arrived in Houston, had a 3 hr. layover, then flew to Tegucigalpa. I will admit, I was a much bigger fan of the plane we flew on with Continental vs. our previous plane with Delta the day before...that's just a side note;) We arrived in Honduras, went through customs, were met by 2 of the men who work with Forgotten Children Ministries (both N. American), and headed to the mall for lunch. After lunch we stopped by the shelter (where we stayed the rest of the week) to drop off our luggage and headed to Grace Farm (where the team and boys were) about 30 min. from Tegucigalpa in Monte Redondo. We finally arrived at the farm around 3 p.m. or so on Tues., and everyone was outside just kicking soccer balls, throwing footballs & hanging out. We spent the rest of the afternoon just hanging out with the team and getting to know some of the boys. After hanging out at the farm for the afternoon, we went back to the shelter with the younger boys, had dinner, sang songs and shared about the day's adventure.

4 a.m. - 2nd day in a row!

L & J stoked to finally leave!

Game time with the boys

My new friends - Deybi, Ever & Luis

Gina, Lucio, Jeremy & Lisa

Day 3

We started the day with breakfast, then went to the grocery store to buy food to give to those in need. We bought 60 bags of beans and rice, tons of milk, sugar and flour. We took the school bus to an area where there are "squatter" houses, which are pretty much wooden shacks that people construct to keep themselves and their families out of the elements. They sometimes house up to 10 - 15 people. Hoards of women and children came to where we had parked and got food and clothing for their families. I was also given the amazing opportunity to pray over the health of 2 of the women who had come - Marta and Suyapa. One of the translators, Danny, translated my prayer for them and it was incredible to see the Lord at work. We finished giving out the food and clothes, and when we had nothing left, we went to spend time with the older boys at the farm. We had "gringas" for dinner and they were delicious! It is a pretty well known food in Honduras, and one of our other translators, Katia was telling me about how good they were. She was definitely right about that! After dinner and games, we went back to the shelter to get cleaned up and to change for church that night. Stan - one of the founders of FCM - asked if anyone would be willing to give their testimony at church and also asked if anyone would like to sing. I was sort of volunteered by Jeremy and Lisa, but also felt like it was an amazing opportunity that I didn't want to miss out on. Stan and I talked and I decided to sing 2 of the songs that I had learned the year before in Spanish for our trip to El Salvador. Stan played the guitar for me while I sang and all I kept thinking about was how awesome it was that the Lord knew the year before when I was learning those songs, that He would use me to sing them in more than 1 country!!! How great He is! Jeremy & 2 others gave their testimony, as well, so it was a powerful night! We also had a fun ride back on the bus with some of the families we picked up to take to church and their adorable children!:)

Squatter house

A mother with her children

Precious little soul
Giving out food & clothes
Praying over Marta & Suyapa
Singing at church
Adorable cousins we met on the bus

Day 4

Our day began with breakfast, and after that we stopped by one of the barrios of one of the boys who used to be part of the ministry. He actually left Grace Farm to try and help his mother financially. It was one of the poorest neighborhoods I have seen. I had suckers that I was giving to the kids and they literally inundated me and started grabbing for the suckers saying: "Dame una paleta"..."Give me a sucker". I tried to ask them to wait and take one at a time, but literally, they did not understand the concept. These kids/families have NOTHING so if something is being given to them...they take it in desperation...almost panic mode, as if they won't get anything if they aren't very assertive about it. It makes sense though. When we ran out of what we had, we headed to Grace Farm again, played games with the boys and got to know them better.

Utter desperation

My boy David!:)
Finca Grace = Grace Farm

Day 5

The day was fast and furious because it was our last day in Honduras. We went down to the center of Tegucigalpa and got to experience some of the small shops and what-not to buy souvenirs. We spent the afternoon walking around and finished by eating lunch. We then went to Grace Farm to have a pizza dinner with all of the boys and say our goodbyes. I became friends with one of the boys, David, which was a little more difficult with the older ones since they aren't as apt to come up to you like the younger ones. You have to approach them. David (pronounced Dah-veed) and I got to be friends by playing baseball and making jokes so that was great! He is such a sweet boy and God laid him on my heart to sponsor him for the next year. I had also been praying about sponsoring my younger boy, Deybi, but was told that he had many sponsors right now so wasn't really any need of any more at this time.

Deybi!!!

My sweet David!

** The ministry of Forgotten Children is absolutely vital to these boys. I can't even put into words how bad it is because we will never in our lifetime see the kinds of things that go on there here in the US. Yes, there is poverty, yes there is violence, but it isn't even comparable to the darkness that is rampant in Honduras. Here are some stats I didn't even know until I got back from Honduras:

1 - Honduras is the 3rd poorest country in Latin America (74% are below the poverty line)

2 - There are 7 million people in Honduras, which is 1 million less than New York. New York has 600 homicides in 2006, Honduras had 3,000.

3 - In the last 17 years there have been 44,000 murders, 32,000 of them haven't been prosecuted or even had any arrests.

4 - Over 50% of the population of Honduras are 14 yrs. or younger

5 - There are 75,000 gang members vs. 14,000 police

FCM needs prayer....consistent, fervent prayer for the staff, the missionaries & the boys they are ministering to. Most of the boys have done drugs, stolen, been in jail, have been sexually or physically abused....it's the norm. It's sick & sad, but it's reality for the vast majority. Please please please stand in the gap for this ministry...it is desperately needed. You can also check out the website at www.forgottenchildrenministries.org.

Day 6

We said our final goodbyes to the young boys, got on the bus & left for the airport.

Lisa & I did not want to leave!

My last photo with Deybi before leaving
Honduras from the plane

You can't walk away from a trip like that and not be changed. God's heart is for the nations and each country I go to, He makes that more and more clear to me. We are called to be a light in the darkness & I am so thankful He chooses to use me to bring Him glory. Our God is an awesome God!

I sincerely thank you for your prayers & financial support. The Lord provided through you & I cannot thank you enough. If you want to see all of my pictures from Honduras you can check them out on my Facebook page. I have 3 albums so the links are:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2031557&l=996f2&id=61800734

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2031558&l=b7f7f&id=61800734

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2031584&l=e3e06&id=61800734

En el amor de Jesucristo, Gina<><

Honduras!!!!

2009-01-10T00:56:00.004-06:00

God transforms hearts! The story of Joceli is
absolutely beautiful & miraculous!

Our boys at CISNA (all boys orphange) in El Salvador last year:)

Sharing the love of Jesus with our girls at CIPI (all girls orphanage)

These are the precious faces of God's children!

Our team will be leaving for Honduras on Monday morning at 5:40 a.m. Specific things to be praying for:

~Safe travel for our team to Honduras & back
~For the children we come into contact with to have open hearts to receive the love Christ has for them
~Please pray against attacks from the enemy to derail our trip & time with the people God will bring into our lives - bind satan & his demons from our travel, interactions, thoughts, actions, speech, etc.
~Safety in Honduras
~Pray that the Lord is glorified & that His name is made great among the nations & in Honduras!

Thank you for your prayer, love and support!!!! Dios les bendiga ahora y siempre!!!!

*****James 1:27 says: Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.*****

Always so busy!

2008-12-30T12:31:00.012-06:00

I again don't have much time to write, but wanted to add some pictures from the past couple of weeks!

We took my mom out for lunch on Dec. 20th to celebrate what would have been hers and my dad's 39th wedding anniversary. It's always a hard time of year, but we had a great lunch and I know she was so thankful we spent that time with her:)

We also got a fun surprise in the mail that same day from Brad & Debbie! They sent us such thoughtful gifts that are greatly appreciated!

I started getting really sick around the 21st, but we were still able to have some fun at the youth Christmas party:)

On Christmas Eve we attended our annual Christmas Eve service at the church, and the Lord moved mightily that night. We were reminded of just how precious our gift in Christ is and our hearts rejoiced in the true reason we celebrate Christmas ~ the wonderfully amazing & beautiful gift of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Christmas Day was very special and we had a great time (other than that morning when I woke up really sick!) We enjoyed time together and with my family, but Nate missed his family so much. We are excited to visit them at the end of January though!

We also got a chance to go downtown on the 26th, which is a rare occurance when you live in SA, but our friend, Lisa's mom was in town so Lisa, Jeremy (Lisa's husband), Cheryl (Lisa's mom), Nate, my mom and I went to dinner and to see the beautiful lights on the Riverwalk. It was a great evening!!

We ended the week with another fun surpise in the mail from Jan! She made us matching pajamas and we had a fun time taking pictures to send to her. I'm still working on getting those pictures to her, actually!!! Things are still really busy, but I'll get them emailed really soon! We love our pjs!!!

Well, my crazy week continues so I am off to volunteer at the Pregnancy Care Center. I will update again when I can!!!

Please be praying for my certifications to go well this upcoming weekend!

Also, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We love you all!

Craziness abounds!

2008-12-09T23:32:00.009-06:00

We have been going non-stop lately so I haven't had time to update our blog in a while. I really don't even have time right now, but I wanted to post some pictures and what-not:)

We just had Nate's boss' retirement dinner on Friday night, which Nate hosted, and he did an amazing job!!! I was so proud:)

Pre-dinner pic ~ 12.12.08

Angie, Nate & Lisa ~ the hosts/speakers

Nate mc'ing the dinner

Candid dinner shot

It was a long, but successful night!

I had Fiesta Texas tickets that a friend gave me over a year ago, so Nate and I decided to finally go last Sat. It was beautiful with all of the Christmas lights! Half of the rides were closed, but Nate was ok with that because he wasn't much for riding what we rode any way!

He was so excited to be there!;) 12.13.08

In front of the huge Christmas tree
We love this picture:)

On Sunday we had Bethlehem Nights at our church, which was a re-creation of what Bethlehem may have been/looked like back when Jesus was born. Nate was a Roman guard and got to harrass people, and I sang at the Nativity scene. Over 2,000 people came through during the weekend! How awesome is our Lord?!:)

Nate harrassing people!:) 12.14.08

Getting ready to sing

We also just celebrated our 6 month anniversary on Monday so that is really exciting! We had a wonderful evening & we are so grateful for how the Lord has & continues to bless our relationship!

My gorgeous roses from my love! 12.15.08

Self-timers were a wonderful invention!

We were planning on going to Dallas tomorrow for a wedding, but neither of us is feeling well so we decided that we'll just mail the gift. I'm a little bummed because I wanted to take Nate to Gainesville (where I went to college my 1st 2 yrs.), but that will have to wait for another time.

I am also scheduled to take 2 certifications at the beginning of Jan. for Personal Training & Fitness Nutrition so your prayers would be greatly appreciated!

I am really stoked about the upcoming mission trip I'll be going on to Honduras Jan. 12th - 17th! I am blown away by the opportunities the Lord continues to put in front of me to bring glory to His name throughout the nations!!! Nate is so sad he won't be able to go, but he is lifting our team up in prayer, & was such a huge help for me when I was sending out my support letters! Please continue to lift up our team as we prepare to go to Honduras to show Christ's love to those who don't know Him.

I will try to update again sometime soon:) Have a wonderful Christmas!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving, and Prayer!

2008-11-27T02:30:00.007-06:00

I should be asleep, but feel that this blog is very important. Let me start off by saying...Happy Thanksgiving!!! We have so much to be thankful for, even in the darkest of times. I am sad for Nate and his family because his beloved Grandpa Ralph went home to be with the Lord unexpectedly today. I sometimes don't understand why there has to be so much death and sorrow...however, how can we not be hopeful when we have so much to look forward to? Christ died so we might have life and have it abundantly! Yes, there is sorrow, and pain, and heartache, and tears, but a day is coming when that will no longer be the case. Praise God for that! Revelation 21:4 says, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." What a beautiful promise we can cling to in knowing that our hope is in Christ! So...the reason for this blog is that even though we have hope, it is still hard being here on earth without the ones we love. Holidays are especially difficult so I ask that you please remember those you know who have lost loved ones who might be having a hard time right now. I also ask that you lift up the following families of these loved ones:

Grandpa Ralph (Nate's grandpa) ~ 1929 - 2008 ~ 79 yrs. old

Justin Jeffries (my childhood friend/classmate) ~ 1981 - 2008 ~ 26 yrs. old
Esther Martinez (friend's mom) ~ passed away in 2007
Lenny Wright (Nate's cousin & friend) ~ 1985 - 2006 ~ 21 yrs. old ~
Kevin Brown (my cousin) ~ 1979 - 2006 ~ 27 yrs. old
Tommy Morrel (childhood friend's brother) ~ 1979 - 2005 ~ 26 yrs. old
My daddy ~ 1944 - 2005 ~ 60 yrs. old

La Vida Loca!

2008-11-26T00:44:00.007-06:00

Life has been a bit crazy the past couple of weeks so I haven't had much time to write. As you can see from my previous post, a friend I grew up with since 2nd grade was killed in a car accident last week and I wanted to be able to help so I spent a lot of time getting in touch with people from our class and school to let them know about the unfortunate death of Justin. The weekend before last mainly consisted of get-togethers/viewing/funeral. It was a very difficult weekend because any time someone loses a loved one, it brings up memories of what it was like when I was in the same position. My heart absolutely breaks for the Jeffries. Losing a parent is one thing...you deep down know that will happen someday, but I've always heard people say "You never expect to bury your child." Please continue to lift them up in prayer. I know nobody likes funerals, but I especially dislike them. I went to my dad's, friend's brother, and my cousin's all within the same year. This time of year is especially hard too because the holidays always bring out those feelings of loss and the fact that my dad isn't here to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with us anymore. Sometimes you don't even realize how much you are still affected by it until something like what happened with Justin occurs. So, all of that to say, I have been quite pre-occupied with that, as well as working, helping at church with the youth group, playing volleyball, and my newest endeavor...volunteering at the Pregnancy Care Center.

Today was my first day of actual training, and I already feel the Lord at work in my heart in the love I have for the girls who walk through the door. I am training to be a receptionist, but at some point will probably train to be a counselor, as well. Nate and I are praying over the opportunity to potentially be hired as part-time staff, but that is all in God's hands right now. They are closing one of their centers because of lack of funds so I am not sure if they'll be hiring any time soon. It is an amazing, Christian based center and it is so encouraging to me that we not only help these girls with the tangible physical needs that they have, but that they also hear about the love that Christ has for them and the hope that they have in Him. I can't wait to see how the Lord chooses to use me there:)

Thanksgiving is coming up on Thursday and it will be the 1st Thanksgiving with Nate so I'm really stoked about that:) I know he is really sad not to be able to spend the holidays with his own family, but I am looking forward to the next time we get to see them.

I haven't posted many pictures lately so I will be sure to include some from my friend's wedding that we went to on the 9th. We also went to the Spurs game with a few friends back on the 11th too so I'll put up some of those pictures. I'll probably throw in some others since I haven't had the time to manage our blog recently.

I'll try and write again after Thanksgiving! Have a blessed Thanksgiving and remember ~ "In everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18:)

Shannon & Joey's wedding - 11/9/08

Go Spurs Go! (They won) 11/11/08

Zach, Nate & Jeremy being hardcore;)

11/16/08

Rock Band - possibly our new obsession;) 11/21/08

Jill, Lisa & Gina - Jeremy's 24th bday - 11/22/08

Justin Jeffries

2008-11-19T01:36:00.004-06:00

Please be praying for the family and friends of Justin Jeffries. I grew up with Justin since the 2nd grade, and he was killed in a car wreck on Thurs., November 13th, 2008. He was 26 years old, engaged, and left behind his mom, dad and 21 yr. old brother, Jared. Everyone is very saddened by this tragic event, but thankful that Justin had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, even though he struggled with the temptations and pitfalls of this sinful world. We know we will see him again one day in heaven & we praise God for that! Your prayers are greatly appreciated...I know how much strength the Lord gave my family and me after my dad died, through the prayers of those lifting us up. No one can comfort hearts and give the strength that is needed to go through a time like this, but the Lord who is merciful and compassionate and loving beyond our comprehension. I have complete faith that He will give peace that passes all understand to the Jeffries because it says in Philippians 4: 6 & 7 ~ "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

Dec. 10, 1981 - Nov. 13, 2008

Fun with photos

2008-11-06T01:49:00.004-06:00

As most of you know, I'm kind of a picture fanatic so I thought I would just add some pictures from the fun times Nate and I have had over the past couple of week since he's been back from all of his traveling. Enjoy!:)

Post-church - 10/26/08

Self-take fun:) 11/1/08

Silly picture

The Youth Crew

Jill, Zach, Jeremy, Lisa, Gina & Nate

After youth - 11/5/08

Granite City/Elsah/Grafton/St. Louis

2008-10-15T23:19:00.012-05:00

Nate and I got back last Sat. from a week long trip to visit his family and friends in IL/MO. We arrived on Wed., the 8th & Nate's best friend, Steve picked up us from the airport. We made a run to White Castle on the way to Nate's mom (Jan's) house, but I did not partake in the White Castle "deliciousness"... Nate enjoyed it though:) After that we headed to Granite City to his Jan's, and hung out there for a bit efore heading to have dinner at his sister & brother-in-law (Heather & John's) house. They have a 4 month old baby named Colton and he is by far the best baby I've ever been around! He's adorable and has a cute little dimple too! After dinner we went back to Jan's house and enjoyed a small bonfire with Steve and his wife, Katie.

I had been bugging Nate to get a pumpkin so we could carve it, so on Thurs. we went to a place called Relleke Farms where you can buy pumpkins to decorate with or carve. We took his little cousin with us too so we had fun walking around looking at pumpkins and feeding corn that had fallen on the ground to the sheep. After we dropped off his cousin, we went back to Jan's and carved our pumpkin. We had a carving kit with cool designs to copy and we spent 3 hrs. carving our pumpkin! It turned out really well though:)

Fri. we took a ride to a couple of small towns in IL - Elsah and Grafton. We walked around and the weather was absolutely beautiful. The leaves aren't changing much yet, but there were a few that had changed. We enjoyed the weather, ate some lunch and ice cream and went back to Granite City. That night we visited Nate's cousin, Kari's house and just hung out and talked.

Sat. we went to the St. Louis Zoo and it was incredible!!! It's free to visit and it blew the San Diego Zoo out of the water! The weather was amazing and all of the animals were out. We stayed most of the morning into the early afternoon, then went to the St. Louis Art Museum because it was right up the hill from the zoo.

On Sun. we went to church with Jan, and after that she drove us to Heather & John's house for a bbq. John and Heather did a phenomenal job with the grilling and the food was wonderful! Nate's grandma, Grandma Faye, made a delicious strawberry cake also and it was a perfect ending to a tasty meal! We played a game of wiffle ball - Heather, John & Brad (Nate's dad) against Nate, me and Nate's 2 uncles. They destroyed us so that was awesome, in a not-so-much kind of way;) I'll practice for next time so I can actually show that I am athletic! I pitched alright, but my batting skills didn't work to my advantage. Maybe next time we'll play a game of outdoor volleyball or basketball...:)

Mon. was mostly a clean up/get ready to leave day so Nate helped his mom with some stuff around the house, while I cleaned the kitchen, did laundry, and packed our suitcases. Jan made dinner that night so I helped peel potatoes and i put together the fruit salad. It was a great meal and we just spent time talking and what-not.

We flew back to San Antonio on Tues. and Nate is leaving tomorrow for Hawaii until next Fri., then he is leaving again the following Sun. until Oct. 31st. Work is keeping him super busy so hopefully he'll be able to get some rest when he gets back! Please continue to pray for us and for our relationship to glorify the Lord in everything we do! Please pray for our time apart and that Nate will have safe travels as he travels the next 2 weeks. Until next time...

Fireproof, The Crooks & St. Louis

2008-09-30T16:04:00.005-05:00

Nate and I had a date night last Friday night and enjoyed Habaneros for dinner, then went to a movie neither one of us had heard much about. It's called Fireproof and I encourage everyone to see it!!! There is some cheezy acting in it, but all in all, it's a phenomenal movie. http://www.fireproofthemovie.com/. Check it out if you get a minute! Oh, and here is a picture from our date night:)

On Sat. night we got the opportunity to hang out with the new youth pastor at Castle Hills, Zach & his wife, Jill. They are great and we had a lot of fun hanging out with them. They also just got a new black lab puppy and Nate was so excited to play with her. He was like a little kid and it was adorable:) Jill made us chicken & cheese enchiladas & rice, then we played a board game and cards, then sat around and talked until almost 1 in the morning. We all had to get up early the next morning for church, but it was well worth staying up late!

Also, Nate and I will be going to St. Louis Oct. 8th - 14th and we're both really excited! I'll get to meet his family for the 1st time and I'm looking forward to the good times that are in store! I've been to St. Louis once before, but it was back in 2001 for a choir trip so it will be much more fun this time, I'm sure:) Until next time...

The joys of traveling!:)

2008-09-21T11:14:00.027-05:00

Our trip to VA and DC was AMAZING!!!! We didn't get to our resort (Woodstone at Massanutten) until about 9 p.m. on the 13th because Nate got stuck in Dallas, due to maintenance problems with the plane he was on. He was delayed 2.5 hrs. so my mom and I just hung out at the airport and waited until he got in. We weren't able to do much that night because everything was closed in McGaheysville (pronounced McGakeeyzville, not sure why) so we unpacked out stuff and that was about it.

On Sunday I had the chance to meet up with a friend I met while interning in Mexico in the summer of 2007. She and her husband drove 3 hrs. to meet us for lunch and then we drove to a place called Skyline Drive to look at the beautiful view. It was great getting to catch up! After hanging out with Jessica and her husband, Nate and I decided to go swimming at the indoor pool that the resort had so we could jump off the diving board. I'm not going to lie...that was probably the most exciting part of the resort for me:) I love to dive and we had a blast!

Monday we took the chair lift up the mountain to where people usually ski. Nate and I talked about maybe going back sometime in the winter to ski because neither one of us ever has before.

We also hiked up a hill to the top of the mountain and the view was extraordinary!

There was also some little festival going on so we stopped by that and checked out the arts and crafts and local food places to visit. Since we had so much fun the day before, Nate and I went back to "Le Club" and jumped off of the board again. My mom videotaped some of it so we had fun watching it when we were done;) We also played ping-pong, racquetball and air hockey, which is always great with 2 highly competitive people! I won't tell you who won what;) Haha.

Tuesday we took a tour of the resort because they always try to sucker you into buying something, but we refused, of course.

We drove to DC that night and walked to the Pentagon Memorial that was just dedicated on Sept. 11, 2008. It was intense, just like all of the other memorials we saw while we were there.

After the Pentagon Memorial, we stopped by the Pentagon City Mall to have dinner. Usually mall food is terrible, but there was an incredible Japanese food restaurant in that mall and Nate and I loved our food!
Wednesday my mom and I took that morning to drive to Columbia, MD, to meet with a missionary I have been talking with for several months about working with her as an administrative assistant. She will be out of the country until mid-November, so we are going to focus on getting started with things in Jan. after Christmas.

We drove back to DC around lunchtime and stopped by the Air Force Memorial on the way to the metro. It was really cool because God allowed us to become friends with a couple who was visiting the memorial, as well. There names are Roger & Glorie Johnson and we talked with them for a while as we walked to the metro and rode to Arlington National Cemetary. Roger is actually going to El Salvador in Dec. and has been looking for an orphanage to partner with to take school supplies and various other things while he is there. I went to El Salvador last Dec. with my church and we worked with Orphan Helpers so I actually have someone Roger can get in touch with to take supplies to the 2 orphanages we went to last Dec. I am so excited that he is going to be able to meet the kids I met while I was there! No one can deny how God brought us together! We visited with them until we got to Arlington National Cemetary, then parted ways. We exchanged contact info. so I look forward to staying in touch with them!

My mom and I saw JFK's flame and also watched the Changing of the Guards at the tomb of the unknown soldier

Then that night we toured the Mall. I had no idea it was called that when we had 1st planned our trip so that was news to me. We saw the Capitol Building, White House, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, Korean War Memorial, World War II Memorial, and the Washington Monument.

On Thursday, my mom and I had the chance to have lunch with my friend Jade, who I played basketball and sang with in high school. It was wonderful seeing her!

After lunch, my mom and I went to visit the Holocaust Museum and there aren't really words to describe the feelings it elicits. The thing that I appreciated the most about the museum was that there was a section for the crisis going on in Darfur. The Holocaust was one of the most horrific events in history, so it is important to remember that genocide is still going on all over the world today.

After the Holocaust Museum, Mom, Nate & I went to the Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. I'm pretty sure that was Nate's favorite part of DC! He was so stoked to be there, and it was really cool. We also visited the Navy Memorial, a market, had dinner and left to go back to McGaheysville.

The rest of our trip was pretty low key. We went to the store & bought silly teeth for fun, to the swimming pool to dive off the board some more, played a little ping-pong, shot some baskets, ate dinner and packed.

We had to get up at 3:30 a.m. Sat. morning to get to the airport because Nate flew out at 8:55 a.m., and my mom and I flew out at 11:45 a.m because we had a wedding to go to at 5 p.m. on Sat. All in all, our trip was awesome and we can't wait to have another one soon!

Hurricane Ike

2008-09-10T17:15:00.004-05:00

All I know is that I'm going to be thoroughly annoyed if our flight gets cancelled on Sat. because of Hurricane Ike. Nate is saying that it's pretty much inevitable since there is supposed to be 6-8 inches of rain and winds up to 60 mph. So brutal! Please be praying that we are able to board our flights and head to DC because it'll be really sad if we don't get there until Sunday or Monday and have to leave the following Sat. I hope Ike misses San Antonio, and I'm praying for those who are in the path of it's fury!

Dinner Party:)

2008-09-06T10:30:00.003-05:00

So...on Sept. 12th at 7 p.m., Nate and I are having a dinner get-together at Hungry Horse to celebrate our new online travel business! We're hoping all of our good friends will come out and support us because it's really exciting and we want to share that with everyone. God has opened some amazing doors for us and we are looking forward to how He is going to use us for His Kingdom:) If you want to check out my travel website you can go to www.dreamtravel.worldventures.biz and click the #2 box for information about the company. If you want to see what kind of deals you can get on travel, just go to the "book now" icon at the top of the page:) I became interested in it after I got a flight to California in the middle of July for $250 roundtrip! That's pretty phenomenal these days:) Anyhow, here is some other stuff going on with us...

We are both teaching Sunday school now at Castle Hills. Becca Smith asked me if I would like to help out as a sub last week, but after I taught, I felt it was something God was calling me to do. Nate sat in with the 9th grade boys and he felt the same way when he was done. We are both teaching 9th grade, but the boys and girls are split up so it will be fun when we have joint social activities:) We also got to have lunch with the new youth pastor, Zach and his wife Jill last Sunday and they are wonderful! We are looking forward to becoming even better friends with them!

Something else that we're looking forward to is our trip to DC the 13th - 20th. Don't worry, my mom is going too so it won't just be Nate and me;) He actually has to work that week in DC so my mom and I thought it would be the perfect place to visit since we've never been there! We are staying at a resort in McGaheysville, VA (www.massresort.com) Sun. & Mon., then heading to DC Tues. - Thurs., then back to the resort Fri. and leaving at 4 something in the morning on Sat. to head back to the airport to fly home. We had to get early flights because Nate's boss is getting married at 5 p.m. on the 20th so we wanted to have enough time to make it. I will also have the opportunity to meet with Melody Warford, a missionary I had previously talked with about missions, and the possibility of becoming her administrative assistant. I will give you more details once I get back from DC.

Anyhow, that is some of the stuff going on with us. I will keep you posted after our dinner party and DC to let you know how everything goes! Until next time...

First Blog

2008-09-05T18:26:00.002-05:00

I thought it would be fun to start a blog for Nate and me since I don't get a chance to fill many of you in on our lives these days! Everyone stays so busy, which is great, but I finally gave in and decided blogging might be one of the best ways to keep everyone updated:) So, I don't know how great I'll be at being consistent, but I will do my best!