We had our first ever Family Retreat at our church last weekend. We went to Pine Cove Crier Creek in Columbus had had an aweosme time! As some of you know I used to work at Pine Cove in Tyler back during college and LOVE PC!! So of course their staff and facilities were amazing and our families loved it!! I also got to hang out with my youth pastor from home, Chad, who is now the Family Minister at my home church! He came in to speak to our families and brought the whole family! It was so much fun having them as neighbors for a few days and getting to know their precious kids!! They are the "Eskimo Joe's" Family in the picture at the bottom. My friend Hannah from Prestonwood also came to lead worship. We had hayrides, smores, fishing, ziplines, horses, scavenger hunts, Bible study, and lots more! It was lots of fun and we had a great first annual Family Camp Retreat.

Waiting on Families to Arrive!

Family Scavenger Hunt: Photo part...YMCA!

Mark's influence on innocent little Ashton

About to go Horseback Riding!

Paddleboats

Ziplines & Some Family Fun!

The Whole Group!

Upward

We have had an Upward Basketball program at our church for the past 10 years...way before my time here! This past season we added Upward Cheerleading to our Basketball program. We had 83 cheerleaders on 11 different squads. The season was long, but went GREAT! Mark coached two basketball teams as well, so we both were consumed with practicies, games, refereeing, awards nights...for about 11 weeks. Fun Times, but not sad it is over until next year! Here are a few random pictures of cute little cheerleaders :)

Diaper Cakes

I learned to make diaper cakes for friends a few years ago when all my friends started having babies! Well, so far this year I have already made 4! I am starting to make them and sale them too, so if you need one for a special occasion let me know! I can do all sizes, themes and colors! Below are 2 different medium sized diaper cakes. One was for a Winnie the Pooh themed shower and the other is for a Circus themed shower. I made a really awesome pink one last month, but forgot to take a picture of it! I LOVE making them for people!

Go Lady Bears!

Houston Rodeo with Josh Turner

I always like an excuse to go to the Houston Rodeo. This time it was Mark's mom's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LYNN!! I think I would go every weekend if Mark would let me and if I had time.....and if I had a LOT more money! Last year I had tickets to see Rascal Flatts and the lead guy got Brochitus the day of the concert!!! Like hours before...it was so rude and so lame. But I am glad that he is better now and I got to see them later in Dallas. They are my FAVORITE!! We saw Josh Turner this time and he was AWESOME!! I love his voice, great songs and he put on a fabulous concert. At the rodeo we got to see the kids try and ride sheep! I have never seen this in person, just on the movie 8 seconds. It was the cutest thing ever...and I have NO pictures of it! Just one of the little boy being interviewed after he won by staying on his sheep the longest. It was really cold and raining, but we had a great time! Oh and the food and shopping was fabulous as well!

He was so cute!

Trying to get the ferris wheel...

Someone took a pic for us!

Riding the "Lite Rail"

Mark's Parents: Lynn & Louis...HAPPY BIRTHDAY Lynn!

Josh Turner...oh and his cute pregnant wife was singing backup and playing the keyboard.

Maybe they aren't Dead Yet!

Mighty Will Fall
Baylor scored the first big upset of Championship Week, taking down top seed Kansas in the Jayhawks' Big 12 tournament opener.

Drug Free is the Way to Be

So obvioulsy Mark and I do not support the use of drugs or breaking the law. We want to obey policeman and do not participate in any illegal activities. I have been pulled over by these nice policeman, though, more times in the past year than in my whole life. I am not proud of this at all, but I am super annoyed. I think I must have a huge sign on my car that says, "Mr. Policeman please pull me over for anything at anytime!"

Well, yesterday I was headed to have lunch with my sweet husband on my lunch break and was on a 4 lane road. I was traveling in the right lane and saw someone pulled over on the shoulder ahead. I turned on my blinker, changed to the left lane, passed the car on the shoulder, turned on my blinker again and changed back into the right lane. A few seconds later I realize a policeman is behind me with his lights on, so of course I pull over. I know I was going under the speed limit, all my tags are current (I know because that was my last pull-over!), nothing! So he comes up to my passenger side window and tells me that he is pulling me over because I didn't leave my blinker on long enough. I am suppossed to leave it on for 100 feet when changing lanes. ?????? Do the Math at 60 mph...... that's all I'm saying! BUT then he asked if he could open the door and look at something. He then picked up some "dried grass or dirt or something" off my floor board and smelled it. Then said, "Oh, I thought it was something else!" EXCUSE me??? Do I not have a Jesus fish on my car, an Upward Basketball/Cheerleading magnet and a Baylor sticker on the back?? Do I look like someone who would have "stuff" in my car??? I was going to my church staff meeting after lunch! I just got a warning, though, so that was nice! But it didn't stop me from being a little upset and angry.

Then today Mark calls me from work and says that I will not believe what happened to him. For After over five years of working for the same company he is chosen for the first time for random drug testing today!!! Apparantly someone must think we are "smokin' something..." maybe it is because we spend most of our free time with CRAZY kids and teenagers! haha I don't know, but we thought it was funny! (I didn't at first, but Mark always did!) Anyway, just for the record, we a big fan of hugs, and not drugs!

Our Wedding: December 29, 2007

The Incredible (already totally demolished) Candy Table My Mom Created!

Honeymoon in Hawaii

Trip to New York Last Summer

And So a New Addiction Begins...

I wasn't going to start a blog because I spend way too much of my free time "stalking" (according to Mark) other people's blogs and Facebook pages, but I am finally giving in! I don't know how great I am going to be in keeping up with this...we will see! And I am really not sure who will want to read about us...we are not too exciting! For now I will just post some fun pictures of Mark and I until something happens to write about! :)