Monthly Dinner at Christmas Time

As I mentioned in an earlier post we host a monthly dinner for Pastor T, Isabella's middle school pastor. Well word got around and our monthly dinners are now attended by T and a few others - Laura, Jolea, Jessica and starting in 2009 JJ will be joining us.

Bob and I are having a great time getting to know each of them as we sit around the table eating, talking and laughing a lot! Here is a picture from our dinner this month - Laura's brother Andrew who is visiting from Kentucky joined us too!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

A BUNCH OF CRAZY ELVES!

Giving Thanks

We spent Thanksgiving in Austin with our friends the Stenglein's. The food was awesome especially the flan - thanks Dulce! The kids had a great time and I'm amazed at how much they have grown. It was also a reminder of how thankful we are to have such special friends who continue to bless us with their friendship.

On Friday we went to Mt. Bonnell and we were blown away by the scenery. Austin is beautiful! We can't wait to go back for another visit...

7 Car Accident!

On Friday afternoon four of my girlfriends/co-workers (JoLea, Michelle, Terri & Becky) and myself had just attended the Inspire Women Luncheon downtown and as we headed back to the office on Highway 59 we ended up being part of a 7 car accident. This was one of the most terrifying moments in my life!

I noticed to the far right lane a big commercial truck hit the vehicle in front of him and then before we knew it the mini van to our right started to come into our lane - JoLea tried her best to avoid making contact but the mini van still hit the back of the SUV we were in. My precious friend JoLea (who is pregnant) managed to keep her composure as we were spun around, hit the concrete barrier, and then spun around again only to land in the middle of the freeway with JoLea's door facing the oncoming traffic. Thank God the traffic had already come to a stop! We managed to finally get the vehicle started and moved off to the side of the freeway.

As you can imagine all five of us were pretty shook-up. Michelle called 911, I called the office to let them know were in a wreck and then we all called our husbands to let them know what had just happened. We were all worried about JoLea and the precious baby girl, Allison Grace, she is carrying - praise God she was not hurt physically and the baby is doing just fine. No one in our vehicle was hurt but two other drivers were taken to the hospital.

We have all checked in with each other today and yes we are so SORE but thanking God for his protective angels who shielded us from physical harm. JoLea's vehicle was damaged and will be repaired - a small price to pay for such a horrible accident. I am again reminded of God's sovereign grace in my life...

Here are a few pictures:


This is the mini van that hit us.










JoLea's vehicle






























This vehicle was hit by the big truck-the driver survived.

This is what Fatherhood is all about!

Pastor T

Terrace Clayton, aka Pastor T, is Isabella's Middle School Pastor at RPC. He has a heart for reaching kids and relating to them in a way that shows how much God loves them.

T, as we call him, has become a member of our family - it didn't take long! We even have a standing monthly dinner night at the Nidever's. He's single so he loves a home cooked meal.


T is a funny guy! This picture was taken by him with my camera at one of our dinners.

Goofin'!!!

Mark 10:45

Mark 10:45 - "for even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

My friend Ann Younger painted this picture for the RPC Women's Fall Series. Isn't she a fabulous artist?! Ann has a true heart for the women of our church and the young women of Fort Bend County.

Who are you serving?

Now This is A Teenager's Room!

We surprised Isabella when she returned home from Camp with our idea to transform the extra bedroom into her new Teenage Room, and she was more than happy to help paint and organized it. It took us a little over a week to finish. It's amazing how a coat of paint takes a boring room and makes it into something fabulous. We had a great time working together as a family and I am so impressed on how great it turned out. Isabella is feeling very blessed...

Isabella's home!

Isabella is back from Camp Eagle - we sure did miss her. And we're pretty sure she grew a few inches. Welcome home Princess!

Wimbledon 2008

How lucky is he? Patrick Kelley our Senior Pastor at RPC happens to run into Venus Williams, the Wimbledon Women's Singles Champion, walking through the airport in NYC. Congratulations Venus!

4th of July in Austin

We finally made it back to Austin to see our friends, Mike, Dulce, Jessica and Jack, the Stenglein family. The 4th of July would not have been the same without spending it with them. We started off our afternoon with margaritas and some good Mexican food and later that evening we enjoyed some awesome smoked BBQ at the Roussos'. Mike usually purchases a ton of fireworks, but this year we enjoyed some great music and fireworks at the Nutty Brown Cafe. The music was awesome compliments of Bob Schneider and his band. The Nutty Brown is a typical laid back Austin watering hole with a welcoming family atmosphere. If you're ever in Austin you should check this place out for a great time http://www.nuttybrown.com/

Before we headed out Bob and Mike played a few rounds of tennis (the Stenglein's have their own court). As you can see from the pics it's been awhile since they played. We laughed pretty hard at how exhausted they were.

Camp Eagle here She comes!

Isabella and the RPC Middle & High School students left for Camp Eagle, in the Texas hill country, this afternoon. The week ahead will be filled with non-stop activities for all of them. Bob and I miss her already and we can't wait to hear the "camping" stories!



Here's Isabella and her BFF Sarah Sipos as they waited for the buses to arrive at RPC.

Isabella is a Teenager!

Isabella turned 13 years old a few weeks ago - Our daughter is officially a TEENAGER! Crazy! She and a few of her friends celebrated with a movie, dinner, and a sleep-over. The girls laughed it up all night until 5:30am the next morning. Yes we had some tired and cranky young ladies later that day. The celebrating did not end there, it continued through out the weekend with family and friends. Bob and I continue to reflect on how quickly the years have gone by and how much we are enjoying this wonderfully sweet, kind, loving, intelligent, funny teenager of ours.

We even had our house teepeed to mark the start of the teenage years compliments of our dear friends the Slater Family. There was toilet paper everywhere! It was too cool! The best part was having them come back and clean it all up the next day.

JOURNEY!

Hey all you JOURNEY lovers out there! Journey has a new lead singer, Arnel Pineda, and he's pretty darn good. Neal Schon ROCKS! Check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZP0OcrDYJc

I still miss Steve Perry...

Silly Fun!

I just love my daughter! It's fun being silly... This Webcam Rocks!

Volleyball Champs!

Isabella and her teammates won the Championship match for their grade level on Saturday. Whoo Hoo!!! The team started off the season with 3 loses and then turned it around by winning the next 4 games, the semi-finals, and finally the Championship. We are so proud of her and the team!

Mommy my side hurts!

How many times have you heard that? It was just another Memorial Day BBQ at my parents when we heard those words from our little princess Isabella. After several hours of discomfort we drove down to our local St. Michael's 24 Hour Emergency Clinic (great staff) with fears of appendicitis. The initial diagnosis was just that, but they needed confirmation by taking a CAT Scan. After several hours of nervous anticipation and a supportive visit from Isabella's RPC middle school intern, Jessica Stanley, the results were negative for appendicitis but positive for a ruptured ovarian cyst. We were sent home with prescriptions for antibiotics and pain medication and very thankful hearts that we did not have to face surgery. Believe me I had major flash backs of Bob's emergency surgery last year and I wasn't ready for another one! I want to say thank you to the family and friends (you know who you are) who stayed in contact with us throughout the evening with supportive words and funny wishes that helped Isabella while she was "waiting it out". Isabella stayed home from school today and she had a visit from two of her BEST FRIENDS - they came with a special basket filled with get well cards and homemade chocolate chip cookies. What would we do without our circle of supportive friends and family... Thanks again for loving us!

Piano Man

My hubby finally played in a wedding! Bella and I went and bought new dresses, shoes, purses so we could represent our Piano Man at the wedding this past weekend. It was a beautiful wedding and Bob did a great job playing the piano. We are so proud!!!

The Shack by William P. Young

A friend of mine suggested I read The Shack, she said "It will change your life!" She was right! Have you ever started reading a book that you just couldn't put down? Well this is one of those books. My emotions were all over the place - sadness, joy, tears, love... The story of a mans journey through what he called The Great Sadness will touch you down to the deepest part of your heart, soul and spirit. I have come to truly embrace how God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit's purpose is to work life out of death, bring freedom out of brokenness and turn darkness into light. He just wants a relationship with his creation. He wants us to trust him in everything. He wants us to love each other even when we don't deserve it. He wants to walk with us. He wants to heal our hurts. He wants to lead us into a loving relationship with him... Are we capable of that? I sure hope so. I know I am going to give him all of me... Pick up a copy and let Him meet you were you are.

Where do I begin...

I have finally decided to join the blogging world. Be patient with me as I navigate this new chapter. It feels weird putting your thoughts out there for others to read. I look forward to the journey.