December Whirlwind

We moved everything to Belton, mid November...but we have barely been home! Life is nothing short of CRAZY this month. We have continued back and forth between Dallas and Belton for Thanksgiving and for the girls to finish out the semester at their school. I also ran the White Rock Half Marathon Dec. 4th, (in the cold, pouring rain and wind..but the sis-in-law and I had trained for 3 months and were determined to finish). Coming up we have Brynne's Christmas party, Brynne's Birthday and party, and Brynne's surgery (adenoidectomy) on the 16th. Then it's Christmas and my partial hysterectomy on the 27th. Like I said..crazy. We covet your prayers this month and look forward to the time when we can actually settle down in Belton and make it more of a home.

Temple It Is!

For the past year Beau has been "in training" for becoming a territory manager for his company. Many places were "tossed" at us...Tampa, Phoenix, Hawaii, and Tulsa to name a few. We prayed that God would get us ready for the next step; knowing He was already there and had a perfect plan. As things have unfolded, the plan for us has turned out to be Temple, Texas.
Where? Yep. Between Dallas and Austin if you're not from here. We move there mid November.
These past 2 months of being home have been great to see family and friends, yet weird in that we never "settled." We knew our time here was short, we have been waiting for an answer, and constantly cleaning or packing.
We know one person in Temple...however, we have heard story after story of friends of friends who love it there and say it's a neat family town. We will be living in Belton, which is known for great schools and having a young family population.
There have definitely been a few "you turned down Hawaii to live in Temple...you have to be kidding me, " kind of responses.
But what has overridden those has ironically come from our church family. 6 different friends from church have said one comment separate from knowing others had said the same thing: "I can't wait to see what God is going to do with you guys there, because He IS already there." When this city girl is driving down country roads, that statement will never leave me. God in His sovereign providence has prepared us for this step...in so many ways. He showed us in Hawaii how He always goes before us, and we're resting in Him, knowing He is in control. Doesn't mean it will be easy. I am excited that it's only 2 hrs, 15 min from our family and friends,(considering it could have been 12 hours, or an ocean away). We have recently had dinner with different sets of friends who have told us stories of their friends that love it there...and we're settling into the idea of being a Belton, TX kind of family :o)
Here's a pic of the girls on the first day of school in September

All dressed up for Halloween. Super Girl and Little Cinderella

Providence

Food for thought from the English Language Dictionary © 1897:
Providence – “God’s Divine care, control and guidance over your life, situations and circumstances… making one ready for future events”
It was A. W. Tozer who said, "What you think about God is the most important thing you think." Knowing God--really knowing Him and who He is--calibrates all of life. He is the ultimate measurement because He is in control. When we see God as Creator, Maker, Redeemer, Judge, Consuming Fire, Sovereign King and the One who knows all things, we begin to practice His presence in our lives.

What comfort knowing He is in control, although sometimes we think we are, He still is.

Homecoming

Our homecoming was sweet. We were greeted much to our surprise by the entire family when we arrived home from the airport. We had a great time hugging on one another and enjoying breakfast.We spent every day with another family for the next 2 weeks.

The cousins reunite! Mimi and Papa were excited to have all their grandkids in one place!

Brynne and her BFF Will

Saying Goodbye

Saying Goodbye was so tough. We made some really good friends, and we don't have $1500/person money flowing to be able to visit them often. We were very excited to see our friends and family in Texas, but very sad knowing we didn't know when we would see our Hawaii friends again. Julie coordinated a going away party and we were very blessed. The new families that just moved in joined us, which was great so I didn't bawl the entire time. That came later.







Last dinner on the porch. Cloudy, but cool

Kayaking Adventure

Beau, Brynne, Joel, and Justin kayaked out to one of the Mokulua islands from Lanikai beach. They had fun at the island making a "sitting pit", then venturing around to the back where the tide pools are. Beau said the waves were huge. Mommy stayed on the beach with Julie and babies...and it was a good thing I couldn't see when the kayak flipped! All were okay and headed back to shore. Brynne still talks about what fun it was!


The home in the middle with the pointed roofs was on HGTV dream vacation homes!

The Morning Run

Here are a few pictures of what we see on our morning run.

The Mountains

The Lake

The canal


We will miss all the above pictures...but I will NOT miss the hills at the end. These hills are the life of me at the end of every run and quite a test of my endurance. The first two are very steep, and the third is better...but they are the only way in and out of our townhome! The picture doesn't do it justice because Julie is standing on the angle too to take it. My mind is saying #@!$%^#@!$%^!!!!!

Maunawili Falls

Beau and I have had a lot neat dates here, which we are really going to miss! One morning Julie took the kids while we went to breakfast and then for a hike we had wanted to do without kids. The hike was a neat adventure and ended at a waterfall with a pool where people swim.

Fitting it all in

With only 2 weeks left, we're trying to see a few things we haven't, visit our favorite places, and spend time with our friends as much as possible!
These are pictures from the hike up to the Mokapu Lighthouse. It has great views of the beaches and ocean!





We had all the neighbors over on July 4th for a potluck and to watch the fireworks on the lanai


Date night with Julie and Joel. Man we love these guys!


And nothing to do with anything else, I just want you to experience "tenting." It is super common here...they build everything with wood so termites are a major problem (go figure). It is not uncommon to see a house being treated with a tent over it everywhere you drive. This is a picture of the duplex next to ours being treated.

Dolphin Swim

One thing we really wanted for Brynne to experience while we were here was to swim with dolphins. Beau and Brynne headed for a day of fun last weekend where they took a boat through Ko'Olina Ocean Adventures out to sea. There they snorkeled with fish and sea turtles, then got to swim with the spinner dolphins! Definitely one of their favorite memories together!

All ready to go!

Brynne rode on Beau's back most of the time

Spinner dolphins

He goes before us

Isaiah 52:12b- "for the Lord will go before you and the God of Israel will be your rear guard."

God has engraved this scripture on our hearts in an amazing way coming here. He goes before us in so many ways, many of which we never realize. As I began to make a list of all the ways He has provided for and blessed us here, I am overwhelmed. How often we miss noticing those blessings, but how much more would our hearts praise Him if we stopped and recognized all He does for us.
God placed us here in a duplex that is perfect for our family with amazing neighbors. We have never been in need, or even want. The neighbors have switched out toys, movies, dishes, a highchair, passes to events, info on where to go, surfboards, even a car. The children are the same ages and they all play outside together every day. God closed a lot of what we were involved in at Frisco and opened new doors in kailua. He provided our Frisco homes and cars to families in need. We were able to start a Bible study with our neighbors and to form some deep friendships. This came at a time before the kids were in school and it has been an amazing experience or our family, filled with wonderful memories. Our list goes on and on, and the list of what He has taught us is even longer.
I am thankful. Thankful to serve a faithful and loving God who blesses, protects, and guides His children. Thankful to have learned at a young age that the ultimate joy, (that most people spend their life trying to attain), comes from walking with Him.

We do not know what God has for us next, but this sweet time here will be forever engraved on our hearts (and scarred on my head), to remind us of His faithfulness to protect and provide. As we prepare to leave Kailua, He is showing us what it means for Him to be "our rear guard." Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. - Joshua 1:9

Visit from Pops and Auntie M

We were very excited for Pops and my Aunt Margaret to come visit us! We made great memories touring all over the place and experiencing Oahu to it's fullest. The enjoyed museums, Pearl Harbor, the beach, a luau, and we even drug them on a hike or two!

Took the best dad ever to eat on Father's Day at the restaurant behind us overlooking the mountains. LOVE this man!


I could post a million pictures, but I'll keep it down to the luau pictures. They are just too funny...





Brother and sister at the luau

Can't leave out this cutie