Thankful for Red and Orange . . . and Black Friday

As you can see, our trees are now turning really beautiful colors. In October, we had a few trees change and shed their leaves, but most held on. Thanks to cooler temps during the last two weeks, we now have startling shades of red, orange, and yellow canopied over our house (and falling in our yard!) The smaller tree is a Chinese Pistachio. We had them planted this year! And I was surprised to discover some of our plants also turn colors in the fall.

Bryan and I celebrated Thanksgiving with frozen Chicken Florentine and asparagus! Bryan is on-call Thursday-Sunday, so it is a busy time for him. I have also been editing a book manuscript due Tuesday. We are thankful for jobs and the sustenance those jobs provide. We are thankful God has given us each other--to help and encourage each other through difficult days.

Although we have worked quite a bit this weekend (Bryan more than me, obviously), we did find time to decorate our house for Christmas! And it looks great. Sometime this week, Bryan will put up the outside lights. Yay!

I also hit the highway on Friday to finish our Christmas shopping. I started at 9:30 a.m. and finished up at 6:00 p.m. I'll be spending the next few days wrapping gifts!

We hope you had (and are having!) a wonderful, blessed, thankful Thanksgiving weekend. Happy Thanksgiving!

What a Great Weekend!

If the title doesn't give it away . . . . we had a great weekend. Bryan's parents came to town for a visit. On Friday we did some shopping at local spots. That night we had Stevan, Alexis, and Lucianne over for dinner too. Such a fun time with the cutest little baby on the planet! Saturday was filled with a yummy breakfast at Esperanza's and then to Dallas to see the King Tut exhibit. Although it was very interesting, it was a bit crowded. At the end of the evening, we met Leslie and Scott at Grand Luxe for dinner at the Galleria Mall. Of course, Leslie was glad to see her Mimi and Daddypaw. The Galleria was all decked out for Christmas with the huge tree at the ice rink--got me in the holiday mood, including the shopping mood! Elaine and I found some great deals at Pottery Barn. I was sad the Yourees couldn't stay longer, but a Thanksgiving meal at Papa and Granny Yourees rushed them away. Only a few more weeks to Christmas and can be together again!

Adios, UNT

It's official; I have withdrawn from UNT. Sigh. It was a difficult decision, but (hopefully!) a wise and practical one for my graduate future. I am now trying to shift from school work mentality to freelance focused....all in one weekend. Yeah--that's why I'm getting a pedicure on Thursday.

Comfort Food and Friends

Bryan and I had the great honor of hosting a small party at our home this last Saturday evening. Several new acquaintances from our church came over for comfort food and games. Bryan made a yummy butternut squash soup and I made the infamous taco soup. We also had heaps of appetizers--salsa, cheese, olives, spinach dip, apples, chex mix . . . . and tasty pumpkin loaf and monkey bread. Thanks to Brittany for bringing the scrumptious oatmeal/chocolate cookies. Mmmmm.

We did enjoy the food, but even more so the company. It was great getting to know friends from church. The game of Catch Phrase was, in a word, hilarious. Although the guys won more games than I care to mention, everyone had a good time.

When the night ended, I was so thankful for God's faithfulness to bring friends into our lives as we settle into our new city and such. So, thanks Rebekah, Andy, Cindy, Patrick, Zack, and Brittany for coming over. We had the BEST time!

Disappointed

It's easier to break the news this way--en masse and without the emotion of the phone call. I did not get accepted to the Masters of Fine Arts, Creative Writing program at UNT. The form letter arrived yesterday.

Of course, I am disappointed. This is one of those moments in life where my "plan" isn't working out like I concocted. Bryan and I are not exactly sure what next step to take . . . we need to gain more information about other MA possibilities. Yet, I am fixed to trusting God, knowing His path is the best path--although this "detour" wasn't on my radar.

If you are so inclined, I'd appreciate prayers for the ability to turn my present grad courses into audits. That would be a much needed relief.

We Had a Happy Halloween!

Although little Lucianne is a sad, little kitty in this picture, we had a GREAT Halloween in Fort Worth! The weather was perfect--high 70s. Bryan and I sat on our front porch for two hours passing out candy to various fairies, pirates, ninjas, monsters, and Hannah Montannas. We gave out 98 pieces of candy and five special Halloween cookies (for our next door neighbors).

Our favorite costumes were as follows: a toddler dressed like Elvis who became VERY excited when you gave her candy. We also thought the troop of Pink Ladies was clever. Jack, one of our neighbor kids, dressed in all white, gauze included, and said he was a "Nobody" for Halloween. And of course, the CUTEST kid we saw all night was Lucianne. Although she was tired by the end of the evening, she still was too precious! (See her little kitty tail coming off her diaper?)

Death to the Desk

No, I'm not working in the new office yet. And this is the reason--the cursed desk. After searching high and low for a desk with all the necessary drawers, etc, I settled on a particle board jewel from Office Depot. The only thing "off" was the color; Bryan reassured me he could paint it black. Several sandings and 15 coats of paint later, the black Rustolem was still peeling off like paper. And when he put it together, the drawers didn't exactly work well.....and more and more scratches meant more and more paint coming off. This picture is a memorial for the desk taken just before it was carried to its final resting place--the city dump.