God's Hand

I often think back to a time in my life, in my marriage, that God prepared Dillon and me for His plan. Back in the winter and spring months of 2008 we were trying to decide where Dillon should go to seminary the next year after he finished Youth Ministry in Dumas. We traveled to Massachussets and Pennyslvania in the freezing cold of January to tour various schools. I remember the whole time we were in these foreign places, something did not feel right- and it wasn't just the lack of Mexican food. All I can describe about my emotions was that I was not at peace. Dillon and I never argued about the topic but it was tense when we would discuss it, simply because we both felt frustrated and confused as to WHERE God would take us since we felt we had hit a dead-end. Looking back, it's so easy to see that my worries were not only unnecessary, but silly and unhealthy at times.

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

 We both had our set of prerequisites; "Must teach this kind of theology," or "Must offer this amount of money" or "Not in this city"... We had an agenda and thought we could pave our way just like we wanted. I was ready to take things into my own hands and control the situation, even though I had no idea what I was doing!

 In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.


We finally gave up. For a good few weeks we stopped talking about it and tried to pretend like all was well. We weren't necessarily handing the issue over the the Lord, we were just tired of stressing over it. Towards the end of April we were planning to visit family in Dallas. Right before we left we briefly decided to stop by Westminster Seminary since it was in Dallas and we had heard a little about it. There was really no way Dillon would go there, since it was a small school, and it was in a city I had said I would never live in- but we decided to humor ourselves just for fun.

We both remember the day well that we pulled into the parking lot of the seminary. We literally were just going to pop in, check another seminary off our list, and be on our way. What actually happened, is that we walked into the building and immediately met the Dean who made our first impression a good one. He was warm and bold as he showed us the campus and explained the training. I think we both had that feeling of "this feels right." Students were all around and the environment was exciting, and the setting was intimate. There was no doubt that Dillon would get a great education and financially it wasn't overwhelming. Things were making sense and we both felt peace.

LORD, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us

Something that Dillon and I will never forget is when the Dean looked us both in the eyes and told us that we should really consider coming to Dallas that Fall (our plan was to come a year later). He said "You never know what could happen between now and then, I really believe you should make plans to start now." We were caught off guard but took heed to his words and Dillon decided to take Greek classes long distance starting in August. He traveled to Dallas from Dumas that whole month and was able to stay with his Mom and Dad who lived in DFW. For September and October he continued his job in Dumas and took classes online

In mid October we found out his mom had cancer. We knew immediately God had orchestrated our lives to where it was time for us to move to Dallas. Things fell into place quickly and smoothly. We sold our home in December and were settled in Dallas by January 2nd. Dillon jumped right into seminary full time that semester, without any hassel since he had taken all of his Greek the previous semester, as his Dean had strongly suggested. We were able to spend priceless time with Cindy that winter and spring and will never have any regrets because God's hand guided us right where He intended for us to be.

Welcome to Our Retreat

This is our one bedroom- luckily the space isn't too small so we were able to fit all of our furniture in it. The walls were already painted when we moved in, and while I can picture several different colors looking great in there, we decided not to paint any rooms in our condo this time around. The soft yellow is pleasant enough and didn't clash with anything so we got lucky.


Room breakdown: Free down comforter from father-in-law; free plates from sister-in-law; extra pillows from the couch. I like the neutral bedding with the blue plates and blue curtains- it really makes the space cozy and romantic~

My top 3 cozy bedroom tips:

1. Keep it fluffy! Nothing is more inviting than a plush bed with lots of pillows and a soft comforter
2. Keep it clutter-free
3. Use lamps and candles in place of harsh overhead lighting


Dogpile! Even though they each have their own crate- they love to cuddle... or Polly does anyway


I guess she gets it from me =)

Week Recap

We had a whirlwind of a week- isn't Fall always this way?

Monday evening the Lions Club put on a banquet for all the school nurses in CFBISD- I got to bring Dillon and we ate a delicious meal cooked by highschool home-ec classes, and were presented with a cute little plaque. It was nice to be recognized!

We got to host our Tuesday night bible study which we love doing now that we have the room to do so in our new place, and our study of 'Crazy Love' is really interesting! This weeks challenge was how to experience God even in the mundane parts of our day, and not just in the rare, special "church camp" moments.

Wednesday Dillon had night class so I spent the evening shopping for a gift for a friend (and maybe a little something for myself too!), cleaning the house and catching up with a couple of friends on the phone. I used to dread Dillon's evening classes but now I see them as an opportunity to indulge in a night to myself to eat whatever I want, watch a chick flick and relax.

Thursday Dillon's friend Jason arrived in town for his bachelor weekend. Unfortunately the boys never took any pictures but I did get a recap- they were out until 3 a.m! They ate at Rosa's, then stayed out at Fox and Hound playing pool, shuffle board etc...

Friday was a busy night for both of us- Dillon hit the town again with the boys- they played at Top Golf, then ate at Humperdinks and ended the night at another pool hall. I had a good time with some girlfriends at the W Hotel- it was super swanky! We ate at Luna de Noche, then ate oreo balls, watched Jaime open gifts, and played fun bachelorette games.

Saturday all the guys left town, and Dillon and I enjoyed the morning at our neighborhood pool. After lunch I had a skype conversation with Katie! Then we headed to our niece and nephew's joint birthday parties with lots of cute kids and too much pizza and cake. We ended the night with Justin and Tasha (in-laws) watching the Tech vs UT game.... not the greatest way to end the day but I'm still rooting for the red raiders.

Today we had an interesting Sunday School. Our pastor preached from John about Jesus feeding the 5,000... he presented a new concept about the message being about community as opposed to the miracle that was performed. There was quite a debate in our class about his message, but we all respected each other even as we disagreed and I was really encouraged to base my faith off of scripture alone and not the ideas of men. Afterwards we watched the Cowboys game with our church friends Carrie and Matt then played 'Are you Smarter Than a 5th grader' on their Wii...I am happy to announce that I beat Dillon in this one =)

God is good in the busy times, and God is good in the quiet times~

P.K Recap

This past weekend I had a great time at Possum Kingdom with good friends! I have known Jaime since nursing school and was excited to celebrate her bachelorette weekend on the lake.

Ready to go!

Long time friends~

Happy after 6 hours on the water~

All spiffied up

We dined at the Cliffs resort restraunt- it was an interesting experience when we were serenaded by a tipsy man with his guitar- we just (awkwardly) laughed him away and had good conversation over delicious food~

Nooks, Pie, Rain!

I REALLY love cozy weather- you have to be a little weird if the thought of sitting in a comfortable nook watching the rain pour down while eating a sweet treat doesn't sound like the most wonderful thing.

I thought I would share some spaces that I've created in our home that I hope are inviting to all who live and visit here.




I found the wreath on clearance at Tuesday morning, and we recently bought the mum at Lowe's in preparation for Autumn.

















This is where I enjoy sitting in the mornings with a big cup of hot green tea (or black).









This is where I am typing as we speak. Dillon studies here, and while it's a little small, I hope its a comfortable and functional area.







Here is our patio where we have enjoyed listening to the creek, squirrels and frogs at night. We picked up the hibiscus and hanging plant at a bargain price.













This is the delicious Lemonade pie that I made the other night for our bible study (I made 2, being the smart girl that I am). SO easy and good! Search for it under allrecipes.







And here is the flowing river behind our fence.