Christmas 2008

We had a wonderful Christmas this year.  We did our tradition of pre-Christmas and Christmas Eve with the Christopher Family in Nederland and Christmas day and post-Christmas with my family in Georgetown.   It works perfectly, so we get time with both of our families every Christmas!  We had tons of great food.........and got more gifts than we deserved!

Christopher Family Picture

Chris & Melissa
Loaded up with gifts from Mr. & Mrs. Clause Christopher

This would be Mrs. Clause.......aka Clint's mom.  She even managed to find me a Wii Fit!

Trevin got his girlfriend a puppy for Christmas.  It was super cute!

Christmas at the Jones' was extra special because my Mom and Dad flew Alan (my youngest brother) home from Germany.  It was really great to have the whole family together.

Mike handing out his gifts.

Alan brought us back our very first baby gift.  It is a little bear that was handmade at an orphanage in Germany.  
Carrie & Jeremy
Alan handing out all the gifts he picked up in Germany.  

We spent the weekend on my parents farm........the boys were hunting and girls staying warm.

My parents house from the deer stand.

Wii Fit in Action

Clint is that little speck out the window.........sitting in a deer stand.  You have to use your imagination on this one

We are having a baby!!!

We feel so incredibly blessed that we are going to have a baby!!!  Due date is July 1st.

Romantic Sunsets are Back!

Clint and I have reinstated the romantic sunsets. A few months into dating, Clint began a tradition of us having monthly sunsets on the rooftop of a building on the top of the garage of my apartment. Clint would always bring a bottle of wine and a blanket and we would sit up there and talk for hours. It was one of my favorite things that we did together and we always had the sweetest conversations. In October of 2006 Clint actually proposed to me on that rooftop. I was expecting another casual rooftop evening and was shocked to climb off that roof with a ring on my finger and visions of our wedding playing in my head.

So fast forward two years, and we have become a bit relaxed about our monthly sunsets. Clint has been busy with school and we didn't have that perfect spot. We always have sunset moments on vacations and anniversaries, but I decided that we need to go back to once a month. So here are the pictures the first "Reinstated Sunset".

Corpus Christi

My parents came to see us in Victoria back in October (yes, I am behind on my blogging) and since we are only a little over an hour away from Corpus Christi, we decided to take a day trip over.


We visited the USS Lexington Ship

We were locked up in the ship prison.

My parents didn't like being locked up much more than we did!

We visited the beach before going out to eat delicious seafood!

Texas Tech vs. Texas A&M Game Weekend

We spent the weekend of Texas Tech vs. Texas A&M game in College Station with Clint's best friend, Derek, and his family. The weekend started out with a party at the club house of A&M Traditions. Matthew & Joshua are their two little guys and they are so much fun!

Then Saturday we attended the big game. I had agreed to wear a Texas A&M shirt to the game and even cheer for the Aggies. I was also allowed to cheer for the Red Raiders when we scored a touchdown!

The first half of the game we were down on the field. It was pretty cool to be that close to the action, but hard to see the game. We moved to better seats at half time.

We spent Saturday night and Sunday at Derek & Laura's lake house . It was very beautiful and relaxing out there!

The four of us.....Derek, Laura, Gina & Clint out on the boat. Good Times & Great Friends!!!

Chrissy & Jason's Wedding

We attended Chrissy & Jason's beautiful wedding on October 4th . I read scripture in the wedding, so I had a perfect view of their sweet faces. It has been so fun to watch these two fall in love and now become husband and wife!

New York City

I have been traveling to Newark, NJ once a month for the last 3 months for work. The trips are stressful, but I was able to get away to New York City one evening. I grabbed a bite to eat a greek deli and then did some shopping at H&M on 5th Ave.

Sweet Chrissy's Bachelorette Party

We celebrated our sweet friend Chrissy's upcoming marriage with a lingerie shower and bachelorette party in Houston this weekend. Chrissy is such a special friend to me. I first got to know her through a bible study that I lead back in my single days. She has a sweet spirit and is always seeking to grow in her faith. It has been a joy to see her grow and now to see that God has blessed her and Jason with each other.

It was so much fun to get to catch up with my dear friends. We had brunch at Debbie's house Saturday morning and then the party for Chrissy at Andria's and El Tiempo Saturday evening.

Chrissy is the smiling girl on the left.
Betsy, Maria & Gina
Me & Debbie
At El Tiempo.......Gina, Chrissy (the future bride) & Andria (the hostess)
Maria, Deb & Me.....love these girls!
Most of the group. We have such a great group of friends. Love you girls!

Discerning the Voice of God

I did this bible study over the summer and it was the best bible study I have done in years. It really opened my eyes that I need to spend more time waiting on and listening for God.

Quote from back of book: "The God who loved you enough to die for you loves you enough to talk to you. Wherever you are in your spiritual walk, God will find a way to speak to you in a way you will understand. "

I did this study through Second Baptist in Houston and we had a weekly group meeting, but I think the book alone is VERY effective. I went back and outlined it and put it on my FOREVER KEEP shelf of books and that is an honor, because I usually like to read books and then pass them along.

Clint's Birthday

Clint turned 33 on August 30th! We started the celebrations here in Victoria with just the two of us. We had a dinner of his favorites....homemade lasagna and chocolate cake.

I must take this chance to say that I am so blessed to have Clint as a husband. He is extremely kind, encouraging, loving, handsome, funny, talented and a wonderful husband to me. He has worked unbelievably hard over the last year to get through PA school, so he can have a career he enjoys and provide for us in the future. He is an amazing man that I look forward to spending the rest of my life with.

The printouts below are actually his gifts.....they all required delayed gratification. He got 1. New pair of Oakleys from Sunglass Hut (which he quickly picked out this weekend) 2. Weekend in College Station including Texas A&M game..........and I am going to wear an Aggie shirt to the game(shown in photo) 3. Cable TV........we have not had cable since we got married and I could tell Clint was starting to really miss his evening news.

We will continue the birthday celebrations this weekend in Nederland with his family.