Reflections

Family Life:

Many years ago, my dear friend JB told me about Family Life, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. Family Life has these Marriage Getaways, called Weekend to Remember. Rob and I went one our first Weekend to Remember last summer. I say "first," because we can't wait to go to another. You can choose from locations all over the US, including fun spots like Hawaii or Orlando. We were looking forward to going to Austin and spending the weekend away from Lubbock, with no computers, DVR, chores, or errands to run. Just simply listening to the speakers, to each other, and to God's word. As the weekend drew near, I have to admit that Rob was not thrilled about going. If I remember correctly, it was probably one of his only weekend's off of work and he would have rather stayed home on the couch catching up on sleep. But we got in the car and went for it. We loved it. It was one of the most memorable weekends we have had. We went out to eat, went to a date at the Oasis on the lake, talked about the upcoming arrival of our precious Lorelei, listened to the speakers talk about our roles in our marriage, God's purpose for bringing us together, and resolving conflict, and spent time talking to each other about everything we were learning. There were tons of couples there, from newlyweds to couples married 50 years, some there to strengthen their marriages, save their marriages, or learn more about their marriages. Going to Austin that weekend was one of the best decisions we could have made for us. Now, they have a Weekend to Remember CRUISE! I am not one for cruising (we tried that last year too and it didn't go so well for me), but how awesome would that be? A trip to the Bahamas, on a fabulous cruise ship, and lots of time for listening and reflecting about our relationship with each other and with God.

The other day I have found another reason to love Family Life. I was at Weirs and found these prayer cards. I bought one that is titled "Lifting My Children Through Prayer" and another that is "Lifting my Husband Through Prayer." These cards put clear words and scriptures for exactly what I want to pray for Lorelei and Rob. How fabulous!

Nashville:

I don't know how I got started thinking about this but...If I had to move, I would move to Nashville. Don't know anyone there, don't know much about it. But I do know it is the Home of Country Music and that tops everything else. Seriously, you couldn't get any closer to country music. heaven on earth! And Rob has always talked about Vanderbilt, or "Vandy."

Lubbock: (Warning- this gets a little nostalgic)

Through this move, I have realized that Lubbock was not just a crappy little town in the middle of nowhere that we went to college in and then moved away from. Yes, that is what it is to most people who go to Tech and are not from Lubbock. But, not.us. Lubbock was where we started. It was where we grew up. It was where we started our family. It was where we started our professions. It was where we met some great friends. I moved to Lubbock in 2003 and like most people, no intention of staying here past my college years. Freshman year is filled with memories of lots of time spent with sorority friends, lots of time missing Rob, and loving being on my own. In January 2004, Rob transferred to Tech. In summer 2005, on the front door step of his little apartment, he proposed. We started planning our life together, taking time trying to decide if we would move back to Dallas once we both graduated, or if we would stay in Lubbock. After much consideration, we decided to stay. We made plans for our first apartment, and in January 2007, just after the wedding and Christmas holiday, he moved into my apartment. How is it that we had no money at all, but life was so easy? Life was simple. As simple as it was, it was a crowded life in that little apartment. We decided to build a house. Rob graduated nursing school and started his career. I had started teaching. We were loving married life, we had a great little house, good friends, and full time careers. After two years of married life, we knew something was missing. We would not ever feel complete without children. Lorelei was been the greatest blessing, and I am so happy that she was born in a place that holds so much meaning to us. So, as much complaining as we did about being in Lubbock, we do miss it. We have learned--even though we are very happy in Dallas, at the same time we can greatly miss our life in Lubbock.