Playing Catch Up!!!

The title of this blog post...exactly what I feel like I have been doing for the last month!  We have been gone, had company, or had something to do everyday since May, making it seem as though there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done that should be done.  A LOT has happened, so I'll see how much I can remember...

Last blog post I said that Carter and I were headed to San Antonio with Aubree and Dane.  We left on Friday, May 11 (I know it has been THAT LONG since I last updated...oops!).  We stayed at a very nice motel on the Riverwalk to make it easier to go out without having to worry about traffic and parking.  We really enjoyed going out with ease each night and having supper!

Group picture after arriving at our hotel

Funny pic

Our hotel room

First night out on the Riverwalk

On Saturday we got up and went to Sea World.  We were all so excited about going.  Aub, Dane, and I had not been since we were very small and Carter had never been.  Before we left, I ordered our tickets online because Shannon, the hospital where I work, has a promotional code that employees can use.  The website walked me through the complete process of ordering the tickets and we printed them off from the computer.  Why am I telling you all of this?  Because we were all under the impression from what the website showed, that we were going to Sea World AND the water park inside of Sea World.  When we got there we were wearing clothes with swimsuits underneath and we quickly noticed that we were the ONLY ones!  We thought that was strange, until we got up to the ticket window where the lady told us that the water park wasn't open...it opened the VERY next weekend!!!!  Talk about being disappointed!  Needless to say, the Sea World experience was not all that we had anticipated, but we made the best of it and got the most of wearing swimsuits by riding all the water rides multiple times!  

Welcome to Sea World

One of the water rides - Dane before

And after...putting the swimsuits to use!

Carter trying out one of the games...gonna see how strong he is

The Shamu Show

After a long day at Sea World we went back, cleaned up, and had a great supper at HardRock Cafe.  Then we walked up and down the Riverwalk.

On Sunday, May 13, before heading back to San Angelo we ended our fun time in San Antonio by going to Ripley's Wax Museum, Believe it or Not, and to a 4D simulated movie.

Aub and I with Forest Gump at the wax museum

More wax museum

World's largest tire

World's tallest man

4D movie

 A couple of weekends after our San Antonio trip, Carter and I went to Welch to spend the weekend celebrating my brother, Seth's, high school graduation.  We are so proud of him, he was Valedictorian of his class!  After graduation we had a big party with all of our friends and family to celebrate both Seth and Tyler graduating, at our friends Monte & Shelly Moore's house.

Before graduation

Mom and Dad

Luke, Seth, & Tyler

Seth giving his speech

Our Family

On June 5, Mom and Seth came to San Angelo and spent the weekend with Carter and I.  Seth had an interview for the National FFA scholarship.  We are excited to say that he received $16,000 from the National FFA along with about $18-20,000 through other scholarships that he was awarded. Seth will be attending South Plains College in Levelland in the Fall on a livestock judging scholarship.

Carter and I got the opportunity to go on a mission trip through a mission organization called World Changers.  World Changers is an organization through the North American Mission Board and LifeWay.  They have projects all over the world both nationally and internationally.  The projects include construction projects (roofing, painting, sheet rocking, etc..) or doing community Vacation Bible Schools in the area.  For more information visit:  http://www.lifeway.com/worldchangers.

I was a part of World Changers for 7 years as I was going through high school and college, but I have not been able to attend a project in about 6 years.  This particular project that we were a part of was in Corpus Christi and headed up by Eric Martinez, who was my pastor through high school and who also married Carter and I.  We left San Angelo on Sunday, June 9, stayed at a hotel in San Antonio, and arrived on Monday, June 10.  A total of 283 junior high through college aged kids and adults arrived and were placed on crews.  A crew is a group of 12-15 kids including at least 2 adults.  Each crew is assigned a different construction project to work on for the week.  All materials are provided by World Changers.  Carter was a "crew chief" which means he was one of the adults in charge of the kiddos while working and I had the "official title" of First Aid Coordinator.  My job was to make sure that each crew had a stocked first aid kit and to tend to any minor injury or sickness.

Carter's crew was roofing a house for a lady that desperately needed it!  All of the projects were done for people whose homes were in terrible condition with no means to fix the problems.  Most of the other crews were sheet rocking homes that were flooded by 15 inches of rain back in April.  Let me just say that seeing some of those homes, definitely makes you humble and appreciate what you have!

Carter's crew - The Shingle Bells

Roofing with his crew

Hard at work

On Wednesday evening at World Changers, they took us all to the beach for an evening off.  I have to say the ocean is neat to see...for like 30 minutes...but I was so tired of being covered in sand after 3 hours.  I swear I had it in EVERY inch of my body!  Carter had fun playing some volleyball with Eric and some of the World Changers' Staff.

The project ended on Saturday, June 16.  We LOVED it and can't wait to do it again!  We also really enjoyed getting to spend some time with Eric.  My heart has always been in missions, and I was beyond thankful that God gave us the opportunity to serve! Carter and I decided to stay and enjoy Corpus for a day or two.  We went to the Texas State Aquarium, shopping at the mall, to eat at P.F. Chang's (one of my FAVORITE places to eat), rode go-carts, and to a barbecue with some of our new friend's we met at World Changers for supper.

At the Texas State Aquarium

The dolphin show

Small sharks you can touch!

Me petting the shark

Carter riding go-carts

When we returned from Corpus we both returned to work and back to the daily grind!  I also started a Bible Study with a couple of my good girl friends, Anna & Jennifer.  We are doing David: Seeking A Heart Like His Beth Moore study.  We are only a couple of weeks in and I am loving it!

I left on Monday, June 25, for Kid's Kamp.  This was my 4th year to attend as camp nurse.  Kid's Kamp is camp for 3rd-5th graders from our church, PaulAnn.  I had a great time, although I was pretty worn out from the previous couple of weeks of traveling.  Luckily, this year I had a friend, Chandra, who is an RN as well, assist me in giving medication and tracking down kids!  She was such a BIG help.   I love seeing kids so young worship the Lord!  I hope and pray that our kid's grow up with that same desire!

Mom and Dad came down the weekend after I got home from Kid's Kamp to move Aubree from her house that she was living in, to our house.  Aubree is in between living arrangements for the time being and is living with us until school starts in the fall.  We were glad to get to spend some time with Mom and Dad.

I also have to mention that I have one of the absolute BEST friends, Anna Heimbecker.  When I got home from being gone for most of the past few weeks, she had done laundry, ironed, and cleaned my house!  I was so thankful and appreciative, but I wanted to kick her tail for doing all of that!  Thanks you, Lord, for the blessing that she is in my life!  I don't deserve it!

This last week we celebrated 4th of July with my family and our friends, Monte & Shelly, and Mason & Megan and their baby, Madden.  We had quite the set up in our backyard to say the least.  Monte was having trouble finding a place to stay in their motorhome here in San Angelo, so he asked Carter to have a couple of RV hook-ups put in the backyard. Carter agreed, so Monte & Shelly and Megan & Mason both stayed in RVs next to the shed.  Mom, Seth, and one of Seth's friend's, Ethan, stayed at the house, and Momma-D & Poppy, Kenny & Davette, and Danielle & Drake all stayed in RVs at the KOA, a campground here in San Angelo.  We spent most of the time out on the lake and would come back and have supper at our house under the car port.  We had a great time!

Seth getting some air

Tyler catching some air

Carter with some of the boys

Carter jumping the wake

Megan and Madden on his first lake trip

Stephen surfing for the 1st time!  He did great!

Poppy riding Monte & Mason's jet ski

Aub & Carter

Anna and I

Our backyard

Carter getting in some practice feeding Madden

We are now getting settled back in and don't have any plans to travel for the next couple of weeks!  As you can see, we are keeping busy as always and enjoying our summer!  Hope yours is going just as good!