Drew and I have recently decided to place membership at a Church of Christ here in Amarillo. It is a church that is more "conservative" than I thought we would end up at but the sense of family has been such a drawing factor for us. I like knowing that among other things Everett will be surrounded by people who know and love his extended family, who have amazing respect for his great-grandparents and grandmother, and I like knowing that he will be raised singing the hymns I was brought up on. It may not have the excitement of a band behind it but the words hit my heart just the same and immediately take me back to my childhood.

One of the good things about choosing this church is that we can worship with my Mom and Nana every Sunday morning. When we first began attending periodically with them before Drew and I got married I loved how alive Mom was at church. She made her way from pew to pew greeting old friends, loving on the elderly and helping those in need by carrying things for them or just giving them a hug. I loved that when so many words escaped her mind the songs she grew up singing to the Lord were written on her heart and the words flowed freely from her voice. My heart truly sung along with her as she worshiped because in that hour at church I felt my Mom was really with me.

Now I still love sitting next to her, holding her hand and passing communion to one another, but the disease has crept in. The songs don't come so easily any longer. She does a really terrific job at singing along, just behind what the congregation has sung... a second delay, but it's not the same. When we pass communion she forgets to break the cracker and just takes a whole piece. During the sermon I often catch her dosing off.  I was surprised this morning to hear her echo some of the congregation's "Amen" to a point the preacher made... she was surprised as well. In a place that is sacred, a place where I have cherished being alongside my Mom, I now feel her slipping away there as well.

Several weeks ago the preacher was doing a sermon on laying sins at the foot of the cross. Everyone in the congregation was to take a piece of paper and write a sin or two on it that we wanted to give to God. After some time he asked everyone to come up and pin our paper to a cross that had been erected at the front of the auditorium. Drew, and I quickly followed the crowd as did Nana and Patrick ,who was visiting that weekend. Before I made it off our row I noticed Mom just standing not knowing what to do. I sat with her and asked her what sins she wanted to confess to God. She didn't know of any. So I ran through a quick list of sins that I thought may strike a nerve with her, she said "yea" to a few and we jotted them down and walked hand in hand to the cross. She was confused but proud to have been able to participate. I wept. How could she not even be able to comprehend what a sin was? How could so much have been taken from her?

I had been on a search for a new bible the past month or so. The bible I carried with me to Thailand and Africa now being too compact for me to read. Sad! After going to every store in town that carries Bibles I decided I should be a bible designer because no one had what I wanted. Nevertheless I was trying to decide between a leather, somewhat girly large print NIV and plain maroonish softcover NIV that reminded me of Nana and Grandy's Bibles. After deciding on the latter and asking Mom her opinion she said to me "Meg it doesn't matter if its pretty or not because it is about God!" She may lose her words but she will not lose her love for God and knowledge that he is most important! In that I take extreme comfort!!

Hoppy Easter 2015

This Easter was truly such a blessing... The sacrifice our Lord made for our atonement was all the sweeter and more heartbreaking after living the past year with our very own son. The glory of the Lord and his power resonated through me in a new way this year as I felt chills truly upon rereading and mediating on the truth... He is Risen! What a mighty God we serve! I cannot wait for Everett to learn and grow in the truth of our Faith and the full meaning behind Jesus' actions.

Celebrating Everett's second Easter was truly a Joy. I had been adamant that while in Santa Fe we find him a stuffed bunny to bring home and give to the Easter Bunny for his basket. I wanted it to be a keepsake for him later in life that reminds him how much we missed him and thought of him on our first getaway. Upon scouring several toy stores off the Plaza I finally found the sweetest little gray bunny for our boy. It topped off his first Easter basket! Everett tore right into his basket after breakfast on Sunday and worked the eggs like a champ! I had a hard time figuring out what to put in the eggs and finally settled on animal crackers and gummies. He opened the eggs, and then ripped the plastic connector apart and picked his goodies off the floor that had tumbled out when he opened it. He discovered it was a fun game and immediately searched his basket for more eggs! He was very proud of his accomplishments!

 Drew and I have been putting Everett in the nursery at church on Sunday mornings but decided we wanted to keep him with us for Easter service. The church had a choir on the stage and as they sang Everett raised his hands to them, it was truly precious! He proceeded to sit between Mom and Nana turned facing the congregation sitting behind us the rest of the time entertaining them with laughs, waves, and squinty eyed faces. I finally decided to take Everett to the nursery half way through the sermon because I was worried he was distracting the entire congregation. After the service Nana and I each had several people come up to us telling us how adorable he was and how they loved watching him. I even got scolded for taking him out! It was very special to have him with us as we celebrated and praised God for his awesomeness! I had helped Mom lay out a dress two days before church... a dress I had bought for her upon graduating high school because it reminded me of the dress Julia Roberts wore in Pretty Woman. When we saw it at Dillard's Mom loved it! She hasn't worn it in a long time and I wasn't sure she would put it on for Easter, but when we walked into church there she was in all her brown and white Polk-a-dot glory looking truly beautiful!!

Aunt Tammy had prepared an Incredible Sunday feast at Casa Loco after church. We were served chicken cordon bleu on fine china on a table decorated with precious Easter bunnies. Everett's high chair was covered in gifts from his Nana, Gran-Nana, Mimi and Kelsey! Doss and Charlotte brought banana pudding and we were all stuffed after lunch. Drew and I took Everett over to his Grandma White's afterwards to watch his cousins Blaine and Kennedy hunt Easter eggs. He had a Easter basket waiting for him over there with bubbles he loved and a football he proceeded to eat a big chunk out of!

It was a blessed and happy Easter spent with amazing family!

2 Years of Marital Bliss

This past weekend Drew and I celebrated 2 years of marriage. After planning, stressing, thinking, cancelling and re-planning we finally decided to spend our Anniversary weekend in the place we said "I do," Santa Fe, NM.

This getaway would mark the first time we left Everett overnight and I was filled with anxiety about it initially. We left Everett in the caring arms of my Aunt Tammy, Kelsey, Mom and Nana. Who better to look after him for the weekend than those 4?!

Drew made reservations at La Posada de Santa Fe, the resort we got married at. So we left Everett with the family on Saturday morning and headed out of town. Nana had given me good advice when I was telling her nervous I was to leave Everett. She told me what a hard time she had leaving Uncle Mike the first time and then told me how I need to nurture my marriage and time away together is much deserved. She also told me Drew needs to know that "he is enough." So as we drove away from the house leaving Everett in his highchair surrounded by loving hands feeding him breakfast I repeated the mantra "My Marriage needs this." "I deserve this." "He will be ok." and "Drew needs to know he is enough!" in my head over and over.

Turns out God's peace covered me and I was able to easily relax into a weekend getaway of hand holding with my husband without worrying about sippee cups, snacks and strollers. We ate at restaurants on the balcony, strolled through small shops, and relaxed on our private porch. We wondered through the place our wedding was held. Looked for souvenirs for Everett (Drew found a pocket knife with his name engraved in it, needless to say this is one we will hold on to for a while before giving to him.) We had a couples massage, visited the casino, and ate some amazing pizza. We wondered the streets in the morning looking for my favorite place to get Eggs Benedict, when we found it had shut down obviously not everyone else's favorite place, we tried out a new cafe overlooking a busy street filled with pedestrians. We sat on no one's time frame but our own and it was awesome!

I didn't realize how needed a weekend getaway was. How I needed time with my husband and how he needed time with me. It was the perfect way to spend our 2nd anniversary.

We have learned a lot in 2 years of marriage. Ups and Downs. Laughter and Tears. We've learned how to care of a precious son without biting each others heads off and we've survived. We are more in love than we were 2 years ago, accomplished more and found courage we didn't know we had. I am so thankful for the commitment we made that day and how we are living it every day after. I look forward to the lessons we will learn in this next year and the many many after that. Throughout it all I continue to be in awe and inspired by my husband and his love for our family.

Happy 2 years to the love of my life!