Quote of the Day

Although this is so fabulous that it really could be a lifetime quote....!

"Once we agree with God that we exist for His pleasure and His glory, we can accept whatever comes into our lives as part of His sovereign will and purpose. We will not resent, resist, or reject the 'hard things,' but embrace them as friends, sovereignly designed by God to make us like Jesus and to bring glory to Himself." --Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Now that warm weather is here (at least in Texas!)...

My friend Jenny at school sent this to me...and it's very funny:

All right ladies, it's that time of year "once" again!!! I think we need to be reminded of a few things. So my sisters, PLEASE, raise your big toes and repeat after me below....

The Open Toed Shoe Pledge
As a member of the Cute Girl Sisterhood, I pledge to follow the rules
when wear wearing sandals and other open-toe shoes:

I promise to always wear sandals that fit. My toes will not hang over
and touch the ground, nor will my heels spill over the backs. And the sides
and tops of my feet will not pudge out between the straps.

I will go polish-free or vow to keep the polish fresh, intact and chip-free.

I will not cheat and just touch up my big toe.

I will sand down any mounds of skin before they turn hard and yellow.

I will shave the hairs off my big toe.

I won't wear pantyhose even if my misinformed girlfriend, coworker,
mother or sister tells me the toe seam really will stay under my toes if I tuck it there.

If a strap breaks, I won't duct-tape, pin, glue or tuck it back into
place hoping it will stay put. I will get my shoe fixed or toss it.

I will not live in corn denial; rather I will lean on my good friend Dr.
Scholl's if my feet need him.

I will resist the urge to buy jelly shoes at Payless for the low, low
price of $4.99 even if my feet are small enough to fit into the kids' sizes. This
is out of concern for my safety, and the safety of others. No one can walk
properly when standing in a pool of sweat and I would hate to take someone down
with me as I fall and break my ankle.

I will take my toe ring off toward the end of the day if my toes swell
and begin to look like Vienna sausages.

I will be brutally honest with my girlfriend/sister/coworker when she
asks me if her feet are too ugly to wear sandals. Someone has to tell her that
her toes are as long as my fingers and no sandal makes creepy feet look
good.

I will promise if I wear flip flops that I will ensure that they actually flip
and flop, making the correct noise while walking and I will swear NOT
to slide or drag my feet while wearing them.

I will promise to go my local nail salon at least once per season and
have a real pedicure (they are about $20 and worth EVERY penny).

I will promise to throw away any white/off-white sandals that show signs
of wear... nothing is tackier than dirty white sandals.

Don't keep this to yourself - pass it on to other sisters.

#1912

On Sunday morning, my sweet running friend, Amber, and I ran the Big D (D for Dallas, for you non-Texans) Half-Marathon! David and I were driving over to Dallas when the traffic completely stopped. We turned on the radio and heard that there was a fatal car accident at the exit where we needed to get off--just about 1 mile from where we were sitting! It was 7:10, and the race was supposed to start at 7:30. Amber was already there and checked in, and so I was getting very nervous that I would be late! Then, David noticed that there were runners running down the side of the freeway, so I jumped out of the car and run down the freeway, down the exit ramp, and to the race with them! It was a good thing I did so when I did, because David (who continued to sit in the traffic) said that a few minutes after I left, the police started making runners go back and wait in their cars!

Amber and I had a great run! It was the perfect weather, starting out a little chilly and then warming up into the mid-60's. The people at all the water stops were great (my favorite was the one that passed out red licorice, which gave me a "second wind" around mile 8). Amber's brother joined us around mile 9 and ran the last 4 miles with us!



This is us crossing the finish line--Amber's arms are in the air!!

Our final time was 2:17--just 5 minutes slower than last year. (However, I hope that doesn't mean I get 5 minutes slower each year!) After the race, we joined our husbands and Amber's sweet baby, Tex, and ate bananas, baked potatoes, and drank a lot of protein water!


After running this same race last year, my knees hurt horribly (sharp pains!), and I didn't run again for 6 months. Then, Tim and Susie (David's parents) had orthodics made for me in September, which allowed me to run again and were the best birthday present I could have received! I wear them in my running shoes, and they help my extreme overpronation, which was what had horribly affected my knees. I'm so happy to be able to run again!

Weekend to Remember

David and I attended Family Life's Weekend to Remember marriage conference at the Gaylord Texan. It was an incredible weekend! It was so precious for us to be able to spend a lot of time together learning how to strengthen our marriage. There was a good amount of sessions on topics like conflict-resolution, parenting, and the 5 threats to oneness, along with a good amount of time together as a couple working on "projects," which were very insightful. We attended the conference with our good friends from Keystone Jenny & Joel and Kimi & Rob. It was an awesome weekend, and we highly recommend this conference to anybody--whether engaged, newly married, or married for a long time! It will make you realize all over again what a precious responsibility & joy marriage is!

The Saturday sessions let out around 4:00, so we spent some time exploring the Gaylord Texan! It is an amazing resort, similar to the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. The main part of it is created to look like the Alamo and the Riverwalk in San Antonio. We had a lot of fun walking around and looking at everything, and then we had a delicious dinner at P. F. Changs!!

My Visit "Out West"

Yesterday afernoon, I left Fort Worth to go see David's jobsite in Throckmorton. I got there about 3 hours later (after taking one very wrong turn). It was wonderful to be able to see all the work they are doing on the road there. I met some of the other workers--Ishmael, Cheque, and Chihuahua (I believe that's just his nickname!). I really did not want to stay at the hotel where David stays every night (not to be a snot, but The Pipeliner Inn is just not my style!). We were going to drive to a town a little further away and stay at a new Best Western for the night. Yes, I know...the Best Western is still not the Hilton or the Marriott, but it is a big improvement over the Pipeliner!! Unfortunately, when we got to the Best Western, they were all sold out! Who would have thought? I wondered if that many people had visited west Texas for their spring break? ;) Well, the only other option (besides driving 45 minutes back to the Pipeliner) was to stay at the Executive Inn...actually, this wasn't truly the only other option, but it was better than the other options (scary, I know). I was very upset to be staying at this hotel and thought very seriously about driving home...but my point in coming out west was to spend time with David, so I was brave. I hesitantly walked up to the room, where I immediately flung back the bedspread and inspected the sheets. I was incredibly mad when I found a hair on one of the pillow cases; however, David smelled the sheets, and I had to agree with him that they did smell clean. I must admit, however, that I slept (fitfully, at best, as I was very worried about getting lice and/or bedbugs) in long pants, a long-sleeve shirt, and socks...plus, I laid a clean t-shirt over my pillow. I know that many of you are thinking "Missy Jr." in your head right now...at least I come by it honestly! ;)

Here is a picture of David enjoying our delicious picnic dinner at our wonderful accomodations...at least we were able to go to Dairy Queen for dessert. (Yes, that really is a treat, because DQs are few and far between in the city!).

Babies #1 & #2

Up until a few weeks ago, I had 13 (yes, 13!!) pregnant friends (Audra, Tiffany, Nicole, Alicia, Kimi, Jennifer B., Sarah, Dinah, Jennifer P., Allison, Bree, Lisa Kay, & David's college roommate's wife). Granted, 5 of them are teachers at my school; so, even though I wouldn't consider them close friends, I definitely hear about their pregnancies all the time! ;) However, 2 of the babies have been born, and I'm so thrilled that Audra and Tiffany have both had beautiful baby girls!!

Israel Hope Charlebois was born on Saturday, February 3. I am hoping to go to Minnesota to meet her (and Nicole's baby boy!) in May or June. I love hearing Audra talk about what a wonderful baby Rae is, and how happy Audra is being her mom!


And, on Valentine's Day, Audrey Faith Collins was born. David and I were able to meet her when she was just home from the hospital, only 4 days old! I loved being able to hold her while she slept! She is a miracle, and we are both so happy for Brian & Tiffany! I am especially excited because I get to watch Audrey this summer 3 days a week when Tiffany goes back to work!! (I will have to post a picture of Audrey when I get the film back--we finally used our last roll of "film" that has been in the camera for months!).

Welcome, precious babies!

Sweet Valentine's Day!

David and I celebrated Valentine's Day this year by going to The Melting Pot. This is an amazing fondue restaurant, and we both enjoyed every minute and bite of our dinner there!! Personally, my favorites were the turtle dessert fondue and that we sat at our table, talking and eating, for over 3 hours. It was so wonderful to be able to spend time together!! Here are a few pictures of us enjoying the evening...



Even though David and I don't usually see each other during the week (since David is working out in west Texas), my precious husband drove home on Feb. 13 so that we could wake up together on Valentine's morning! I left on the afternoon of the 14th for a conference in San Antonio, so this was our best chance to be together on the actual day. David ended up beating me home that evening, and when I got home, I found these gorgeous roses for me! David, I couldn't love you any more!! You make my life so sweet!