Book Blog

Clint and I just read "Same Kind of Different as Me". If you read another book this year, please read this one. It is excellent. We will definitely be buying (which is a big deal because we are so frugal) this book to read again and again. It is a nonfiction book centered around Fort Worth and a rich art dealer and a homeless man. It will definitely make you stop and think. Even Clint teared up reading it. It is so touching. Denver, the homeless man spends thirty years as a sharecropper in Louisiana then moves to Fort Worth where he meets Ron Hall at a homeless shelter. They go through a lot as friends. I think Denver has to be a modern day prophet, he is so wise and some of the things he says will really amaze you. If anyone has read this book, please leave a comment about what you thought of it. Clint and I read it within 2 days it was that good!

Book Blog

I just finished "I'm Proud Of You" by Tim Madigan. Tim writes for the Star-Telegram here in Fort Worth and also happened to be a good friend of Fred Rogers a.k.a. Mister Rogers from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. It was a touching story of true friendship. You find out Fred was a devote believer in loving people of all types. It made me cry at the end (of course) but I would recommend it to everyone. Tim talks a lot about his own struggles of depression and how Fred helped him through some really dark times. Two things that stand out are:

A story that Tim tells to Fred: Two men are walking towards each other on a shore. Between them are thousands of starfish that have been swept up to the land. The first man walks through them thinking what a shame it was that all these starfish will die. The second man is throwing one starfish at a time back into the ocean. The first man says " What does it matter if you throw these starfish back? There are thousands of them!" The second man proceeds to throw another starfish back and says "It matters to that one."

The second one, again of Tim. Tim's son, when he is five asks him why he never cries. Tim admits to the reader that he tries to bottle emotions. Sadness, joy, triumph, distress, he bottles it all. After that though, he begins praying that he will be able to really feel those emotions. Several years later, his son sings for the Christmas pageant at his church. Tim takes Patrick into a side room and with big tears in his eyes tells him how proud he is of him. Patrick says " Sometimes, life is so beautiful, you just have to cry."

There are lots of stories about Mister Rogers too. He was a great man. And I will definitely be buying his DVDs when I have kids of my own!

Overhaul of the Blog

Well, with much thought and consideration, I have decided to rename the blog. The name change came from the book "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis. I started the book about 2 weeks ago and am about half way through. It definitely isn't a light read but I would recommend it to everyone. It is challenging and has been a great boost to my faith.

Road Trip!!!!

Clint and I decided to take a road trip to Nashville to see his sister and her family and also just to hang out, because Nashville is a lot of fun. While we were there, the weather was amazing (except when it rained on the 4th...) but other than that it was perfect. So we loaded everything up in the car... Cherry included.
Our studly driver. Clint drove the entire way there. I get antsy after driving 2 hours. It took us about 11 hours with rests and all. The drive is really pretty after you get out of the concrete, aka DFW.

And what awaited us when we got there? This is Watson, our nephew. He is a cutey. We got to watch him on Monday and Tuesday while mom and dad worked. It was a lot of fun getting to know him better.

This is Jill and Jared. We had gone to a block party for the 4th. It's pretty amazing. In the morning, they have a symphony play the national anthem and then someone reads the Declaration of Independence. (We missed that part, but that's okay, they still had food!) All along the edge of the street they had canoes filled with ice and cokes. Of course we had the traditional hot dog and some delicious sides to go with it.

Clint and I. We never get pictures of us together. The last ones were probably at our wedding!

Oh fireworks, how I love thee. If you look closely, you can see the clouds rolling in the background. The fireworks had this strange fog over them, I think from all the humidity and also it had started raining. Jared has a friend that was able to get us up to this tall tower. You could see a lot of downtown from up there. Even though the fireworks didn't last long, they were still really pretty. It was fun to just be up there and see out. Quickly after this pic was taken, the bottom fell out and we were scrambling to find shelter, like the other half a million people there! Luckily the tower we were in was connected to the garage so it was easy for us to get out of there.

Uncle Clint and Watson sharing a laugh.

On Monday, Jill was able to come home for a bit at lunch. She is an Ob/Gyn resident at Vanderbilt Hospital (hence the scrubs).

I could have put a lot more pictures up here. Like the ones of Clint and I taking Watson to the park, scarfing down hot dogs at the block party, eating yummy homemade waffles in the morning, watching Cherry inhale Maggie's food and Maggie eating Cherry's food, or hanging out, drinking coffee at Bongo Java. But that would be a very long post. I think it's safe to say we had a really great time. It was great to spend time with Jill, Jared and Watson.

I also really appreciated getting to see a little snippet of residency. I have to say, I'm a bit nervous of not getting to spend much time with Clint. I know it's going to be hard and stressful but I appreciate them showing me how it can be done (even with a baby).

Thank you guys for all the hospitality and more than that, the love you shared with us while we were there. Oh, and Cherry said to tell you guys thanks for the bone and that she misses Maggie. :)

William Abay

Monday, June 29th, Beth and Nick welcomed their 3rd child into the world. His name is William Andrew Abay. Everything went well and from what I hear, mom and baby are doing well.


HELLO WORLD!!

We are so happy for them. Congratulations you guys!

Year One...Check

Clint finished his first year of med school last Friday!! Yeah!!! I'm so proud of him for his self determination and discipline. There were many times when he had to choose between hanging out with friends or sticking himself in a quiet room and hitting the books.

I can't believe it has been a year since we moved to Fort Worth. We have had such a fun time meeting new people and finding dear friends. Clint and I have also grown a lot as a couple. Before he started med school, we spent most of our spare time together. We have now learned that isn't always possible and that's okay! Some highlights of living in Fort Worth: good Mexican and "hometown" food, lots of places to shop, our house and downtown.

Clint has done such an amazing job of taking care of me and his school responsibilities. He is truly a Christian leader in our home. I am so thankful that God blessed me with him. He is my psychologist, helper, best friend and husband! I can't wait to see what God has planned for us in his second year.