Back from Texas (warning - long!)

Well, we have a lot to blog about! Yes, not posting for 2 months will do that to you. But really, we do have a lot going on. I know Jeff usually does the blogging, but Bethany is interjecting here.

In Mid-September Benno (B’s dad) came up from TX and built this amazingly incredible fence for us. We wanted a little privacy for our backyard from the busy street, so with the help of Jeff and our friend Marv Benson, Dad built this in 6 days. It’s 27 feet, from our house to the garage.

Then, Sept. 26, Benno, Bethany, and Micah traveled to TX. Benno went back to Abilene and Micah and I visited friends and family all over. Here was our schedule:

Wed. Sept 26: We traveled from Bellingham to Seattle on the Shuttlebus, then flew from Seattle to DFW. Charlie, Becky (Jeff’s Dad, Mom) met Micah and I at the airport. Benno and Charlie “shook hands” through the glass at the airport, since Dad still had a flight to Abilene to catch.

Thurs. Sept. 27: I had lunch with Diane and Lisa (technically my grandmother and aunt) Knarr. Lisa now works for Prestonwood Baptist Church, which means that they are admin assistants at churches down the street from each other! (at very different churches.) I think this was also the night we had dinner with the Bixtons.

Friday. Sept. 28: On Fridays, Charlie and Becky watch our niece, Jordan. Becky and I took Micah and Jordan to Aunt Julie’s 5th grade class just for fun. It was hilarious. You would have thought they were celebrities, the way the kids oogled over them. I think my favorite was when Jordan was erasing the dry erase board and the kids kept encouraging her to erase their homework. We also found out that Jordan is going to be a big sister to a little sister! Micah started really crawling this day. Look out world, here he comes!

Sat. Sept. 29: Joel, Jodie, Jordan, and Julie came over for the day. We went to a place called “Kids’ Clubhouse” that had different themed rooms for kids to play in. I look forward to taking Micah there more when he’s old enough to enjoy it. We spend the evening playing games (“Flintopoly”) and picking out baby names for the new little Flint girl. So fun.


Sun. Sept. 30: We went to church at Prairie Creek Baptist, Jeff’s home church, and where we were married. Micah did great in the nursery and it was fun to see PCBC folks. Then, my dad picked up Micah and me and the three of us drove to Paris (TX) to visit my grandfather.

Mon. Oct. 1: Granddad, Dad, Micah and I spent a great day together. It was my first time back, obviously, since my grandmother passed away mid-August. It was certainly different being there without her. But I’m so proud of Granddad for plugging away and taking life one day at a time. I can’t imagine losing the love of your life. I miss her and I didn’t live with her. I can only imagine how he feels. But, he’s dealing in healthy ways, such as attending a grief class, keeping busy, and wanting to set up a scholarship in her name.

Tues. Oct. 2: Dad, Micah, and I drove back to Plano, where we picked up Becky’s car. Dad went on to Abilene, and Micah and I visited Becky at the Dr.’s office where she works, then went on to Denton to see our good friends, the Hipps and the McCurdys. Jenny Hipp and Kristen McCurdy were my two constant college roommates and are my close friends. We’ve shared several stages of life together (lived together, went to graduations, were in each others’ weddings, etc.) and now we’re all moms! Jenny has a daughter, Jordan, born 9 days after Micah (even though she was due before him, but that’s another story!) and Kristen has a daughter, Katelyn, who was born August 24. We all ate dinner together that night.

Wed. Oct. 3: It was a Jenny, Jordan, Kristen, Katelyn day! So fun.

Thurs. Oct. 4: J & J, K & K, B & M had a playdate in the morning and a yummy lunch courtesy of Jenny. Then, Micah and I drove to Arlington to visit my grandmother and grandfather. My little cousin Meredith was there, later to be joined by her mom (Brenda, my cousin), dad (Dave), and new baby brother, Jake! The Hudsons have recently moved to Red Oak, just south of Dallas. It is nice to have them in Dallas, and I’m sure I’m not the only ones who think so!

Fri. Oct. 5: Aunt Jan drove up from Austin (for the UT/OU game as well) and Gramer and I drove down and met Brenda, Meredith, Dave, and baby Jake and saw their beautiful new house. We ate lunch at a super-fun place called the “Dove’s Nest” in downtown Waxahatchie. You should have seen us all pile into Brenda’s car: Gramer in the front passenger, Brenda driving, Jan and I in the very back, and three car seats in the middle with munchkins! Gramer was in great-grandma heaven that day.

Sat. Oct. 6: I first drove to Brownwood and saw Jay, Melissa, Catherine, and Hannah Smith. It was terrific to see them after a year and see how the girls have changed and to hear about their new lives. Jay was our pastor here at FBC Bellingham. Then, Micah and I continued on to Abilene, where I saw my parent’s home for the first time since they have redone so much. We had dinner that night with my good friend Lisa and her son Spencer. What a joy to catch up.

Sun. Oct. 7: We worshipped at FBC Abilene, my home church. They spent a year undergoing a sanctuary remodel and it is beautiful. Dad and I took Micah around before church introducing him to friends. It was a great service, then the nursery staff placed sleeping Micah in the “brass bed,” which is behind a window so everyone can see babies on their first Sunday at church. I was in the brass bed as an infant, so it was neat to see Micah there too. Then, “Grandma Weezie” hosted an open house so friends could come meet Micah. It was so great to see friends and catch up. And I’m sure Weezie never tired of Micah-bragging.

Mon. Oct. 8: I visited with my long time friend, Jen King, and met her super-cute daughter, Carly. We loved catching up. Then, Mom’s school-buddy, her daughter, Mandy and grandsons and another gal and baby came over and Mandy took pro pictures of the boys in my parent’s backyard. I can’t wait to see them. Then, Mom, Dad, Micah and I went to our old house to see all the progress made to prepare it for the next people to move in. It was very nostalgic to walk around and remember. We then went to a sculpture on the ACU campus called “Jacob’s Dream” that was very impressive. Here are some concept pictures:
http://www.acu.edu/academics/cas/art/faculty/maxwell/jmwork1.html
These pictures do not do justice to its beauty. It is truly a reverent site. Then we ate dinner at a cool sandwich shop.

Tues. Oct. 9: Micah and I drove back to Plano. Of course, we stopped at a Chick-fil-A for one last fix (our niece, Jordan, calls it “Chick-a-lay”). We had dinner that night with the whole Flint Fam one last time too: Charlie, Becky, Alice & Ben Logan, Julie, Joel & Jodie, Jordan. It was great to be together again, but we missed Jeff, so we skyped him!

Wed. Oct. 10: Micah and I boarded the plane again to Seattle, then the shuttlebus back to Bellingham. We missed Jeff so much and it was so good to be reunited. When we pulled into the stop in Bham and Micah saw Jeff out the window, he banged on it with both hands, looked at Jeff, and yelled “Dat! Dat! Dat!” Sweet Jeff had a roast dinner waiting for us.

Phew! What a trip. It was exhausting, but so worth it. How special to see everyone and see what’s new in their world, and to just spend time with friends and family, sharing Micah with them. I’m glad we were gone for such a long time because it allowed us to spend more time with people. I was physically exhausted and sore afterwards, from lugging bags, carrying Micah, and picking him up off the floor when he crawled into mischief. Thank you to all that carved out time to host us, feed us, visit with, and hang out with us.

So, some other news: Jeff and I are in the process of purchasing the lot next to our house (that looks as if it were our backyard). Thursday, Jeff and I signed the final papers for it! It will be recorded this coming Friday. That is also the day our new windows are installed. So, we get windows and a lot on the same day! These two events are the first steps in improving our home, onto which we want to add some rooms in 2009-2010 so we can grow our family.