EastCoastLove

Over thanksgiving we visited Kimmel's great grandma! She turns 100 in june! She is such a sweet lady! We had a fun lunch listening to her stories and just soaking up so Meme time! She gave us gifts, talked about her painting and her friends at her home.  Andrew has such great memories of his grandparents, and talks about his great granddad often. I am very thankful we got to spend some moments with her!

This past saturday was my first official photo shoot, meaning not really close friends, was really nervous to do it. Andrew came with me and was my voice of direction. I picked the same spot a friend of ours took our engagement pictures, main street Grapevine. We went a bit early to the spot and marked some places we thought would work, and talked out what positions might be good. With his strong voice he commanded them into spots! :) It was fun and the weather was perfect for it. Andrew had gotten me a new lens in time for the shoot so i was super pumped and so thankful it made it in time. There were a couple times that i forgot to change the setting and was like OH NO! Let's try that again!  I think they like it and are happy with it. A mutual friend has already asked me to take pics of her and her hubby. Now i am just waiting for my label to be created so i can look even more official! This is a fun hobby that i am excited to chase after! Click Here for more pics

Last night was the Ft Worth Parade of Lights that kicks off all the decorations and Christmas tree in downtown. I love Ft Worth so much and this is one of my favorite things they do! We went last year with a couple that lives down there and the LeFils, so we kept the tradition this year too! We added another couple to the mix and had a fun night!

So this past Sunday was Andrew's 25th bday and our annual Turkey Bowl- Click Here for Pictures- so needless to say it was a packed weekend! Saturday we skyped with the Jones and later i sent Kimmel away to see harry potter with his dad and friends, while 3 of the girls from my sunday team came to bake cookies and brownies for the Turkey Bowl. When he came back from the movie, we went walking round barnes and noble, he purchased the 3rd book of the Hunger Games series. Then headed off to dinner with some good friends. Then his actual he got his big gift, a Dewalt Miter Saw...amazon had their tools 50% off and a friend got me free shipping and no tax! A huge blessing! He was very excited and then on monday built himself a work table for it! Today he is finishing up the table, and i am painting yet another room..hoping to finally finish! So thankful for thanksgiving week...him being home is very nice! 

Being a middle school coach kimmel gets to coach 3 sports, and soccer. It was football, now basketball and track is next then the 8 small weeks of soccer. Last night was his first game. It was home so i and the Baloghs went to cheer him on! It was funny to hear him yelling 'move your feet' and 'get back on line'. I was worried he would loose his voice..but he didn't :) I like basketball, its what i cheered for during middle and high school, my private school had no football. I am excited to watch him and his teams as they go thru the season.

This past sunday I plus to friends hosted a baby shower for our friend Brenda. She is having her second baby a lil boy- Frazier- (Due at any minute). It was a lot of fun and she got some really great gifts. Sweet stuff from her GG- great grandma, lots of blue clothes, cute lil boy clothes and all things that are small and baby. We had fun with setting up the food and decorating with Giraffe's and cloth diapers. Had fun guessing the 'belly size', as many baby things you could think of and NOT saying the word baby. Brenda's mom was good and got one of us so bad she took all her clips she had collected earlier! :) It was a sweet afternoon and after all the present opening the kids had to run around out back. 

On sundays we arrive at church separately. I have to be there between 730 or 8 depending on the activities that morning and Kimmel comes to the 11 service so we can sit together. He likes to sleep in a bit, read, eat b-fast and have a lovely morning. One thing i have learned he does is he makes the bed! haha i don't make the bed EVERY day and most times its only cause someone is coming over. This sunday i put two and two together, he makes the bed every sunday for us! We also have a 'small group' on sundays and he has been vacuuming and doing the dishwasher UNASKED to help get things ready for our friends to come! :) Its just another reason i love him! PS don't mind the lack of decorating in the bed room i am still working on that :) 

There are many times we offer up conditional situations up to God through our lives. If you can just get that guy to notice me i will stop fighting with my mom. If you will just make my child happy i will give you more than 10% each month. If i could just pass this test i will stop bitting my nails. So many silly things we say in order to make God do something. Is it a lack of faith, or just our silly human self. There is a story like this in Judges 11. About a man Jephthah who is a great warrior who has been asked to fight for Gilead just after he was run out by his brothers (sounds like a great plot for a movie eh?). Long story short in vs 29 it says the lord came upon Jephthah, and he led the men. He made a vow to the lord, "If you give the ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when i return in triumph from the ammonites will be the Lord's and i will sacrifice it as a burnt offering" Now here my mind starts to think..what di

It has been an amazing busy week, getting ready and participating in our church's Global Faith Forum. I have had the privilege to 'work' in the green room. Making sure the speakers get here and know what they are doing and where to go type stuff. Its fun to meet such lovely people! The conference was put together to teach us truth about Muslims and Jews. The speakers have been incredible! I don't know if you have heard of these guys but you need to google them. John Esposito Eboo Patel Os Guiness Najebba Syeed- Miller They are talking about how we as christians, muslims and jews need to love each other and be honest with each other and stop the hate between us. Stop the ignorance between us and begin to understand what each other believes. Its incredible i tell you! Global Faith Forum

Or so we think! A couple weeks ago Kimmel made these amazing burgers and grilled them for family and friends! It came out of our awesome Weber Grill book. I fixed the Guacamole Mayonnaise. Together it was a lovely symphony of taste (what??) haha You should do this too! or either purchase the book and try some others they have! California Burgers with Guacamole Mayonnaise 2 pablano chili peppers 1.5 lbs ground chuch (80% lean) 1.5 tsp kosher salt 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper Mayonnaise 2 tbls grated white onion 1 ripe haas avocado, pitted and peeled 2 tbls mayonnaise 2 plum tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped 1 tbls finely chopped fresh cilantro 2 tsp fresh lime juice 1 small garlic clove, grated kosher salt happy grilling! :) More Weber Recipes

This past couple weeks God has really encouraged me through other people. Its fun to see Him use others that you would never think of to give encouragement to you.  Not cause they don't care but cause you don't have that much interaction with them. Through Jesus you are connected. There were three sweet people this week that mentioned God had laid me on their hearts thru their personal worship time with Him. Its awesome to know God uses those who understands and lifts you up to Him. Another sweet blessing that happened today in the midst of busy season..hahah does that season end?? Two of my friend bought me Sbux cause they knew i was giving it up for the budget! haha simple and so sweet I LOVE IT! :) I pray that He will give me ways to bless others. I sometimes get so caught up in my busyness or lackings that i think selfishly and protectively. I want to be a conduit for his blessings for others!! That is my prayer!

Andrew and i were talking about money and future stuff planning and budgeting. We approach it differently. I can save pretty good, but i mostly look at life now and see what i need and use only that. He likes to do ROTH and Savings and NO DEBT! i like no debt too...i am not really a huge spender, so we get along good..except we explain things differently and in our head we are thinking the same thing but saying it backwards almost so we get flustered and confused and annoyed. haha we will spend like 40 mins saying stuff and finally we go so i am saying the grass is green, the other is yeah the green grass is what we have....so your saying the same thing?? hahah its crazy  Anyway we are wanting to live on a tighter budget so i am giving up my Sbux :( we are cutting down our eating out. Which means more preparatory cooking for me....when will i find the time...that is the challenge :) Fun challenge! Sticking to the budget is a challenge with two people but we are up to it! Any fun st

A friend of mine texted me this morning and asked if i had heard about Andy Irons. I knew something either really bad or really good happened. It was really bad! He passed away this week while staying in a hotel in DFW for a layover before he headed home to his pregnant wife of 3 years. The link below is a story of the death and a video interview after his latest win. Please say a prayer for his wife! . Andy Irons

So this year is the first Halloween that we did not have any plans at all. No harvest fest, no trunk or treat, no family thing...it was up to us to find fun! haha This year we went with our 'street' and trick or treated the rest of the neighborhood. I tried to take pictures but the sun going down and my novice knowledge and feeling a lil awkward taking other peoples kids pictures they came out blurry and sometimes wrong lighting. We had a good time too...we hung out with the families til 9 and went to bed.