our sweet love

"Bound to Please"

2012-01-16T09:32:00.001-08:00

this past week Matt and I joined my family for a trip to the British Virgin Islands... we chartered a sailboat "Bound to Please" and were out on the Sea for seven days!

about to get on the 9 passenger plane to Tortolla Island, Yikes!

the cutest 1st mate :)

matt as co-pilate on our tiny plane

Drew and Matt really did a great job sailing... they got the sails up and down every time, sometimes it was a bit scary but they did it!!

hottie!!

a cute little port where we stopped for water, ice, food, and gas

love my husband. love my family. loved the BVI :)

christmas 2011

2012-01-02T15:36:00.001-08:00

we had a sweet time in St. Louis this Christmas, and our family was sweet enough to wait on us to arrive before celebrating. We went to church Sunday morning in Arlington and then headed straight for St. Louis... we were exhausted, but so excited to be there!! We spent had a great time with family and our best friends.... the highlight of the trip was getting to meet our new nephew Britton. I didn't get any pictures with him but Julie did, so hopefully she will share them soon :)

our family Christmas morning :)

our flower girls from our wedding... all grown up!

Bent was worn out from terrorizing my parents two dogs all week... pretty sure he slept for two days straight when we got back :)

merry christmas!!

2011-12-19T15:25:00.000-08:00

Cannot believe Christmas is in less than a week!!

Wishing you and your family a blessed, and very merry, Christmas!

"But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”" - Luke 1:30 - 33

Love, the Hunters, Drew & Benton

thanksgiving

2011-12-07T15:54:00.000-08:00

"I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing he praises of the name of the Lord Most High." - Psalm 7:17

swimming on thanksgiving??

sweetest Sarah Beth

football...

We were unable to make it back to St. Louis this year, but we enjoyed sweet fellowship with the Duke family this Thanksgiving! Thank you Duke's for welcoming us like family and sharing your Thanksgiving with us! We love you!!

We missed our families and especially getting to meet our newest nephew!!

Britton Griffith Hunter! Seriously though, how cute is he???

We are pumped for Christmas and to get to see the Waeckerles and Hunters!!

lately...

2011-11-11T15:47:00.000-08:00

so, lately life has seemed pretty dull, but so full and the Lord is SO SO good to us, all of the time. We are continually amazed by his blessings. but, other than pinterest totally consuming my life (hehe) and hanging with two lil' cuties everyday, we have been...

decorating for fall

a sweet student of ours, Emily, painted us this awesome painting for our foyer!! we love it! and we love YOU!! Thank you Emily!!!

high school football games

and pinterest projects of course :) ... painted over these paintings an made some new chevron's for our dining room. did i say i am loving pinterest?!?! ;)

FH boot scootin' boogie

2011-11-01T14:10:00.001-07:00

line dancing, dress up, and a crazy cute cowboy for a husband... what could be better?? :)

happy 1st birthday benton!

2011-09-09T20:28:00.001-07:00

if you know anything about me, you know that I am NOT an animal person. When I was little, I remember refusing to get off the sofa because I was convince our dog had rabbies. Then, I thought new dogs would be better so, I begged my parents for a dog. That christmas, I got 2 dogs... and after about a year, I barely would go near them. Call me a brat, but I just do not like anything about animals, the drool, the hair, the smell, nothing... however, matt is the total opposite. He has been wanting a dog as long as I can remember, and he finally wore me down. We got Benton in April... and I must admit, I have fallen for him. I can hardly believe I am admitting this, but I do, I like the pup. Alot. He does get on my nerves sometimes and gross me out at times, but at the end of the day I can't resist his cute face. He has a ton of personality and fits in great with our little family. So, for his 1st birthday we went all out... bow tie, ice cream doggie sundae, the movie Bolt, and a new toy. Don't worry, we won't become the crazy dog people, but until we have a real baby, he will have to do... and I get my baby fix this way ;)

Benton with his new squeaky toy

wearing his birthday best :)

now, could YOU resist this face??

love, from the beach

2011-09-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

matt and i took our first vacation just the two of us since honeymoon. we visited galveston beach and LOVED it! galveston is nothing glamorous, but it was exactly what we wanted... time alone, away and together!! perfect. we had a blast basking in the sun, playing frisbee on the beach, and just being together. love you babe, thanks for spoiling me on a fun vaca!!

my favorite pic of the week

mr. and mrs. stair

2011-09-09T20:12:00.001-07:00

my sweet, high school best friend got married this past weekend! such a sweet time to catch up with old friends and celebrate mr. and mrs stair :) 14 out of the 15 people in the wedding party were from our high school... crazy! the only thing to make the weekend better would have been to have my man with me, but he was home being responsible and working. it was a very sweet weekend, and also the conclusion of all my college roomies getting married! wohoo! 256, we did it!!

stephanie, the beautiful bride, the night before the BIG day!

congrats stairs!!

summer in photos

2011-08-11T13:22:00.003-07:00

our new roomie :)

Hot Summer Nights at ZOE...

besties <3

time with family ...

grandpa's surprise 80th birthday

the "middles"

seriously, how alike do we look in this picture??

cutest cousins

a visit to branson to see andrea at kamp...

student life camp with our kids...

Living on Love shout out...

2011-08-05T11:40:00.000-07:00

a sweet friend of mine, Lacy, gave me a shout out on her blog :) for those of you who have been following, love peace sew has become the right ONEsie... check out my new Etsy account here and enter to win the giveaway at Lacy's blog! Thanks!

summer love

2011-07-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

things i am LOVING this summer...

this man

these people

juicy, run down your face summer fruit

visits from my mom

finding something at a garage sale for $1 and turning it into something fun

and... my sewing machine :)

what are you loving this summer??

shopper's paradise

2011-06-27T19:06:00.001-07:00

This weekend my beautiful mom and her cousin, Suzanne, came to visit. Suzanne is an interior decorator so we all went to the Dallas Market to S.H.O.P.!!! It was an incredible place with over 13 floors of stuff for the home!! It really was a shopper's paradise ... and yet a little overwhelming. Really crazy people actually will spend LOTS of $$$$ on things for their home, things we could never afford! but, it was fun to look. We had a great time browsing and Suzanne found some great things for her clients in STL. I found some really neat, and really unique pieces... some I would love to DIY one day. That is, if I could :) but I will try ANYTHING!

ALL the floors

the first day... AH-mazed :)

luxurious bed, don't you think you would sleep better in this?? ;)

cute for a kid's bedroom

love the contrast of this blue and the white

cute, and not too hard to DIY

attempting to make these for our dining room :) - I will let you know how they turn out!

SO creative!

i am loving all the owls and little birds out this season!

again, this doesn't look to hard to DIY

a fun future project for a kids room someday?

sweetest baby cradle for a princess!

not kidding, $5800... nicole kidman's buyer just got this for nicole's house

a little weird

plush!

great idea!... an old handkerchief turned into a cute vintage vest!

bird cages with topiaries are also really in

LOVED these

cute little quote by Winston Churchill

lovig the ruffles :)

painted and bedazzled dressers... so cute

simple, yet very cute

did you get any fun ideas?? i can't wait to try some of these :)

the bone

2011-06-24T16:28:00.000-07:00

Benton LOVES his bone...

he hides it everywhere that he can.

and typically it is not seen for a few days and then i will find it in funny places like...

my swimsuit basket

stuffed between the sofa and under a blanket

buried in a blanket (i saw him hide this one... dug up the blanket, and moved it over the bone with his nose, pretty clever little guy)

under furniture

and, beneath pillows. i have even found them in my draperies :)

here he is, i caught him in the act! so funny that afterwards he looks around like "what? i wasn't doing anything. there isn't anything under this blanket"

he is a cutie and is a GREAT source of entertainment:)

scharr wedding :)

2011-06-06T11:41:00.001-07:00

so, the scharr wedding was amazing, to say the least... matt and i feel so honored to have been a part of such a sweet, special day. meg looked SO beautiful and i don't think i will ever forget the look on chris' face and the tears streaming down his face, as meg came down the isle. the look on my husband's face throughout the entire ceremony will be a hard one to forget as well... he just cried and cried. so sweet to see the overflow of his love for his best friend.

matt's brother, phillip, did the ceremony. it was perfect! way to go phillip, you couldn't have said anything better, it was beautiful :) really, it was a fun wedding for the whole hunter family... almost every hunter had a part in the ceremony! now, doesn't that say something about Godly friendship the way the Lord intended?? The whole family was there to celebrate a beloved brother in Christ as he wed his bride! Such a sweet weekend!

i only have a few pictures to capture the evening...

me and my man... the love of my life :)

mr. & mrs. scharr

after meg and chris were pronounced as mr. & mrs. scharr, phillip told everyone to celebrate right then... such a great idea because most of the time the celebrating goes on outside the chapel where no one else gets to participate

the beautiful bride

drew and ange :)

so much to celebrate

2011-06-04T21:31:00.001-07:00

so much to celebrate here lately...

we traveled to STL to celebrate the coming together of our best friends, meg and chris. it was such a special time for matt and I, what could be better than his best friend marrying mine? :) The ceremony, and weekend in all, was so sweet. matt and i both cried through the entire ceremony... love you Mr. & Mrs. Scharr!!!

wow! beautiful, huh?

more pictures to come...

Benton made his first road trip and slept like this most of the time... he was a great little traveler :)

Andrea and Drew, my brother and sister, came back with us on Monday after all the wedding events... we LOVE having them in town and cannot wait for Drew to move here in the fall!

in the car, ready to be home :)

uncle drew got me a bone... and i LOVE it!! thanks uncle drew!

matt and I celebrated 3 years of marriage on monday... still can't believe the Lord blessed me with this guy! matt, you are the best! i have loved every minute of our 3 years of marriage and am so blessed to be your wife. everyday gets better, can't wait to see what this year holds for us! God has been SO good!

may 30, 2008

we were also able to spend a lot of time with family while in STL... it's such a blessing to have all of our family in one place!

hunter girls with our matching felt flowers :)

more pictures of all the celebrating to come...

DIY: paper flowers

2011-05-07T22:07:00.000-07:00

today i made a bunch of these...

aren't they so fun?? and look so real??

and the best part, they were so cheap to make!

napkins and pipe cleaners from the dollar store,

a bunch of fun decor for under $3! wohoo!

made for my bestie's bachelorette shower... should be a fun night ;)

idea found @ MADE

you should go make a few... like, now! it will brighten your day!

matt & lauren + one...

2011-04-24T15:01:00.000-07:00

We would like to introduce...

Benton Bingham Hunter

our sweet new puppy :)

DIY: ottoman

2011-04-21T12:42:00.000-07:00

matt and i always joke that when either set of parents come to visit, our home makes a major improvement... the blessing of having sweet, giving parents. :) were just here and my mom bought us all the fabric we needed for my next DIY and my dad did a lot to help too.

Remember these??

my dad loosened the bolts and moved the

wood from the inside of the spools to the perimeter...

added a little cushion

and covered with this great fabric :)

this is the before of our sofa...

and after

i am loving getting away from everything being blue or white and glad to get some color. Thanks mom and dad for all your help!

... if you are interested in doing a DIY ottoman from a salvaged spool, i got the idea here

DIY: Kitchen

2011-04-05T20:51:00.000-07:00

another "phase" of finishing our kitchen is coming along...

"Man does not live on bread along but on every WORD that comes from the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4

$5 chandelier from goodwill

sneak peak of my next DIY... i cannot wait to start this one!! :)

the start of something new...

2011-03-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

i have always loved crafts and art. in high school i'm pretty sure i took every art class the school offered :) in the past few years i have made a few things for nieces, nephews, and friends kids as gifts, and after realizing that people actually like the things i was making (i was shocked :0), i decided to start making more to try to sell. ... so, this is the official introduction to my new blog, love.peace.SEW. designs :)

stop by and let me know what you think...

love. peace. SEW

celebrating good friends...

2011-03-27T20:37:00.001-07:00

the Lord has really blessed us with some great friends...

my man, robby, & tim

meagan (and lil' ben in the belly :]) & marissa

we are so blessed. thank you McGowen's and Bergeron's for loving, encouraging, and supporting us. And, for making us laugh... a lot! y'all are the best, we could not be more thankful for sweet friends like you!

twenty-four

2011-03-23T14:09:00.001-07:00

today i turned 24.

i don't really feel any older, but feel extremely blessed :)

my sweet husband gave me 24 notes, starting at 12 am and one for each hour after that... each with a quality about me that he loves and a little note. even though i wasn't with him throughout the day, i felt so loved by him each hour as i opened another sweet note.

did i mention that i am blessed?? ;)

thank you for making me feel so loved every day matt, you are the best. i couldn't have dreamed of a sweeter husband! i love you baby.

celebrating at dinner a day early...

having fun with photo booth with our 'little family'...

yeah, i know. we are weird.

i think 24 is going to be a good year...

visitors ...

2011-03-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

this spring break we had three fun visitors.... Drew and Will & Cindy Cunningham :)

So fun to have people you love in town!

Matt met the Cunningham's at Kanakuk while in high school... he had the privilege of 'kid-sitting' their two boys, Peter and Wes, for a few summers while they directed one of the kamps. Every summer they had a friendly competition of "beat your kid-sitter day" where all day long it was them versus matt in multiple competitions (all in good fun, i promise. the cunningham's are nothing but fun!) well, this year matt had a little extra help...

Team Cunningham

Team Hunter + Drew

The day was full of fun competition...

the many faces of "puck off"... our favorite game

my very athletic hubby making a winning shot for our team :)

guitar hero... ROCK ON!

Congratulations Team Cunningham...

winners of the 1st annual Cunningham vs. Hunter competitions!!

can't.wait.til.friday.

2011-03-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

THIS guy is going to be here in 2 days!! can't wait to spend a week with him!

and p.s. ....

he is moving here this SUMMER!! can things get any better??

spring cleaning...

2011-03-16T14:25:00.001-07:00

due to the spring-ish weather in texas lately, i have been in spring cleaning mode...

first project = craft closet

so much easier to make fun things like these...

ahhh, that's so much better :)

happy spring cleaning!!

st. louis...

2011-02-23T09:13:00.000-08:00

valentine's day 2011

matt was asked to play in a celebrity baseball game,

such a blessing to be a part of this special event.

Matt's brother, Phillip, has a youth ministry called ZOE in STL. He always has really fun events and does everything with such excellence. So fun to get back to STL, visit family, and take part in such a great event. Matt and Peter were the entertainment... all in TRON-mode to start off the event!

such a blessing to have matt's dad baptize my mom :) mom, I am so proud of you and so blessed to be your daughter. thanks for teaching me how to love, how to be a servant hearted wife and how to spread the love of Jesus through your sweetness! i love you!

sweet, sweet time with our best friends! love this couple...

family celebration of a new baby, Luke, due on St. Patrick's Day :)

photo shoot...

2011-02-08T14:23:00.000-08:00

my 'in-loves' came to town ... it was a sweet time with matt's parents. we laughed, played games, painted (a lot!) and they got to see some of what matt does here. i am so blessed to have married into a family that loves the Lord and desires to know Him more! we forgot to take pictures all week long, so before they left (literally right before) we did a little photo shoot :) enjoy!

DIY: kitchen

2011-01-27T20:28:00.000-08:00

our kitchen has been quite a project, but a good chance to try out a little DIY kitchen style :) we hated how there was such a wood-like look everywhere, and mixed with the horrible paint job of a-pale-yellow-over-wallpaper, we were really ready to make a change... or a few. i tell matt we are doing it in 4 phases... phase 1 and 2 are complete (yay!) and 3 is quickly approaching!

our kitchen before: wood cabinets, chopping block-ish counters, and a horribly ugly wood-like linolium. eww! we actually liked the chopping block looking counters, so those will stay to go with our relaxing, natural look...

phase 1: paint cabinets white

I have always wanted white cabinets. they look so fresh and clean. this, however, was not an easy task. It took three coats of oil based paint to get them done, and now I still need to go back to repaint hinges and maybe add some fun handles :)

phase 2: paint walls koi pan (green)

I LOVE our green kitchen! there was a bad water stain on one wall (from before we had the roof replaced) and the yellow paint job was a bad one... we could faintly see the wallpaper behind it. Its so refreshing now and so much more fun to cook in! :)

*this post is dedicated to my lovely MIL

who painted and patched up my walls for hours!

Thanks so much! You are such a blessing!

he's a fan...

2011-01-13T21:49:00.000-08:00

my husband loves the seattle seahawks, alot. he is a huge fan and LOVES to watch them play, watch videos about them, read blogs about his hawks, and wear pretty much anything blue and green. :) he is no fair weather fan! he's the best... and the hawks aren't doing too bad right now. First time in football history for a loosing team to make it into the playoffs and WIN! it's time to play the chicago bears... let's go get'em hawks!

college, with our sweet friend abbie

all the boys in all their seahawk gear

and, yes, even i dress up in support of the hawks :)

christmas 2010

2011-01-02T15:50:00.000-08:00

matt and i were here (arlington) for christmas, but we were able to be home for a short bit afterwards and it was so fun. always a blessing to see our families...

missed you ange!

so cute :)

stephanie, my good friend from high school, also a bridesmaid in our wedding, with her new bf david.... so fun to meet him.

it was a full house at the waeckerle's and just us at the hunter's... we missed seeing josh, julie, phillip, shelly & kids, but we are always blessed by our families. so grateful that our Lord came to this world to save us and give us peace. thank you Jesus for peace, health, and joy! we are so blessed!

DIY: holidays and gifts

2010-12-20T20:52:00.001-08:00

once again, i have been crafting :)

lots of felt flowers for hats and necklaces...

christmas ornaments...

and more kids t-shirts ...

a night to laugh...

2010-12-16T13:15:00.000-08:00

last night was fielder's (our church) staff christmas party... so fun :) and goodness, I have one funny husband! way to go babe, you had everyone laughing like always :)

the elves

FH staff :)

our sweet friend, diana, came to help matt out at the party... and a surprise for her, kyler! so glad these two fun, happy, Spirit-filled people are dating :) so fun!

ice cream & cakey cake

2010-12-06T15:27:00.001-08:00

we celebrated matts 26th birthday this weekend... its such a blessing to have married such a great guy :) matt, you are my biggest blessing, such a Godly leader, man of God, and a joy to be married to... love laughing and playing together! i love you babe, happy birthday!

the face of a real marine :)

playing deal or no deal at dave & busters

the weekend was extra special because our sweet friends, abbie and will, came to visit! loved having y'all... can't wait to have you again!!

first christmas decorations

2010-11-30T20:25:00.001-08:00

our first time to really decorate for christmas :)

(free print out here ... we dont have a colored printer, so i had to color my own :) )

thanks mom hunter for the nativity :) we love it!

holiday crafting

2010-11-29T16:57:00.001-08:00

short, but so sweet

2010-11-29T16:26:00.001-08:00

we drove to st. louis for Thanksgiving... it was a short, but very sweet time with family. we are so blessed! so much to be thankful for this year!

she makes great pies... just like a picture :)

all the waeckerles

all the hunters

matt has been in the habit of holding babies these days ... that's exciting to me ;)

back in black... and gold

2010-11-09T16:24:00.000-08:00

matt and i headed to AggieLand this past month to see the MU Tigers take on the Aggies... for those of you who haven't lived in texas, football is a HUGE deal here. Generations of families go to the same schools and have more school pride than i can even imagine having! Seriously, in church last week our pastor mentioned the Aggie win and a loud "whoop" echoed through the sanctuary! in church y'all!! they are die-hard fans ... Anyways, MU BEAT the Aggies (I'll give my own little "whoop, whoop!!" for that) and it was a great game, fun time with Matt and a great excuse to put back on our black and gold.

grandpa also visited... so good to see him :)

the new nest...

2010-11-09T15:15:00.000-08:00

we have been busy preparing our new home... its not near finished, but we are learning balance as we try to get everything just how we want it :) its a hard thing to do when you realize its "just a house" and not anything eternal, but we are so grateful for our new nest and are thoroughly enjoying making it home. We did a major paint job (the house was basically all white-ish with some color) and have added our hodgepodge of furniture. We feel so blessed to have been given so much :) Oh how the Lord provides!!

Enjoy...

foyer/front door

our bedroom

dining room... still in the painting process :)

guest bath before

...and after

guest bed before

... and after (we were going for grey walls, but learned that grey

is really tricky... good thing we really like blue ;) )

living area

we had ALL these students help us move-in... got it all out of the apartment, down 3 flights of stairs, and into the house in one and a half hours!!! so grateful for their help!!

my sweet brother, drew, was the first to stay the night at the new house... we (drew, peter and us) put mattresses out on the floor the night before move-in! so fun :)

more pictures to come.... we are in the process of major kitchen renovation :)

these faces...

2010-09-18T21:59:00.000-07:00

these faces are capturing my heart.

these faces are those of the children of zambia, africa. the LORD knows their names, their hurts, their hearts and every little detail about their little selves.

"I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you." john 14:16

these are the faces of orphans. they are loved with an everlasting love by GOD, their FATHER.

"father to the fatherless... HE places the lonely in families and gives them joy." psalm 68:5-6

these are the faces of children needing protection and provision. the LORD is their provider.

"I have come that they may have life and that they may have life more abundantly."

john 10:10

these are the faces of children waiting. Waiting to hear about the love and power in the name of JESUS CHRIST.

"go and make disciples of all nations... teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." matthew 28:19,20

these faces cause me wonder and to think about my faith. am i living out the gospel?

"religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." james 1:27

these faces are beautiful. real. precious.

"the KING will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for ME.'" matthew 25:40

we attended a banquet for family legacy missions international this weekend. family legacy is an organization that just celebrated their 10th year of work in zambia, africa. the wonderful people from family legacy provide camps for the over 1 million orphans in zambia each summer and continue to provide them with safety, love, and encouragement through their tree of life ministry.

zambia, a country in africa that is a little larger than the state of texas, has the lowest death rate in the world, 38 years old. half of the population is under the age of 16. most of the children are double orphans, having lost both parents, and are rejected and shunned by their society. they are alone and helpless.

during this banquet, my heart was once again wrenched at the sights and stories of the many children pictured above. stories of abuse, neglect, and rejection broke my heart as i began to say to the Lord, "this is not fair. little children should not have to live like this." as the speaker continued and we learned more about the awesome things God is doing and has done through family legacy, i just sat wondering and thinking.

God is doing great things in zambia, and in other parts of africa (check here and here for a great stories). He is so GOOD and always hears the cries of those hurting and alone. little children are being saved from their lives of despair, and are truly made into a new creation in Christ. praise the Lord!

but, still, my heart ached. i kept thinking, "what can i do? what should i do? Lord, what do you want of me?" matt and i both felt the same pull we have been feeling ever since we met this little cutie...

i don't really know what my heart is feeling, and i don't know what the Lord is doing, BUT i do know that we serve an awesome BIG God who hears the cries of the hurting, HE rescues, HE makes new, and HE gives wisdom to those wondering what to do in the mean time.

do i know that we should pack up everything and move somewhere where we can experience real suffering like paul talks about? NO. have i thought about it? YES! do i know the plans God has for our future family and children? NO. have i entertained the thought of adoption from somewhere? YES.

BUT, i have also thought of the work God is doing here, in little 'ole arlington, texas. i know that its not for nothing and that He wouldn't be so present for no reason. i know the HE is changing lives and making them new, that HE is working in high schools, and that HE has awesomely big plans for the people here that i cannot even imagine.

what do i know at this very moment? not much, but i know this: "i want to know CHRIST and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his SUFFERINGS, becoming like him in his death..." philippians 3:10

it scares me to ask for suffering, but i want to know Christ MORE than i am afraid.

Lord, give matt and i wisdom about what we should do. give us wisdom about how to best serve you and where you want us. thank you for not letting the cries and prayers of hurting children go unheard. thank you for redeeming us and making us NEW. all the praise to you alone Lord.

its official... we are becoming TEXANS :)

2010-09-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

Look what we recently added to our car...

matt just recently got his TX driver's license and i will be getting mine soon... its so weird to see this on our car! i can hardly believe we have been here over a year already!

we will also be saying goodbye to this sweet little (BIG) ride, but more on that to come

also, we will be closing on this one week from today :)

life lately...

2010-09-10T15:25:00.000-07:00

life lately has been sweet, filled with fun new memories and lots of texas football! we have once again been experiencing the blessings of the Lord as we have found a house we LOVE and i just recently started a new job that i love. God is so good to us, why we ever worry is a mystery to me. thank you Lord for continuing to bless us, even though it takes me a while to learn that YOU always provide... even if it is in the eleventh hour and i am feeling a little pressed for patience and faith :) thank you for taking your time with me

the past two weekends, two of the major high schools celebrated homecoming... this was a first homecoming experience for me, and a very exciting one at that... I had the best date ever ;)

texas football is BIG... everything about it, the stadiums, the fans, the dancers, the players

we were introduced to mums... students make for their dates, similar to a corsage

some of our students... check out the HUGE mums

the next level, a Bible study matt started, has exploded! we have had 60+ students each sunday night! the FH is undergoing a lot of changes and a whole new atmosphere has been created. students are being filled with the Holy Spirit and are so on fire for the Lord!

love seeing this...

we are packing out houses, God you are GOOD

along with texas football is, of course, the seattle SEAHAWKS!! we are all ready for the new season... here is matt carefully choosing his fantasy team. starting tomorrow, hawks vs. 49ers... GO HAWKS!

next post: more detailed house/job update, but to tide you over... we found a house we LOVE and are still working out some details for a new roof (wohoo!!) we will hopefully be closing on september 24th and moving in the beginning of october!! we cannot wait to be in our new home... pictures to come :)

wall art

2010-08-23T07:14:00.000-07:00

the finished project :)

house hunting...

2010-08-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

on saturday we have to either sign or re-sign our apartment lease... it has been a long decision trying to figure out if we wanted/could to buy a house. it has always been a dream, but just recently it has become a reality! we started the house hunting process the beginning of this week and are eagerly awaiting the house God has for us. after many prayers about the timing, the neighborhood, the finances, and THE house, and 3 unbelievable gifts from my parents, matt's parents, and sweet grandma Hunter ... we trust the Lord will lead us to THE one :) we made an offer on a house that needed a little TLC, but we really loved it. however, this was not God's house for us, because someone else also made an offer and got it :( so, we are back to looking. this is just the beginning of this new and, at times, terrifying process... we would appreciate any prayers, and/or advice about buying a house, we are excited and fully trusting in our all-knowing, all-providing Father! let, the hunting continue...

st. louis and SLC

2010-08-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks have been busy... Matt and I experienced our first Student Life Camp (SLC) with all the FH kids. The longer we are here doing life with all these wonderful FH kids, the more the Lord is revealing to me just how much better His plan is than mine. SLC was unbelievable, I feel so blessed to be taking part in all that God is doing in our students. He is transforming lives, changing hearts, and showing kids just how great life can be when we stand for Jesus. There is nothing better!! I am so proud of my sweet hubby who is living a life in Jesus that is so attractive to high school students... the all LOVE him :) He is so great at relating to each student.

The FH has also hired its newest member to the team... Meet Warren and Rachel Camp! We are so blessed to have them at Fielder and it is already evident that they both have hearts to serve the Lord and the students at the FH. Rachel and I were roomies at SLC and I loved getting to know her! She is the sweetest!!

After camp, Matt had the opportunity to baptize 5 of these boys! They are the sweetest guys who are so excited about their new freedom in Christ. They can't help tell their friends... actually, each of these boys has come to know the Lord through one of their friends! So awesome to see young men living for the Lord and ready to serve Him! Cannot wait to see the impact they will have on their schools and our community!

We were able to travel to St. Louis for ZOE's Hot Summer Nights! Matt and our college friend, Austin Huff, did an amazing job as the MC's and making everyone laugh!

These boys came all the way to st. louis!! so sweet :)

Matt's brother, Phillip, has a youth ministry called ZOE. It is an amazing ministry in St. Louis and has reached so many students and families for Christ. Each summer ZOE has an event to kick off the school year called Hot Summer Nights. This year Gateway Church's Generate Band came to do the worship, which was amazing, and Phillip did three amazing talks.

Never Never Land Night... Julie made the cutest fairy outfits!!

Peter Pan (Drew) and his shadow (Andrea)... they are so creative :)

County Fair night

Baby Champ, who I literally wore on me all week long... and LOVED every single moment, and sweet Atley

Matt was baptized while we were in st. louis... it was a sweet night with lots of loving affirmation!!

matt and his sweet momma

this is what I did pretty much everyday ... andrea and I are major pool bums :)

keeping myself busy...

2010-07-13T15:46:00.000-07:00

This summer I have been keeping busy with LOTS of crafts. This is what our kitchen looks like on most days :) One day, I would love to have a craft room! Enjoy...

T-Shirt blanket from all of Matt's old tee's

A friend of our is having a baby... due September 3rd!!

Shirt for the mommy-to-be

Baby rattle from a sock, onesies, and a hooter hider...

I just knew you would all love to see the shirt modeled ;) so here i am "pregnant" ... one day!

Paintings (not of my own creativeness, but copied from ones I saw online)

Spicing up some old tee's...

** Hope you don't mind turning your head... couldn't get some of the pictures to turn, sorry!

summer lovin'

2010-07-10T10:09:00.001-07:00

This has been an interesting summer for me because for the first time since I got my driver's license, I am not working :) It has been a time of healing for my knee, crafting, and spending time with the people I love most. The highlight of my summer has been spending time with these wonderful people...

my sweet hubby sent me home to STL (while he stayed here to work and finish summer school) to spend a whole week with my family, and to top it off, these 2 sweet people flew back with me to TX for another 5 days!! it was so fun, and greatly needed!!

matching brothers :)

my BIG, little brother

I don't really like animals, but how cute are these two goats??? they were patiently waiting for a bottle at Grant's Farm :)

Deedee and cousin Madeline

I finally got to see my BEST FRIEND!! and her beautiful ring for the first time!

I love you Meg!!

(p.s. we did not plan to match... I guess it just proves we are kindred spirits :) )

Lots of time with these sweet girlies...

Back in Arlington, we met up with Phillip, Shelly, and the kids... first time to meet sweet baby Champ! He is such a cutie.

aunt lauren and uncle matt :)

This summer we have also gotten some great time with sweet friends here ...

Happy Birthday Tim!!

In early May, one of my dearest friends, Abbie, became Mrs. Will Hydel!! Abbie and I were roommates together for 2 years at MU... she is the sweetest and was the most beautiful bride! A fun weekend spent with sweet friends that we dearly miss, but we needed a little energy for the 6 hour drive home... mmmm, we love candy :)

pedicures before the BIG day

They are married! wohoo!! Love you Ab!

celebrating 2

2010-06-07T12:41:00.001-07:00

Sno-cones, beautiful bright orange gerber daisies -- my favorite :) -- Chipotle, sparkling limeade, and a movie ... nothing could have made the night with my man any better!! I love you baby!! Thanks for always spoiling me!

praise the Lord

2010-06-07T12:28:00.000-07:00

"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." Galatians 4:26,27

Matt's 1st baptism at Fielder... sweet Rustin :)

2 of our favorite girls, Carley and Stacy... SO proud of you girls!!

The future Razorbacks!!

Proclaiming to the world they now belong to Christ and are covered with HIM! Praise the Lord!!

2 of being 1

2010-05-29T10:39:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow my sweet husband and I celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary! Its hard to believe that 2 years have already passed and yet we are still learning new things about each other. What a joy it has been to spend the last 730 days with my best friend. The Lord has blessed me with the sweetest, God-fearing, honorable man... in my wildest dreams as a little girl, I never thought marriage would be as wonderful as it has been. I am blessed to serve and love a man that honors, loves, cherishes, praises, and spoils me everyday. Thanks baby for a wonderful 2 years.

I love you with all of my heart.

May 30, 2008

May 30, 2009

What an honor to love you Matt Hunter. I cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for our lives!

a special thanks

2010-05-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

hello world! my first real day out of the apartment today was fabulous and very much needed!! after a very uplifting doctor's appointment, my sweet hubby took me to hobby lobby to pick up a few projects for when I'm cooped up in the apartment (still not daring to do the 3 flights of stairs alone!!), out to a lovely dinner, and then to get some yummy dessert at Mimi's Cafe with the wonderful Bergerons!! What a great day :)

The first thanks goes out to my wonderful Matt... he has been so sweet, so gentle and so great through this whole thing. He has brought me meals, helped me walk, made me smile and even listen to me cry (a lot) because I was "seriously emotionally drained" as he likes to say. He has been the BEST! Thanks baby for taking such good care of me.

Second, to my awesome mom who came all the way to Texas just to sit in a one bedroom apartment with a daughter that did not leave the couch! I couldn't have made it my first week without her here... she was so wonderful to clean our apartment, wash my hair and help me shave my "good" leg, do laundry, run errands, chat with me to distract me from pain and going crazy, and just be the wonderful mom that she is! Thanks mom for coming... I miss you so much already.

Third, all the church members who have made us meals, came to visit, brought flowers or just came to sit with me while Matt was working and mom wasn't here yet! It has been so great to feel so loved and cared for by the church family. I don't know what we would do without y'all!! Thank you :)

There is a lot that goes into recovery... I am learning and so being stretched!

Goals

1. Gradually putting more weight on my leg and being able to move away from crutches.

2. Trusting more in the Lord and less on myself and others during this time of healing.

3. Being more intentional with my time "stuck" at home.

4. Try really hard in all my PT exercises (in the PT office and at home)... it is so hard and a very slow process.

5. Getting 6-8 hours on the machine each day.

Victories

1. Reaching 70 degrees on the machine!!

2. A new, bendable brace and no more stitches!

3. Taking my first shower :) ... this is kind of a goal too - really, really hard and scary to stand in there!

4. Getting off the couch and out of the apartment more!

5. Getting to sleep back in our bed with my husband! wohoo!!

Thank you for your prayers! Praise the Lord for the big and little victories in our lives!

update :)

2010-05-21T19:54:00.001-07:00

"Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek in you" Ps. 9:10

This was my meditation and prayer all day long on Thursday, and just as He promised, He never left my side. I was surprised to have the surgery go so well and not be as terribly awful as I was expecting. I first got to the surgery center and put on this lovely gown and "party hat." Next, I was hooked up to some monitors and then the IV was started. I was really nervous about the IV, but it was not bad at all! I talked with some nurses, my anesthesiologist and matt while I waited for surgery. I felt truly blessed to have both a Christian doctor and anesthesiologist.... even more blessed to find that after the anesthesiologist had given me my anesthesia, he prayed over me with Matt and also quoted scripture to me to comfort me. The whole time I was thanking him after he said, "Well, you know where the real credit is due." and would not take any credit, only giving it all to Jesus! PTL! What a blessing and answer to prayer! I apparently told him, while being partially out, that I was meditating on scripture too and told him all of Ps. 9:10... I was very impressed with myself because I don't remember a thing!! ha. But, like he later told me, God gives us all we need for the moment and in that moment I needed to know that verse (even if I didn't know I was saying it at the time!).

The surgery was about 2 hours long and the doctor came to get Matt. He said everything went perfectly! Once he got in there he saw that my meniscus didn't even need to be touched and that my ACL was only 80% torn!! This was awesome to hear, because before he was thinking that the ACL was totally torn in two and the meniscus would need to be taken out completely (something about it not being able to get blood circulation once damaged). The Lord was doing his mighty healing on my knee just like we prayed! All in all, a great first time surgery experience! ... although, I don't plan on going through this again anytime soon!

I have been at home since Thursday evening and I am feeling great. A little sore on my knee now that my femur nerve block (numbing of total left leg) has worn off, but feeling great still. My leg is in a machine for 8 hours per day that bends it a certain amount of degrees each day. I am still only at 35 degrees, but have to get to 90! Pray that it doesn't get too painful!!

Matt is doing a great job of taking care of me and waiting on me hand and foot! He is so good to me!! Thanks baby! Mom comes tomorrow night. This will be a good break for Matt so he can get some rest! It seems I am quite the patient ;)

Thanks again for all your prayers and keep'em coming!

healing

2010-05-17T19:43:00.000-07:00

Remember this??

well...starting Thursday, I will be spending most of my time here

this lovely momma is coming into town to help me (Yipee!!!)

with the help of this wonderful hubby of mine

Please pray for the doctors hands to be guided by the one, true physician and mighty healer our Lord Jesus Christ. Please pray for my nerves and fears to be calmed and that all will go well in recovery. I know that my Jesus is in control of me, my ACL, my meniscus, and ultimately my entire healing. Our prayer is that my knee has been healed since the MRI and that they will only need to clean up my knee and not repair anything! Thank you all you prayer warriors out there!

Thank you Jesus for being my Healer.

dumpster diving

2010-05-08T15:21:00.001-07:00

we found this in our apartment's dumpster...

and made this :)

it reads: "CHOOSE for yourselves this day WHOM you will SERVE... but as for me and my house, we will SERVE the LORD"

(a special thanks to tim bergeron for helping matt hang it!)

goodbyes

2010-05-05T18:54:00.000-07:00

tonight we say a sad goodbye to our sweet, sweet friend Peter... he is off to a summer in the beautiful Colorado. He will be greatly missed by us and many others

... but, luckily we wont have to wait too long to see him again. Just 3 short months and he will be back in the great state of Texas!! wohoo!! :)

DIY Copy Cat

2010-04-28T19:02:00.001-07:00

I was checking out my sweet sister-in-love's (Shelly) blog to see more pictures of my new nephew Champ (you should go check him out, he's pretty darn cute ;) ) and stumbled upon one of her friend's blogs. I was looking through her pictures and found a really cute DIY project with ruffles... so I decided to try it out on this grey dress.

This is the dress before, I got a little excited to start sewing and forgot to take a before pic :)

... and after with new pink ruffles. Chic and more modest!!

Matching headband :)

Super easy, super fun, super cheap project

weekends :)

2010-04-24T18:09:00.000-07:00

I have the sweetest husband any girl could ask for :) This weekend, he totally blessed me in so many ways, and made me feel so loved. I started my summer job this Friday afternoon, but I was totally surprised to come home and find the apartment totally deep cleaned! Matt cleaned everything and made the apartment sparkle! He is the greatest. We started out the weekend with dinner Friday night at Abuelo's... mexican is my absolute favorite and matt always lets me choose mexican even though it is not his favorite.

On Saturday we slept in late and then Matt surprised me and took me to the Bluebonnet Trails Festival. The bluebonnet is Texas' state flower and I had never seen one up-close. Apparently this has been Texas' best bluebonnet season and they are really beautiful!

The fields were just colored with beautiful bluebonnets and another red flower

This was part of the trail... it was like an hour and half drive with bluebonnets and other wild flowers on both sides. We loved this part of the drive because it was like we were in a tunnel of trees :)

Thank you Lord for making your Creation beautiful!

The King has RISEN!!

2010-04-04T16:43:00.000-07:00

Every Easter my dad comes into the living room and announces to us all, "He is RISEN!!" and in response each one of us is expected to respond, "He is Risen INDEED!!" It is just a sweet memory I have of every Easter at home, and this morning I waited for my call-and-answer Easter response and it came (via text) without fail :) I was so blessed to receive it and know I was not forgotten all the way in Texas.

What a joy to be able to announce "He is RISEN!"... this is the hope of our faith in Jesus Christ. "The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations..." (Luke 24:46,47) Without Jesus rising from the dead, nothing would set our faith apart as the ONLY TRUTH. Praise God that we serve a RISEN LORD and we can trust that our hope is assured and our future set if we have trusted in HIM as Savior. Even though Christ has risen from the dead and now sits at the right hand of the Father in Heaven, he did not leave us alone... "I am going to send you what my Father promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power on high." (John 24:49) He left us with the best gift of all, His Holy Spirit that gives us the power for all things on this earth and the promise of our salvation. Praise the Risen Lord!!

Happy Easter!! Love, Matt and Lauren

health conscience??

2010-03-31T18:27:00.000-07:00

Lately, well really since Matt and I got married in 2008, I have been wanting to learn about being more health conscience. Just a little background for some of you... In 2005 I found out I was allergic to yeast. This is more typically known as a candida allergy. This cuts out pretty much most grains, which are not all bad for our bodies. So, with this allergy I am always looking for alternatives and things that can improve my health. Along with this, during the years of 2005 to 2008 both of my parents have gotten -- and beat, wohoo!! -- cancer. My mom battled with breast cancer in 2005, my dad had a rare stomach cancer in 2007 and then prostate cancer in 2008. Let's just say it was a wild, crazy, scary time for our family, but a time when we were thrown into the arms of the true Healer, our loving Heavenly Father. It was crazy to me to think that my parents battled with cancer, because both of them were generally healthy and in good health.... so, I often ask myself, was it what we ate?? Now, we didn't eat unhealthy, but to look at all the preservatives and plastics and toxins that were being consumed through our food or that our food was being stored in was scary. So, I have been very interested in trying to be more healthy and going back to just the natural things before their were preservatives and plastic :)

In the past week I have learned about two things that I am very excited about... Quinoa and Brown Algae.

This is Quinoa (pronounced "keenwah"). It is known as the "super grain," but is actually not a grain. Quinoa is a seed related to the spinach family. It is a great replacement for the candida diet (great for me :) ) and other grain allergies. Quinoa is easy to digest and high in protein and fiber. Quinoa tastes a little like rice, but is a bit softer. There are many quinoa recipes, but I am excited to use it as a rice substitute, or just to eat plain :)

Here are a few of its benefits:

- contains all 9 essential amino acids that build muscle

- contains high values of magnesium with relaxes the muscles and blood vessels

- contains high levels of fiber

- contains manganese and copper that act as anti-oxidants

This is Kombu, better known as dried brown algae. Kombu is a sea vegetable (kelp) that helps eliminate our bodies of dangerous toxins. It also reduces symptoms of hypertension, gout, asthma, eczema, and rheumatism. (I was particularly interested in this product because I have Raynaud's Syndrome which is a phenomenon having to do with low blood circulation in the fingers and toes. It can also later turn into Lupus, rheumatism, and other diseases, so I am always trying to keep my eye on it. :) ) Kombu can also help inhibit breast cancer, which is also of particular interest to me because of my mom. Basically to use the Kombu you throw the dried rods into a pot of boiling water when cooking things like rice or noodles, and the food absorbs all the nutrients. Throw out the rods after and eat the noodles or rice :)

I hope that this encourages you to try either Kombu or Quinoa. Even though these things may taste "healthy" I really believe that you can acquire a taste for them. If it is good for you, why not try it!! :) More recipes and information can be found here for Kombu and Quinoa.

Now, just how to get my sweet husband to eat these???

surprise!!

2010-03-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

I have the sweetest husband in the whole world... for my birthday he flew my sweet sister Andrea to Texas to spend the weekend with me! It was so, so great to have her here and I was so surprised! So surprised that I cried at the airport when I had to take a double-take because I saw her and thought, "what is she doing here!!" It was so good to see her and spend the whole weekend together. Thank you baby for sending Andrea down here to spend the weekend with me... We had so much fun!! Love you Ange, cannot wait for you to come again. :)

More to come on DNow later.

"eat my powder!!"

2010-03-25T14:26:00.000-07:00

We are finally home... it feels great to be back :)

We had an unbelievable time in Silverthorne, Colorado with my family. Silverthorne is a really sweet town and is a great central location between the mountains. We were so lucky to be able to ski Copper, Keystone, and Breckenridge. It was so much fun! This was Matt's first time to ski, so I was a little nervous about how he would like it. But, he did AMAZING and I was so proud of him. By the end of the first day he was going straight down the mountain!! The whole time screaming "eat my powder!!" Way to go baby! Matt and I joke that my parents are "world travelers" because they LOVE to travel, so it was fun to be with them because they do vacations really well. :) It was such a sweet time to be with my family and so fun to see Drew and Matt bond more as brothers. Here are a few pictures from our trip (sorry about the long line of pics, I don't know how to make a slideshow... if you can teach me, leave it in the comments section. Thanks!)

It was really hard to leave because of this...

and this...

welcome to silverthorne, colorado :)

matt on the plane showing how excited he is to ski for the first time!!

one day we walked around the historic town of Leadville... we couldn't miss the MU basketball game, so we stopped for lunch in the historic Leadville Tavern. Most of the furniture was transported by covered wagon in the 1800's from St. Louis!! Whoop, whoop.

getting ready for our first day out on the slopes!

it was really cold our first 2 days

this is how matt came down the mountain... crouched position and straight down!

matt said he wanted to come back and ski ASAP, so he bought me a really cute ski coat as the "down payment" :) He is so good to me.

This is where I sat the 3rd day :( Luckily it was beautiful and sunny

we also celebrated my 23rd birthday... it was so great to be with my parents, drew, and matt. Matt got me an ice cream cake...Mmmm!

drew and matt, sad to leave

someone's cute dog in their shop

the reason we were stuck in Denver for 24hrs.

matt relaxing on our hotel bed after a long 6 hrs. at the airport

it was so great... we hope to go back soon!!

stranded...

2010-03-24T10:52:00.000-07:00

This spring break matt and I were very blessed to be able to travel to Silverthorne, Colorado with my sweet family. We had a blast skiing, relaxing and just being grateful for the time with my parents and brother Drew (Andrea was on a missions trip to the Bahamas). More to come on the trip and pictures...

BUT, at this moment, we are still in Denver and stranded at a hotel. We arrived at the Denver Int. Airport yesterday at 3:30 and stayed for just about 6 hours. We got to our gate and waited while our plane circled outside for about 45 minutes until it was safe for it to pull in. Then, we were informed the plane was being checked because it was struck by lightening during its previous flight and may not be suitable to fly. An hour and a half later, we are informed the plane is not suitable for flying and we waited for another plane... meanwhile, the snow keeps falling harder. While waiting, the current plane is being covered first with freezing rain and then snow. De-icers not working. All flights cancelled. Then starts the mad-dash of all passengers (all in fact very angry and frustrated) to rebook a flight and find a hotel, many of which are full for the night. Result= 5000 people sleeping in the airport.

I am grateful we got a flight and we were one of the lucky ones to get a hotel for the evening... however, the shuttle ride to the hotel was anything but a party bus. Nothing like riding about 40 minutes crammed into a bus of cold, tired, angry people :) Did I mention that I hurt my knee skiing (getting a doctor's opinion on Thursday) so I spent all 6 hours in a wheel chair, being pushed around by my sweet husband?? Yes, it was quite an evening. :)

Around 6:00 pm the man at the airport told us he was sure we would be getting out of Denver that evening... well, here we are, almost 24 hours later and $76 poorer (the airline did NOT comp. our stay at the wonderful Renaissance Hotel here in Denver) and still not home :( Our plan is to get out of here tonight on the 4:40 flight and safely home by 9 tonight. Some people's flights have already been cancelled and rescheduled for 7 pm THURSDAY night!! UGH, we really would like to leave today!! :)

I know it sounds like I am complaining, and maybe I am a little, but I am so grateful we were under the Lord's great and might wing of protection last night. I would rather have stayed here in the hotel than flown through the horrible snow storm. I am also so happy to have such a wonderful husband who let me sit inside in my wheelchair while he waited for about 45 minutes for our shuttle. :) We really couldn't stop laughing about all that was happening! Oh, what a night.

Please be praying we make it back tonight safely. We trust the Lord will be taking care of us. Also, please be praying for the FH's DNOW weekend this weekend. Rally is tonight, and sadly, matt will not be able to join in the excitement. We are praying hearts are transformed and turned towards Christ.

and the angels will rejoice

2010-03-08T17:12:00.000-08:00

"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." Luke 15:4-7

Don't you just love this picture of Christ, our Shepherd who goes out to find us and bring us back to him?? I am so grateful that the Lord first pursued me and always welcomes me back with open arms. He is so good to us.

When Matt and I first moved here it was a bit of a struggle for me to get adjusted to the "Texas way of life," but we have adjusted and the Lord continues to bless us and call us to Himself. When Matt took the job at Fielder it only opened the door to more stretching and learning (mostly for me... high school students scare me just a little bit :) ). But, seeing these kids fall more in love with the Lord, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, our provider and redeemer, has been such a joy to watch. And has made our being here even more of a confirmation that this is where the Lord has us for the time being. Thank you, Father, for your sweet reaffirmation of your presence and provision that I need so often.

Last night and today, Matt and I rejoice and praise the Lord because one of the students who comes to hang with us on Friday nights accepted the Jesus Christ as Savior!! What a blessing to take part in God's work. I pray that he is only the first in many to experience the love, hope, peace and joy of Jesus Christ, who redeems us from our sin and makes us a new creation.

Faces of the Field House

2010-02-27T08:15:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, Matt started working at the FH at the beginning of January and ever since then it has been our mission to get to know the students. The FH is a great place with many great kids... there are just so many of them (Praise the Lord) that it makes this job a little harder, and at times, learning all their names impossible. But, Matt is doing an unbelievable job, and its a great thing the Lord has given him an unbelievable memory. :) During the last month or so, we have been having students over to our tiny, little apartment to play games and hang out. It has been so much fun and such a blessing to have students who want to give up their Friday night to hang out here. Its always so funny when they get here now, because all the boys know it has become their job to rearrange ALL our furniture. We have to move everything around just so we can play. :) We have taught the students MOW, our new favorite card game, and it has been a hit! Here are a few pictures of the kids who have come to hang with us...

(notice the kitchen table in the living room with every single chair we own around it :) haha.)

Getting to know all these great students has been such a blessing to us. Matt is doing an unbelievable job with all the students and has received numerous emails from parents explaining that he is just what the FH needed. I have been so proud of him and all he is doing at the FH. He is so gifted when it comes to working with high schoolers and does an awesome job of bringing the Word. Everyday I pray that the Lord would continue to give him favor with all the students, bless all he puts his hand too, and most importantly that people would see Jesus in him. That is what is most important and the purpose of why we are here, to see these high schoolers grab ahold of the Lord and experience all HE can do in and through their lives!

We feel so blessed to have this opportunity to be serving at such a great church and to share the love of Christ with these kids. Please continue to be praying for the FH, Matt's ministry to these high school students, and the search for a middle school pastor.

"He must become greater; I must become less." John 3:30

goodbye shaggy, hello hottie

2010-02-26T15:54:00.000-08:00

shaggy and cute to...

short and sexy!!!

Love you baby!! You're lookin' so good :)

Hillbilly Heaven

2010-02-23T17:24:00.000-08:00

Oh, the many characters that are my husband. And, now I get to enjoy Peter too. They were in heaven working on this together, just laughing and carefully counting out their steps. It was quite entertaining! We are excited to have Peter around with us... even if he does bring out the hillbilly in Matt. ok, ok, I admit... Matt would do this if Peter wasn't here!

Just working on a little Hillbilly dance...

Those teeth are just disgusting... But, those boys are pretty funny!!

bored and in love...

2010-02-21T19:03:00.001-08:00

so, matt and i got a new computer and we are REALLY enjoying its new capabilities... saw this photo booth thing on a friends blog and thought we would try it out. so fun. we were a little late on our timing and couldn't figure out slowing the camera down, so some are blurry :)

we are a little bored on this sunday night... can you tell??

meet randy

2010-02-14T12:33:00.000-08:00

meet Randy Raymond Ryans II... or Triple R. Also known as my husband. :) Randy has been Matt's alter-ego, if you will, for some time now. More to come on my first meeting... it was pretty memorable if you can imagine.

Randy meets Rhonda Routter, love at first sight.

Everyone has someone out there... even Randy.

Happy Valentines Day!!

i heart crafts

2010-02-12T16:30:00.000-08:00

I love to be crafty - sewing, painting, and any do-it-yourself project. I never seem to like the same things for very long, so I am always changing things around. When I was a little girl, I would rearrange the furniture in my room a dozen times each year... I probably drove my parents crazy. Sorry mom and dad :) So, now that we have our own little love nest, I have been doing some changing. This is our sofa... it actually was my parents sofa when they first got married. This sofa will be 26 years old this August and has seen a lot of love. It was originally an awful brown zebra print (no offense mom), then my parents changed it to denim. When we got it, we changed it to black and white.... I went through a wierd "everything has to be black and white" stage during our first year - not so warm and inviting. So, I have now changed this lovely sofa once again. Added some pillows, covered it with cream and through in some fun patterned pillows... hoping to get more fun fabrics soon!

black and white to...

cream and blue!

(hoping to add touches of green and maybe brown... can I do that with a black frame??)
The patterned pillow is actually a scarf... a great idea I got from a DIY magazine
I monogrammed (actually just iron-on :) ) our shower curtain
I had a random canvas, so I had some fun! :)

If you are like me and love to experiment with your love nest, you should check out my new favorite website: www.younghouselove.com They are a sweet young married couple, expecting their first baby, and loving to decorate their new home enexpensively and with original DIY ideas!! Check them out and you will get some great ideas!!

beautiful, pure, white

2010-02-11T12:16:00.000-08:00

beautiful, white snow is my favorite thing.... who would have known that moving to texas (and leaving my winter coat in st. louis) would mean seeing snow?? it has been cold here, but not too bad. But, that has not stopped this beautiful event... it has not stopped snowing all day long! I do not like the cold weather, but if it is snowing, I could care less what the weather is like... its just so beautiful. It always reminds me of the verse from Isaiah, "... though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool" (1:18). How great is our sweet Jesus who washes us clean? Following this verse is "If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land..." What a great promise. Lord, please give me a willing and obedient heart to your word and your working!

My favorite part is the trees... I love to see the snow draped over the trees and it is just the best when driving down a road that has trees making a snowy tunnel over the road :)

Thank you Lord for washing me clean. I know I am in need of a good scrub every once in a while, and to come forth as white as this beautiful snow! Keep it comin'!!

livin' on love...

2010-02-06T15:38:00.000-08:00

so, today has been a strange day... I feel very pensive (probably because all I have done is sit around and do 4 loads of laundry and take a nap:) ). I have been sick lately, had a very wierd appetite and bored really, which could be the reason I'm sharing the events of my pensive, somewhat odd thinking from a lazy day. I normally don't like to just blog for the heck of blogging, but why not? Why not be real? So, here it is.

Today... I have thought a lot about love and marriage, money and marriage, financial stress, and how GOOD our God is. Love is such a funny thing, and I think I like it best when DC Talk said "LOVE is a VERB" (my husband would be really proud of me for that one). Love is a choice - daily, a decision to be shown and to be able to recieve and as I have thought today, I have had a broken heart and a grateful heart... thinking about a girl I didn't even know who was married a little before us and is now no longer married - heartbreak. What happened? Why? And even though its not even any of my business, I ask the Lord for comfort and healing. And, thinking about my wonderfully sweet husband who loves to play video games, dream of getting a second chance to be the high school basketball star, randomly dance and sing, eat chick-fil-a for every meal and yet does everything possible to bless and spoil me... Me a selfish, not-nice-all-the-time girl who is in desperate need of a Savior's saving. And I think, Why me? and Thank you Lord for the blessings! I have been blessed with an amazing husband who is a great listener and understand-er. All this and still LOVE is not enough... we still need our good, providing, loving, saving, redeeming God who carries us through all the financial stresses, selfish days, and wonderfully blessed days inbetween. Even when we are about to return our precious baby (the Macbook who we have affectionately named, Maci) because we need money to pay the bills, and even when I feel like some things are out of my control, well ALL things are, I am so grateful to have a Wonderful Savior, Mighty God, Almighty Provider of a God to trust and hope in. Praise be "to Him who is able to to immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glorly in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!" Ephesians 4:20 Praise be to our good God, for HE is so good and HIS love lasts forever. I have realized that marriage is not about love, or how well and great and deeply you can love your mate, but about how deeply you can love our Lord and then out of the overflow of that, and only out of that overflow, can we love our mate.

Also, part of my thinking today, my sister-in-love, sweet Shelly was released from the hospital yesterday and will now be able to enjoy the rest of her bedresting days at home with her beautiful kids! wohoo!

playing house...

2010-01-31T13:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Matt and I watched our nieces, Avery and Atley, and nephew, Canon. Shelly, our sister-in-love is on bed rest in the hospital here in Dallas, so the kids are with her parents while Phillip works in St. Louis. Thankfully, he has gotten to come and visit fairly often. It has been a trying time for them, so we want to help as much as possible, and wish we could do more. Despite the situation, they are holding to God's Word and trusting in His promises.

With that said, yesterday was such a fun day... and a great pre-parenting experience for Matt and I both. Anytime Matt and I get to babysit together (which doesn't happen much) I feel like a little girl again, playing house. :) All my life I have wanted to be a mommy and I love getting to practice, especially when Matt is there. It is always a good little test for us... can we handle it??

The first time Matt helped me babysit was with my cousins kids. Lexie, now almost 2, was just a newborn and I gave Matt the job of holding her while I made us some dinner... the other three were already in bed, so just the three of us. Matt was a little nervous, and I should have been a little bit nicer about explaining things to him, but she was a newborn... she just laid there. He was doing good, but then panicked, just a little bit, when Lexie spit up on him :) Ok, I know, maybe a little rough first experience. I think he has always been a little afraid of babies (because in his mind they are "breakable"). The reason I share this with you is to share with you how proud I was of him after yesterday!! He has come so far :)

It was a busy day, and with 3 yr. old twins and a 15 month old, we were a little tired, just a little though ;) We tried to make the day fun for the kids and wanted to plan some activities so we weren't just sitting at home with them. So, we were off to Chick-fil-a to play in the play area and eat lunch. Then back home for a nap. A little craft project with paint ... I know, I was taking a HUGE risk with all those little hands, but they did great. Then off to the hospital to see Shelly. Back home for dinner and then time for bed. Whew, what a day! Doesn't seem like a lot, but getting all of them in and out of the car alone was hard.

The whole time, Matt was such a huge help! He put kids in their car seats, took them out, carried and put Canon to bed, and played sweetly with all of them. I was so impressed. And for all you wanna-be-mommies out there, seeing your man exceed at the daddy-role is more than enough to want you to have a baby really soon ;) At least that is how it is for me!

I guess, what I am trying to say is, baby you did an awesome job of taking care of our sweet nieces and nephew. Honestly, you surprised me. You were amazing, and I know you will be a great daddy one day. I have all the confidence in the world in you, knowing our boys will want to be just like their daddy and our girls will be daddy's girls :) Love you babe.

It was a great day with the kids. Sorry for the lack of pictures... forgot my camera and my phone is not cooperating. But, cute quotes from the day:

The girls loved wearing my digital watch and pushing the light button. Atley - "Look Avey, I have a movie on my arm."

Matt was "eating" the girls and I was saving them from him. As he was going to eat Canon, Atley yelled, "No, no. Don't eat him. Save me Lauen!"

Talking with the girls about going to see Shelly. Avery - "My daddy at the ZOE house."

we did it

2010-01-28T15:20:00.000-08:00

Well, we finally gave into the iworld... we got a macbook pro. Still not sure how I feel about this purchase. I can never figure these computers out, but I guess I will have to learn now. Clearly, Matt is very excited. :) This was literally his face when he walked in the door with it.

This will be a great tool for Matt in ministry because he is awesome at making videos and the like. Hopefully I will benefit from that gift of his too. (hint, hint: wedding video, please) Wish me luck as I explore the world of the MacBook!

p.s. is it weird that the whole time I was writing this post I have the song "We did it! We did it!" from the Backyardigans theme song?? I think I spend too much time with children. Never to early to start practicing, right??

our first fire

2010-01-24T17:48:00.000-08:00

If you know anything about me, you know I am ALWAYS freezing cold... so having a fireplace in our apartment is a dream come true. :) We have gotten to enjoy a few fires and it has been wonderful!

Our sweet friend, Peter Cunningham, has just transferred from University of Arkansas to Southwestern's Undergrad program. We are so excited to have him here with us in Texas!!
Aren't fires just beautiful ;) They just make everything fell so homey

RICE=my ENEMY

2010-01-19T13:23:00.000-08:00

I am allergic to yeast, so pasta (and all the rest of the yummy-not-so-good-for-you foods on the food pyramid) don't really work for me. My mom is always telling me to eat rice instead, and many recipes call for rice instead of pasta when looking for a "healthier" option. I hate rice, and personally, I think it is just another empty carb that just adds more calories to your meal. BUT, last night I made stir-fry with a bunch of yummy veggies and chicken for matt, so rice is a kind of needed ingredient. Every time I make rice, it turns out runny and mushy. I try so hard too, I even bought organic brown rice hoping it would taste and cook better... I thought I would out-smart the rice and cook it with less water and for longer (the package says this is supposed to work for firmer rice). Well, I guess I got what I wanted. I definately got FIRM rice.

Look what the rice did to my pot!! I am officially done with cooking rice.

Any ideas on how to clean my pot??

Over the Top

2010-01-18T16:15:00.000-08:00

A sweet friend, Emily, the wonderful mother of the four kids I spend my days with, gave me this award. I was honored to be put in the category of "over the top" because many days I feel like this blog is just a fun, and somewhat random, caption of our simple lives. A few questions to be answered with just one word... not too hard, right?

Where is your cell phone? Kitchen

Your hair? dirty

Your mother? loving

Your father? best

Your dream last night? scary

Your favorite drink? water

Your dream/goal? mother

What room are you in? kitchen

What is your hobby? sewing

Your fear? bugs

Where do you want to be in six years? babies

Where were you last night? home

Something you aren't? outgoing

Muffins? cant

Wish list item? Christ

Last thing you did? dinner

Where did you grow up? missouri

What are you wearing? leggings

Your TV? TLC

Your pets? never:)

Friends? precious

Your life? blessed

Your mood? still

Missing someone? family

Vehicle? SUV

SOmething your not wearing? make-up

Your favorite store? gap

Your favorite color? blue

When was the last time you laughed? today

Last time you cried? Saturday

Your best friend? Matt

One place you could go over and over? Colorado

One person who emails you regularly? grandpa

Favorite place to eat? mexican

I pass this award onto...

Shelly: my sweet sister in law who is an amazing mother and wife. I look up to her in so many areas and only hope to be as good of a mom as her!

Michelle: a new friend and talented writer. she is so great at so many things and definate encouragement.

really??

2010-01-10T20:15:00.000-08:00

This morning at church a sweet friend introduced me to her small group of high school junior girls. I am really trying to get to know some of the kids at the FieldHouse, so I was excited to meet these sweet girls. Upon being introduced one of them excitedly said, "Oh, are you going to be in our small group??" My friend awkwardly responded, "Um, no. This is Matt's, the new high school pastor, wife." I laughed and really wasn't shocked or upset, this happens ALL the time to me. Carded in the mall, shocked faces of people when I introduce Matt as my husband, and "what about you sweet heart, will you be dancing this year?" comments are just part of my everyday... But, this one was a bit of a shocker even for me!!

I guess one day I'll appreciate it, right?

2010

2010-01-06T16:17:00.000-08:00

2010 has brought much fun and excitement with it...

I would like to introduce Fielder Road Baptist Church's newest staff addition...

Matt Hunter, Senior High Youth Pastor!!!

We are excited to share with you the latest news in our lives. Matt accepted a new job serving at our church here in Arlington, Texas as the new youth pastor. We are very excited about this new opportunity. Matt is so excited to serve in this way and we can't wait to start getting to know kids! Please be praying for Matt as he enters this new role, begins to learn more about student ministry and starts investing in the lives of students. Arlington is a very diverse population with multiple high schools, so Matt has a big role. But, I know that the Lord has brought him to this position for a reason and that is to spread the joy and peace that life in Christ can be to these kids. Praise the Lord for this awesome opportunity!

We had fun ringing in the New Year in Kansas City!

Matt and his brother, Phillip, didn't miss the opportunity to

swim in the freezing weather... they are crazy :)

a freezing 2 degrees when we left KC... we were excited to get back to the warmth of TX

In early December we were blessed to go to Disney World with my cousin, Natasha, and her family. It was so much fun to be in the midst of the magic of Disney with 4 little girls. We have grown a special place in our hearts for these girls, the older three were in our wedding and I have been babysitting all of them since they were itty-bitty babies. Natasha is an amazing mom, and someone I have always looked up too - so it was great to spend a whole week with them! It was a great trip and a good pre-parenting experience for us ;) It has been one of Matt's dreams to go to Disney together, and we loved every minute of it. I think he had just as much fun (if not more) than the girls ;) My personal favorite was the Beauty and the Beast show and Matt's was the excellence of the park... "they really make you believe in magic!" Everything really is amazing there.
Here are the girls...

Elle (5)
Kate (5)

Olivia (4)
Lexie (2)

Us in Minnie's Gazebo

Cinderella's Castle - Disney during the Christmas Season is beautiful and everything is decorated with lights, it was so fun!
The Princesses
Matt was trying to get in on the parade ... he is my "Mr. Incredible" :)
Princess Tiana, from the Princess and the Frog

Natasha and husband Bill with girls

On the tram to the parks

Epcot
Matt with twins
I couldn't go without a pic of my favorite princess, Belle
All the girls just adore Matt... especially little Olivia. Every morning the girls woke up and colored or wrote "letters", ALL of which were addressed To: Matt "I Love You" :) Here is Olivia all smiles with her buddy Matt and he loves it!

Natasha and Bill, thanks again for taking us along with you. We had an amazingly fun time and fell more in love with your family and your girls!! Love and miss you!