NYC Trip

Awww, vacation! It was so wonderful to get away for awhile with my hubby! Although I must admit once you are a parent and your kids aren’t with you part of your heart and mind remains where they are. I was ready to kiss on my babies but I survived just fine without them and I did enjoy the break.
Brandon and I flew out Wednesday morning. All flights went well and we even arrived about 30mins early to Philadelphia, which was a really good thing because it was an hour and a half train ride from Philly to Atlantic City. I found it so much fun to figure out how all the transportation worked there. All of the trains, subways, buses and taxies are taboo to me but for many of them it is just a daily thing. It was neat getting a feel for “their culture”. Strange isn’t it, how we all live in the same country and yet many times I felt as if I were in a different country- different pace, different method of transportation, different housing situations, and many times even many different languages. I wonder if it would feel that way if you actually did live there. Or could you "be in the city but not of it." hehe. But seriously, certainly it doesn't seem so crazy if you live there.
We were excited to be one the 30th floor of our hotel (which is about equal to the tallest “skyscraper” in OKC). Our room was nice and upon looking out our window at the beautiful city lights realized we were extra blessed to have an OCEAN view! I was so excited; I do believe I squealed with joy!
It was rainy the day after we got there but we had to go see the ocean anyway. Brandon had been to the gulf but had never seen the real ocean. At night it was neat to look out over the land. The city lights were bright and went out as far as I could see. Some places the lights weren’t as thick as others but regardless they were endless. Yet as I looked to the ocean side it was an endless darkness. The vast ocean waters quickly swallowed up the lights. Our God is SO amazing! What an amazing beautiful world He created!
We went to see Philadelphia on Friday and it was awesome! The history there is…WOW. Independence Hall was so neat to see and Christ’s Church was soooo cool. That is the church where George Washington attended along with Betsy Ross and Ben Franklin, among others. We even sat in the pew George Washington and his family sat in. I was amazed to find out that they still hold worship in that church every Sunday. The day in Philadelphia was a lot of walking but worth every step! We even got to try a Philly Cheese Steak! I would love to go back there and keep soaking in the history. It is such a neat place.

On Saturday we caught a bus to New York City! It was cloudy and raining on the way there so we couldn’t see a very good skyline but I was grateful the rain let up and the sun even peeked through the clouds by the time we got out into the city. Two out of the three days there were cloudy and misty/rainy but nothing to bad. Brandon’s iphone was amazing and helped us find our way around the city using the subway systems. It made it a piece of cake! It saved us tons of time figuring things out and walking. We saw all of the great major things to see in the city. We passed on the Broadway show though. I thought that even the discounted tickets were really expensive but now I wonder if we should have done it anyway. Oh well, maybe there will be a next time. I really enjoyed staying in the city it made our touring really leisurely.





Once we got back we just chilled out and walked the boardwalk. In Atlantic City they have every outlet store imaginable. It was fun to window shop. Tuesday was nice weather. The ocean water was freezing but Brandon splashed around in it anyway. I got my feet in it but was happy to deem myself the picture person and stay dry.



I was ready to get home to the girls and other than a rather turbulent landing in Chicago the flights were great and on time!
There’s no place like home! Now back to life and the normal schedule. The only downer to vacation is the getting back into the swing of things. With little ones it usually means at least one day of reviewing the boundaries. We had a great great time!

A friend is someone who knows all about you, and loves you just the same. Proverb


Psalm 150:6: Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.



The ordination service went very well. I will try to post pictures as soon as I can get them.
Have a GREAT day! Rachael

Ordination Service

We are so excited about what the Lord is doing in our family! Most of you probably know that Brandon accepted a full time position at our church at the beginning of the year as the children's pastor. Tomorrow he is being ordained into full time ministry at our church at 2:00 in the afternoon at Western Hills Church. The service will last about one hour. Anyone is welcome to attend.

Blessings,
Brandon and Rachael

DIY Project ONE

In an attempt to satisfy this "decorating" frenzy I am on the verge of, I decided to take on a simple task that didn't cost much money. DIY (Do it yourself) is used a lot now days but for some reason every time I go to say it I always say DYI. After some of my DIY project messes I feel that DYI is good advice for me to consider before starting any DIY project. I have affectionately given DYI the phrase "Don't, You Idiot". The definition for stupid is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. I do this often, particularly with my decor projects. So instead of starting full swing with paint and such I wisely chose a small project that, if went well, could be completed while the girls were taking their afternoon nap. Recovering the kitchen chairs was the task of the hour.


I had bought fabric from Wal-mart for $2.00 a yard a couple years ago. But the project just hadn't gotten done. It was very simple to do this with the scissors and a staple gun. I am happy to report this project was a successful DIY project and I still had time for a quick pick up and the weeks ironing before the girls woke up.

I was happy with the outcome of the project which is both good and bad. Good because well it is good to be happy with the finished project product but this could be bad because I fear it has only fueled the flamed for my decorating desires! :)

Have a great day!

Sorry I don't have time for a lengthy update but I thought you would enjoy these pictures! Pictures are the best part of updates anyways! Our family is doing very well and we hope this update finds you happy and blessed!



Spring time is coming!



Hope this brought a smile to your face!

Just Thinking Out Loud

Are you the type of person that feels like you can accomplish just about anything? Sometimes in my mind I am that way. Unfortunately I am only a perfect “jack-of-all-trades” in my mind. When I was a little girl I told my dad that I wanted to be a jack-of all-trade. He said “jack-of-all-trade, master-of-none” At the time I thought I would prove him wrong and be a jack-of-all-trades AND a master-of-all. As I have grown up I have learned my dad was right. However, there are still times when I want to take on some task even though I have no idea how to do and do it! Recently I have been in the decorating mood. I am NOT a décor person but I have been inspired by several different things that show amazingly cute décor on a budget. In my mind I picture it all working out perfectly but from experience I have learned my mental picture sometimes turns me into a mental case! And then I think of the few times I have gone for something and it actually has worked out. Humm….to take on the challenge or sit this one out?

By the way.....this picture is not particularly what I was going to do but I though it is soooo super cute! I highly doubt this could be done on a budget!:)

Let the day dreams continue!

Thrills, Deals, and Steals

Yesterday I accompanied Brandon and our newly found fashion consultant and long time friend Morgan on the grand excursion of finding Brandon some new clothes. This has been a long time comin’ and we asked our friends with fashion sense to accompany us. I have wanted to help Brandon step outside of his box and try a few new colors and styles. However, fashion is not my specialty and so I am not much help. Morgan however was a great help and with more of us than him we had a little more leverage to at least convince him to try things on. Fashion is a delicate balance of looking good and staying in style without trying to be someone you are not. Anyway, yesterday was the second of two shopping excursions. For the first one Whitney was also there to give some expert advice. For Christmas Brandon received several gift cards so the shopping began! Here are some of his “new looks”. I thought it would b pushing it for me to ask him to model the clothes for you so I just took some pictures.

These are the clothes he got rid of that he never wore because they didn’t fit or were faded etc. WHAT A HUGE PILE!!!! Yes, he has much more space in his closet.

Ladies and Gentlemen I introduce to you the NEW SHOES!!!!! Brandon has bought the exact same pair of shoes since he was about 15 years old. He has owned at least six pairs of these adidas beauties. But now new balance has the winning bid.



We found amazing deals at JcPenney’s for Brandon’s clothes. Old Navy also had several things on sale. I was pulled into the grand sale vortex and found myself out of the men’s clothing and frantically searching the many racks of adorable little girls clothes. Hey, what can I say, it was 50% off of the SALE price!! I was getting brand new clothes for barely over thrift store prices! This way I am also able to get the girls matching outfits! I love it!!!! I did show self-control though and tried to think ahead and for next year. Liz can wear some of her clothes now with the sleeves rolled up but Katherine’s won’t fit her until next year. These deals greatly thrilled me!!!!! I got matching bookworm shirts for both of the girls but I was mostly thinking of Elizabeth who sits and reads her books for hours.

This one is only for Katherine and doesn't have a match for liz.





I saved the absolute best for last. They had coats on sale for a really reasonable price. I found a cute tan coat that seemed practical- warm, and color/style neutral. But then my heart was stolen…the little plaid dress coat was simply irresistible! I couldn’t tell how much it cost though because it only had its original price tag on it and it was the only one in the store. Let’s recap…the only one in the store, Elizabeth’s size, will fit Katherine in a couple years, AND irresistibly cute. Coincidence? I don’t think so! But the price was still a big factor and honestly it wasn’t as practical as the tan coat. Brandon was helping me settle the great coat battle going on within me. Naturally he was pulling for pratical. We concluded price would be the determining factor. So to the checkout line we proceeded. The cute/less-practical coat rang up at…..get ready…..this is a thrill deal and steal……..ok, I’ll tell you……..$5.79! Trying to hold in my excitement I very confidently said, “I’ll take both!” Yippee!!!!



I hope you can find a good deal that will make you smile this week.

Growing Girls

I hope you have been able to enjoy this cold winter weather we have had. This was Elizabeth’s first “snow” experience. I think she is going to love actually playing in real snow someday. In the mean time this will have to do.


Both of the girls are sleeping in their room now. Elizabeth did a great job making the transfer to her big girl bed. Both of the girls have done very well being together in the same room. I wasn’t so sure how that was going to work out.


Katherine is growing so quickly and is getting so cute. I love it when she smiles at me and lets out those little coos. She has officially become a thumb sucker. I am not sure exactly how I feel about this but it sure is cute!!! I will try to get a picture and post it soon.