God's Many Blessings

Before getting started with the blog, I wanted to share some wedding photos! We waited patiently for them and couldn't wait to re-live the day.  Here are a few of my favorites:

These people mean so much to us.

Over the past week, Chris had his orientation for UHS and we both had "Ruby Payne" training for two days.I never imagined being able to go to professional development with my husband! How lucky we are to get to teach at the same school :) God works wonders! Since we had so many things to do in Waco, we stayed at Shawn & Ashley's house Monday thru Thursday. It was a delight to spend time and get to know better my nieces and nephews. Jackie, Chris' mom, was also in town and it is always wonderful to see her bright and smiling face.  

Samuel (Left) & Benjamin (Right)

Annie was my hair stylist :)

Once we were done with all the training on Thursday, we drove back to Rockwall....Mick was missing us BIG time.  We've had a few days to chillax, wash clothes, and run errands. Once we get moved into the house in Waco, we are going to need a washer & dryer and a fridge.  Boy, these things are not cheap! 

I really really want RED ones! 

Last night, Mom, Danny, Daniel, Chris and I went to Pappas Bros. Steakhouse...let me just say, this is the BEST steakhouse EVER. This is our fifth annual trip--We usually always go in August right before everyone starts school and to celebrate Danny and Daniel's birthdays.  Chris said he had the best steak he has ever eaten last night.  If you ever need a place to go for a special occasion...I fully suggest Pappas. 

Inside this tiny box are chocolate truffles,
just for the ladies at the table. 

This next week, we are headed back to Waco.  I have a 5 day math training at Baylor...I must say it will be weird going back into the Math Lab as a teacher and not a Baylor student.  

Until next time,

Sarah

Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger! Can I take your order?

Burgers, burgers, burgers!

Last week, Chris, Daniel and I drove to In & Out burger in Dallas.  It took us a good 40 minutes to get there, 3 circles around the block (the parking lot was full), and another 20 minutes to stand in line to order food.  The place was PACKED and the THREE drive-thru lines were awful. Once we ordered we were able to get a seat, thankfully, and the food came out shortly.  The price was decent and the burgers were tasty! Can't wait for the one to open in Rockwall :)

  Our next burger outing was to Boot's Burgers! This hole in the wall burger joint is only about 2-3 miles from the house, yay! I have heard about this place since I was in high school, but never went...shame on me!

It is basically a house, with a little window where all the customers order. They only serve hamburgers and chips....no fries, can you believe it?

They open at 11am and stay open until they run out of meat....oh and there are signs everywhere that say you are not allowed to eat on the premise. Odd, I know, but if you want the best burger you have ever had...you'll  have to eat it in the car or take it home.

House Update: We just had the inspection yesterday.  The inspector said it was a very "clean inspection"; usually his reports are 23 pages long and ours was only 13! Everything is coming together...what a blessing. 

Until next time,

Sarah

Update: Fun Things

Well since Chris just wrote an outstanding blog about our move and some of the less fun things we have been up to lately... I thought I'd update yall on the more fun things we've squeezed in during the past week or so.

We first went to a grand opening for a Chipotle (Chris' favorite) and were 2 of the first 100 costumers, so we got free water bottles, stickers, and coupons for free burritos.

When July 4th weekend rolled around, we were soooo busy with packing and cleaning the house before the closing on the 6th.  What an exhausting process! We did, however, have time to go over to Chris' parents for a July 4th cookout and swim gathering.  We had delicious hamburgers, hot dogs, and brats that Tom (Chris' dad grilled) and tons of sugary sweets that Jackie prepared.  Chris and I loved her cupcakes! 

Later that night, we met up with Aknight at Govnr's Park for dinner and chatted until the mornin' time. Getting together with Aknight has been an all time favorite of mine... I may not add much to the conversation or understand half the stuff they talk about (it's all in code), but I sure do enjoy it.  The picture to the left is indescribable....but it definitely sums up the night. (I don't think he knows I took this picture.)

We also went and saw fireworks from Daniel's Park; we were able to see almost all the fireworks that were going off all across Denver. It was amazing and definitely a good spot.  The 3rd member of our family, however, doesn't care so much for fireworks. Mick needed a little TLC that night....

The night before the closing, Chris and I went and saw Top Gun at Red Rocks amphitheater.  This was one of our favorite dates, even though it drizzled on us a little bit. 

   

The Monkees

The next day, we had our closing which went very well and went to trivia that night with Hank.  They all knew that Chris was moving to Texas the next day, so they had a great farewell for him.  The quiz master got us bananas, a 5 hour energy, and a hamburger cake....kinda odd, but this is what trivia is all about.  Chris and Hank's team name where the Monkees (that's the reason for the bananas).

And last but not least, we went to Adam and Mallory's wedding (once we got to Texas).  It was a beautiful outdoor wedding at the Dallas Arboretum. It was very fun to see friends that we hadn't seen since the wedding, especially Nathan and Molly! We will get them to move to Waco..one of these days. :) 

That's all for now! Tomorrow I have my first teacher orientation in Waco...should be fun!

Sarah

The Trouble with Transitions (Chris)

Well, we've finally arrived in Texas. The closing went without a hitch, and in fact got along with the young couple who were buying our house quite well, it had to be the most entertaining closing in history, as most of the dialogue between constant signatures and wide-eyes at mortgage payoff schedules was just quoting lines from Team America or Office Space back and forth.

I could dedicate a whole post to the drive from Denver to Dallas pulling a U-Haul trailer and the challenges that lie within, but I'll spare you the minutiae of our largely uninteresting challenges that interest...well, pretty much us.

However, as we now begin the house search in Texas, and Sarah begins to get ready to teach at UHS (while I sort of sit in employment limbo after a, in college football terms, "soft verbal" employment offer from a school), I need to confess...I now am sick of transition.

Pretty much from ages 0-22, you live life on a regimented schedule, school starts here, it ends there, you do this, do that, there it is. I was fine with that, and then I graduated from college, and I couldn't wait for "the next thing." I would struggle a little bit thinking of where I was working because I wanted to go on to the next thing, I couldn't fathom just staying at one place forever. I needed to have my scheduled transitions. It how all American, school-going kids are raised, and I got intensely comfortable with that system. I had many conversations with friends my age in those newly formative post-college years where the idea of 50 years and a gold watch from a company seemed absurd. Everything was a stepping stone, "I'll do this job for a little bit, to do this job, and do this to accomplish this, etc etc."

Allow me now to say that I am beyond tired of the stepping stones, the transitions. I ache, and Sarah agrees, for a routine, even a rut. While all of our most recent transitions have been exceptional and incredible answers to prayer (jobs, selling the house, moving, getting, uh, MARRIED), we are ready to settle down, have a routine, and spend some years in delightful, comfortable predictability. I know that times will change, kids will be born and life will throw us some curveballs, and we begin the transitions all over again, but now that we are possibly within a month of being settled in Waco (doing some negotiations with a home owner in the Twin Rivers/Bear Ridge area currently), and jobs starting within 6 weeks, it looks like our routine, our non-transitionary period is upon us, and we could not be more excited. I know there will come a time where we can't wait for something new to spice things up, but as it stands right now, the calm after the storm is what we most eagerly await now. The doldrums of windless sea sounds paradisaical now, at least we'll be able to stop and enjoy the view once and a while.