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What a weekend. It's good to be back in our home, just the two of us. It's not so fun coming back to a messy house with lots to do. I escaped the pit and bought groceries this evening. That's one of my favorite things to do--an area to spend money where I don't feel guilty! Chris finished the tiling on the bathroom floor. He's really doing a great job with all this remodeling. I can't say I've helped much at all since he works on it when I'm at my job. We're off to church.

A Day of Thanks

I just had a nice latté and my belly is warm inside. We woke up this morning and ate the famous cinnamon rolls for breakfast with the in-laws, Josh, and Laura. After playing cards for awhile, we are each doing our own thing to relax. Last year we were with my family for Thanksgiving and it's always so much fun because we get together with the entire extended family on the maternal side; 20-something people. This year I'm with the Bonsers and it's fun, too, just different.

Last night I had a dream that my twin brother was loving to me. When I think about it now, I really know it was a dream because I don't remember the last time he showed me love. That's been a personal frustration in my life for the past year...and a constant prayer of my heart. I can't express enough how hurtful, lonely, and painful this journey has been for me. My only hope is to grasp tightly to the One that I know will never leave me or forsake me. That's the thing that keeps me going each day.

It's been awhile since I've sat down to think about all the ways my God has provided, restored, and loved me. I confess that I have been consumed all too much with my measly life. It has been such a lonely year for me. I have gotten way too caught up in it lately and have not praised Him nearly enough in this chapter of my life. The deepest, truest desire of who I am is simply this...that at the end of the day, my God is glorifed.

A Chinese Thankgiving

Last night we had over 8 Chinese friends who work with Chris at AMD. They are in the states for a year and some of them have only been here a couple of months so far. They had never been inside an American home before, so we thought it'd be the perfect opportunity to invite them over for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. We had a lot of fun and they were such sweet people. I was overwhelmed at how many gifts we received from them just for inviting them over. They gave Chris a handmade, silk neck tie, and we also received flowers, wine, chocolates, a fruit basket, a handmade, silk sash, and chopsticks. I envy that kind of giving spirit from their culture and wish more white people were like that. We were really blessed to have their company last night.

Bathroom Facelift

Our guest bathroom is being remodeled. So far, all but one piece of drywall has been replaced, the appliances are out, and we'll be replacing the sink, the lighting is out, and the ceiling has been scraped of it's popcorn features, and the flooring ripped up. So it's pretty bare. This weekend, Chris's parents came in town to help us with the renovations. Brenda and I painted the office, actually, and the guys worked on the bathroom. Chris bought a compound miter saw, which he's been needing for awhile. He was pretty excited about that. We bought floor and shower tile, but it will be installed next week because Chris's dad, Mike, will be coming back to Austin to stay with us for 4 more days to help finish the bathroom! We are so thankful for his servant's heart and are very fortunate to have his help since this is a crazy-busy season for us. We were hoping to have it completed by Christmas but from the looks of it, it may be done by Thanksgiving.



This is my favorite picture of the weekend. We tried out 3 different shades of green before deciding. My creativity spun into a masterpiece which I call, "The Phantom Menace of Thumper."

Date Night Fun

Ever seen "Old School" with Will Farrell? Remember the part about how dates change after you're married into trips to Home Depot and Bed, Bath, and Beyond? Kinda true. We try to have a date night once a week. Last night we went to Crate and Barrell to look at furniture, but it was closed, so instead we looked for new shoes for Chris and ended up going home to watch "Little People, Big World," one of my favorites right now. :) Here's evidence of the fun that was had.

For the Love!

I fell down some stairs yesterday morning while walking into class--yes, my sure-footedness failed me--and now I have a swollen leg, bruised knee, and sprained ankle. That happened about 6:30am yesterday, and I cared for it by standing on it all day long until getting off work at 12:30am last night. Ha! Times like this I just have to laugh at myself, I think, and say, "for the love!"

Pics From Their Visit

After we had stuffed ourselves with Thai food, we got a quick photo of each other before they left.