Lots to Share

I have tons of stuff to tell you and pictures to go with it so here we go, grab your favorite snack or beverage and get comfy - this is likely to be a long one.

Easter Weekend - We had a great Easter weekend spent with meaningful worship, great fellowship and good family time.  We started Easter weekend on Friday with Kelsie only having a half day of school so we were able to all go to lunch together with some families from our Life Connection group.  Friday night we had a worship time at First Prosper, it was a simple and very meaningful service, filled with scripture and the reality of what Christ did for us.  Kelsie even got teary eyed at the end and said she was sad that her sin made Jesus have to die.  It was just a good time of focus and reflection.   Saturday started with festivities for the kids at church - an easter egg hunt for the little ones and Kelsie went early to help out but between us, I think she really wanted to hunt eggs and used that as an excuse. (No, she really loves to help out the little kids and they LOVE her) .  After the little ones finished, there was a hot dog cookout and the Prosper Fire Department came so the kids could see the fire truck then the AmazinGrace for the bigger kids.  That was a BLAST.  They were broken up into teams, paired with a driver and given instructions.  They had to get clues and race all around Prosper where they would read a portion of the Easter story, complete the activity, get a souvenir and a clue that would lead them to the next place.  Kelsie's team was in a close first and second most of the race until close to the end - they guessed a wrong clue and went to the wrong place which put them in 6th place - still pretty good.  They had such a great time though and got to read the Easter story too.  Sunday was a GREAT day of corporate worship - what more can I say but the Spirit was there and Jesus name was lifted high.  Sunday afternoon we had a yummy lunch (all of our traditional favorite dishes) and after lunch we dyed eggs together and just hung out together as a family.  It was so nice to have the whole afternoon.  Here are some pics from Easter:

Kelsie and Allie made this cake and decorated on Saturday after the AmazinGrace.  

They are so creative and it was yummy.

Kelsie and Baby Keeli, she is so good with little ones!

Some of our eggs - can you tell Kelsie and I like pink.

Sharpie Party - The Monday after Easter, we had a sharpie party at the new house.  We started in the driveway with a prayer asking God to bless our time in this house.  Armed with the word and some sharpies, we headed in to write God's word, personal blessings and messages on the studs of the walls.  It's neat to know what's behind the walls are messages of love, hope and blessing.  Here are some pics of that night, there were too many to post here but it will give you the general idea:

Todd and Melissa writing in the breakfast area.

This message is on the back porch - they're talking poker!

I thought this was neat - Wayne wrote this on the post by the door he will enter in from his garage (the house has split garages, 2 car on one side and 1 car on the other).

I liked this one - Valinda (our pastor's wife) wrote this on the framing around the master bathtub.  

Kelsie and Jarrett writing on the studs in the master bathroom.

I really liked this - some of the kids wrote this all the way up the stairs.  I will always remember this walking up and down these stairs.

Loved this - Kelsie wrote this in her room.

Loved this!

This gives you an idea of what was left all over the house.  Some wrote the scriptures out and there were these big black references all over - I loved looking around and seeing these bold statements all over the house.  

Roughrider Game - On Sunday afternoon (the 19th), Kelsie got to participate with the other district honor choirs in singing the National Anthem before the roughrider game.  They had to be there to rehearse pretty early, but they got to see the facilities and meet some of the players - Kelsie got an autograph on the hat they gave them.  After they sang, we stayed for the game and since it was Prosper night, lots of Kelsie's friends were there and so we spent much of our time at the playground area.  The ballpark is a great place to spend Sunday afternoon and we had a blast.  Here are some pics of the group rehearsing.  

The field from our seats.

The group rehearsing on the field.

Good looking Prosper choirs.

Serve Prosper - This is an initiative our church began as we partner with community leaders, other organizations like Rotary and other churches in town to clean up areas of Prosper that need assistance getting their properties up to code.  Last Saturday was our second time out and we were in the downtown area.  I did not take my camera but Mrs. Patrick (a local photographer) took some great pics and they are on the Serve Prosper site (a link in the sidebar) if you want to see them.  Kelsie and I worked on a team cleaning 4 houses - all owned by an older man and some of the areas were overgrown with weeds, garbage, old sheds, dog houses, etc so we got to do lots of demo, which was fun.  It is absolutely amazing what can be accomplished when so many people are working together.  When we first walked up to the houses we thought it would take ALL day but we were finished by 2:00.  A guy from our church cooked, chopped and served briskets which were so delicious!  It was much needed after all that work.  Kelsie had a treat after working so hard and got to go over to a friends and swim.  I personally thought it would be too cold with the wind but they did not seem to mind at all and swam for hours.  A good day topped off with dinner at the Riley household (where Kelsie was swimming)! 

TAKS Week - This week was TAKS week at school for Kelsie - she had Math and Reading tests this week.  When I picked her up the first day of the test and asked her how TAKS was, she said "like being in jail."  Apparently, both days they finished at 11 and just had to sit there and read or whatever all day.  Also, she was bummed because the field trip they were supposed to go on Wednesday to the Dallas Museum has been postponed because of swine flu.  I think they needed a day out of the classroom!  

House Update - We had our frame stage walk through last Friday with our builder to check the location of outlets, light switches, fixtures, etc.  There were only a few minor things to change but it was great to walk through with him as he explained everything about what's being done with the house.  They were scheduled to install insulation, sheetrock and brick this week but because of all the rain, they have not been able to brick yet.  They did complete the insulation and started with the sheetrock.  We walked through last night and having the walls up really changes it, making it look more and more like a house.  It's been fun watching the progress.  We are still on track for July, we are hoping early July as our builder said he thought that was attainable.  Let's hope the rain doesn't delay it.  I will keep you posted.

One Year - Monday (the 27th) was the one year anniversary of our first Sunday at FBC Prosper.  Wow!  What a year.  When I look back on all God has done, it's amazing.  God has been so good to us, even when I was doubtful many times about the whole thing.  When I was stressed about the sale of our house - God sold it just at the right time before the market really crashed.  When I was concerned about Kelsie leaving her best friend and her school - God gave her a GREAT teacher at Rucker and she has made friends and adapted so well.  When I was starting to get discouraged about finding a house in Prosper - God showed favor on us by giving us the great deal on the house we are building (looking at prices initially, I never thought we would EVER be able to have something new).  When I was sad about leaving my friends and starting over again - God put us in this amazing Life Connection group that has grown and turned into this great big loving family.  When I was concerned Wayne would be bored in his job because it's a much smaller church and ministry - God has continued to give him vision for things like Serve Prosper, things outside the "programs" of the church which is how he has always wanted to do ministry.  When I was discouraged about the changes from a big church to a much smaller one - God has shown me over and over that where His Spirit is, those things don't matter, people don't need to be impressed - He draws people to Himself.  I really could go on and on with the list but the bottom line is that God called us here and He has shown Himself faithful in the whole process.  There have been moments of doubt, stress and tears but looking back over the entire year, we are so blessed at what God is doing here and that we get to be a part of it.  I hope you are in a place where you are serving God where He has called you.  Have a blessed weekend and I hope to post more often as we have tons of stuff coming up in the month of May.  

Serve Prosper

Hey all - Easter was great and I will post about that along with some pics soon.  We also had a sharpie party last night at the new house and I will explain and post pics of that too.  But, this post is about Serve Prosper.  There is a new promo video up for the next event - which is April 25th - and it's hilarious.  The road kill collector is played by our student minister...enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BONIx2VWBKg

Happy Easter Weekend

We started our Easter celebration last Sunday night with a demonstration of a traditional Seder meal (Passover meal).  We celebrate this Easter with a Good Friday service and then a fun event called AmazinGrace (patterned after the Amazing Race) for the kids tomorrow afternoon (I hope to post pictures tomorrow) and then Easter worship service on Sunday.  I look forward to our worship and celebration times this weekend and pray that the most unbelievable and unimaginable thing God did for us, by laying down His son's life as a once and for all sacrifice for sin, not be taken for granted but that it changes us - keeps changing us to be more passionate to live for God's kingdom and purposes.  I know I have a tendency to get accustom to living with this miracle and taking it for granted in my life, but then I am jolted into a new awareness and I need that!  I hope this Easter season is that for you.  If you are a long time believer, may the Holy Spirit awaken your spirit to more of His purposes for you in His kingdom and if you are not a believer, may the Holy Spirit call you and that you will answer.

House news - the house is coming along quickly. In this past week, the house has been completely framed, the windows have been installed and yesterday the roof decking and outside walls were going up.  It is starting to actually look like a house now.  I hope to take some pictures this weekend and post them so you can see the progress.  More soon. 

This Week

This week has been topsy turvy for our family.  We started the week out with our normal schedule but on Wednesday morning Wayne had to go to Waco for his dad's surgery so he left extremely early to be there by 7 a.m. and then Kelsie woke up early throwing up at 6 a.m.  YUK!!  She hates to throw up but luckily only did that once but felt miserable and nauseated all day with fever so she pretty much stayed in bed and watched TV.  Thursday and Friday she kept getting better but progress was slow and she was pretty lethargic from not eating anything but applesauce and jello.  My little 3 and 4 year olds had their Spring Training program Thursday night and Kelsie was able to make it to that and sit in the sound booth with Wayne.  The kids did great and they were super cute in their baseball attire!  

Saturday morning (today), Kelsie woke up feeling 100% well!  YAY!  Our life connection group were scheduled to go and play Bingo at Victoria Gardens Nursing Home this afternoon.  We had a great time playing with the little ladies and they enjoyed getting their prizes.  We paired each child with a resident and they helped them hear the calls of letter and number.  It was funny to hear their conversations and play bingo.  After that, we came home and got ready for the daddy/daughter dance at school.  Kelsie looked so pretty in her new dress and shoes.  She is growing up fast.  Wayne bought her a pretty wrist corsage.  After the dance, we went to dinner with the Alfords at La Hacienda Ranch - yum!  A fun night and we were so glad Kelsie was well to enjoy it - she was worried earlier in the week that she wouldn't feel like it.  They had a good time and laughed a lot.  

House News - they are almost finished framing.  They have made a lot of progress this week. It's exciting to see it change every day.  There are some pics below of the house and of Kelsie and Wayne before the dance.  

This week's thankful list - 1. Kelsie is well and was able to go to bingo and the dance today and that we did not get sick.  2. Watching our kids minister at the nursing home - it was so sweet how willing they were to pass out cookies, help the ladies in their wheelchairs to the prize table, repeat letters and numbers so they could play and just generally love on these ladies.   3. Wayne's safe travels to and from Waco as he went to be with his dad for surgery - that the surgery went well and seems to be successful so far.  4. The bad weather in the area bypassed us - I don't think I could've handled any other drama this week.  5.  The beautiful weather we had on Friday. Wayne and I sat on the porch for hours just reading and soaking up the sun. We are looking forward to celebrating the week of Easter.  I hope you have a time set aside to celebrate the death and resurrection of our Christ and remember that it is His sacrifice that allows us to stand before the Father.  Thank you God!!! 

Kelsie in front of the house.

Coconut Juice - really?  Does anyone drink that or was in Pina Colada Friday?

Kelsie and Wayne before the Daddy/Daughter dance.

Kelsie growing up fast!!! Can we stop time?

House Progress

The house is coming along and we are starting to see some progress.  We still have a few decisions to make but they should be finalized by the end of the week.  Today was the beginning of framing - very exciting.  Kelsie was home sick with the stomach bug but she was ready to get out for a second so we made a trip to Sonic for a powerade slush and to drive by the house.  The last pic was the one from today, they had framed the front part of the downstairs. Exciting! Sharing the progression with you....

Stage 1 - sold sign on the lot.

Stage 2 - Port-o-potty has arrived - meaning the lot is functional to be worked on.

Stage 3 - Forms are laid for foundation and sidewalk.

Foundation, sidewalk and driveway are finished!

The beginning of framing - today.  

Spring Break, 2nd Half

Here are some pics from Tapatio Springs, which is located outside San Antonio in Boerne.  It's a quaint little town and a very quiet golf resort.  The area has been in a drought so a lot of the streams were dried up but Wayne and Greg said the golf course was in good shape and they really enjoyed playing.  We also played tennis, swam at the pool and enjoyed all the wildlife - especially deer.  Enjoy!

Cute girls - they took this of themselves at Rainforest Cafe.

The porcupine we saw as we were driving the golf cart trails one evening.  It waddled away pretty quickly but Wayne got a pic of it's backside.  

The view from our balcony (I think hole 9)

A cool picture Kelsie took of the shadows on the golf course as we drove around one night.

Wayne and Greg on the most challenging hole.

Kelsie and Allie standing outside the entrance to the Cave Without A Name.

Lunch in Boerne at Little Gretel.  Funny story - they moved 3 times to get away from the bees that wanted their Dr. Peppers.  

After trying a variety of solutions, they gave up on Dr. Pepper and drank water.

Spring Break Pictures- Day 1 & 2

I finally got some of my pictures downloaded to the new Mac.  So, here is part of day 1 and day 2 of our Spring Break.  This cold, nasty weather makes me wish for those sunshine days while we were there.  It seems like this trip was months ago when it was really just last week.  

Kelsie and Allie playing at the park in downtown San Antonio while we waited for the guys to meet us for IMAX and dinner.

The girls shopping at the Market Square.

Market Square

Dinner at Casa Rio - a great night to sit outside by the River!  

Day 2 - The Alamo (and it's St. Patrick's Day, can't you tell from the green?)

Wax Museum - Kelsie on Oprah!

Kelsie and Allie at Wax Museum.

Making Wax Hands at the wax museum.  

The BIG tire at Ripley's Believe it or Not.  This place has weird stuff but we all loved it!

The tallest man (Ripley's Believe it or Not)

In the World of Mac

Since being introduced to Apple products (InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator) a few years ago working at FBC Aledo, I have wanted a Mac.  Wayne got one for work when we moved to Prosper so I have played on his but of course it made me want one of my own even more.  Since our HP was still functioning well enough to cause us to continue to use it, we just kept putting it off until......YESTERDAY!!!  I finally got a MacBook.  The HP struggles more and more every time we load pictures or more music on itunes and so it was time.  I haven't had a ton of time yet to play with it or move content over but as soon as I do, I will share all those pics I have been meaning to put up here.  

Everything else is going well with us.  Nothing really new to report - back to school and work and going to the gym has all been painful this week but we can't be on vacation forever.  The house is coming along - the inspection before the foundation is poured was today or will be tomorrow.  We had a builder's meeting today and got even more decisions made so we are getting closer to being finished with that stage of things.  It will be fun to watch the progress happen so quickly because he told us once the foundation is poured the framing goes quickly.  Gotta go for now - catch up more soon.  

A Great Spring Break!!

We had a wonderful Spring Break trip to the San Antonio area with the Alford family. We left Sunday afternoon and had to stop over in Frisco first to take Raider to the doggie hotel (boarding). It was his first time to be with a boarder b/c we have always had a house sitter but no one was around during Spring Break so we had to take him to a boarder. We were finally off to San Antonio but of course got stuck in bumper to bumper on I-35 around Waco to Austin. So, we all stopped off at Hula Hut in Austin for dinner and a much needed break from traffic. We were ready to get back in the car all the way to San Antonio. The first part of our trip was really work - we were there to check out things for the family mission trip we are taking to Lytle, Texas in August. We stayed in the extended stay type hotel we will be staying in during the week of the trip and went to the church in Lytle on Monday to meet with the pastor, Grady Summers, and get a feel for the work we will do this summer. We had a great visit, prayer time and tour of the buildings on Monday morning and the Summers took us to lunch at a quaint place in Castroville. After lunch, the girls went to San Antonio to do some shopping at the Market Square and the guys stayed in Lytle for more meetings about the remodel project. We made it to the Market Square area downtown (after driving around a while for a parking spot) and enjoyed walking through all the little stores with the girls. They had a great time looking at all the stuff and then we took them to the park for some running and playing - the weather was absolutely beautiful and we loved the sunshine. The boys soon joined us and we walked to the Rivercenter area and went to the IMAX to watch The Alamo movie and then we were headed to dinner at Casa Rio and then took the riverboat ride last thing that night.

On Tuesday, we went back into a packed San Antonio and intended to take the girls through the Alamo but the line to get in was around the block. So we opted for the wax museum and Ripley's Believe it or Not instead. It was fun to walk through and the girls got to make wax hands to take home. We ate lunch at the Rainforest Cafe on the riverwalk and after that we were tired of the crowded city so we headed out to our next destination of Tapatio Springs in Boerne. Once we got there, we took the girls swimming while the guys played tennis and then the girls wanted to play so they had their own little doubles match going for a while. We then went into town to eat at the Hungry Horse, which was a yummy little cafe. It was so nice to be in the quiet surroundings of Boerne.

Wednesday started early for the guys but since their 7:30 appointment was a golf game, they were happy! The girls all slept in and met up with them after 10:30. We headed into town for lunch on the patio of the The Little Gretel and some local shopping in downtown Boerne. We got pedicures and then headed back to the resort for some swimming and relaxing. The guys played another 9 while the little girls swam and the big girls laid by the pool to read. After swimming, the guys wanted to show us some of the pretty parts of the course, so we got some golf carts and drove around for a while. We saw all kinds of deer and even saw a porcupine. It was such perfect weather and a beautiful, peaceful place. We ended up staying there for a late dinner at the resort restaurant and lamented that tomorrow was the day to travel home. So, Thursday morning the guys played golf early and we met up with them after breakfast to pack up and get back on the road toward home. We did stop at The Cave Without a Name which was really cool and worth the stop off. We ended up in traffic again near Austin on I-35 but figured out a way around until north of Waco so we took it and it was a breeze. We got home with little traffic aggravation. We headed straight to pick up our little baby from the boarder and he was happy to see us!

So, now we are back to reality but today was fairly low key and we got to celebrate Jimmy's birthday tonight with everyone. We enjoyed seeing everyone and helping him celebrate his 29th (again!!). We were so blessed this week with fun times, great weather, safe travel, restful moments and good company. I am excited to go back in the summer and see what the Lord will do with our families as we serve Him there in Lytle. Hope your break was good. I am hoping my computer will load and post some pics but meanwhile will keep adding to the Mac Fund for my new Mac.....stay tuned.

Basketball Season Ends

Our basketball season officially ended on Wednesday with a loss in the tournament. The girls played really hard and wanted to win but the game just got away from them in the 3rd quarter. This was the last game of the season since it was single elimination. Way to go Long Shots for a great season! Kelsie really learned a lot this season and wants to continue to play so we will see if there are any summer clinics to keep up learning and practicing the basics.

This weekend was a quick trip to San Angelo to see the fam. It was a whirlwind trip but it was good to see everyone. Unfortunately, as soon as we got back on Saturday, Wayne was headed straight to Care Now with fever and body aches. He has strep throat and has been in bed for the last couple of days but is feeling better today after a steroid shot and a couple days of antibiotics. Thankfully, we have an awesome praise team and they led worship and did a great job.

Okay, I want to warn you that for the next few months you will be updated quite often on the house progress. It's really exciting for us but might get very boring for you. So, read at your own risk......

Progress is being made on the house. The forms for the foundation are laid and they have started laying the plumbing today. The builder's meeting was today and our builder was great! He was extremely accommodating with the changes we wanted to make and so now we just have to make some final decisions in the next few weeks. Our first walk through will be at frame stage in just a few weeks. It is fun to see it all coming together.

On to the thankful list:
1. The pretty woodpecker I see every day on the property. He is so interesting to watch and beautiful with a bright red head. Also the blooming trees and flowers on the property.
2. The time change - I love it when it's lighter longer.
3. Kelsie's heart to serve - she was so attentive when my ankle was hurt. She loved helping at Serve Prosper and this weekend has been attentive to her daddy, always asking me if I think he needs a popsicle. She even made KILLER smoothies on Sunday night!
4. Our basketball coach - so patient with the girls and a good teacher.
5. Sunday afternoon shopping with Kelsie. We left the house to get out and let Wayne sleep and so we did a little Spring Break shopping and we had the best day out. Had lunch together and did the girl thing So fun and great memories!

Hope you are having a blessed week - I pray you see God in all the little blessings He has given you with the people in your life and the things around you. Spring is a great visual reminder of new beginnings for me. I hope you are inspired by God's handiwork. Let us hear from you.

Weekend Update

I wanted to take a second to fill you in on the weekend. Kelsie's bball team played a much anticipated game against the number one ranked team in our league. The girls played SO well, at half time the score was tied 5-5 and they played great defense, just shut them down. Unfortunately, the game got away from us in the end and it was 15-5 but we were proud of our girls for playing so well against this undefeated team. So, our record was 6 wins, 3 losses and we begin the tournament on Wednesday night. Keep you posted!



My ankle has improved to the point that I can hobble around today without crutches. There is a little limp b/c it's still sore but it's not nearly as swollen and I can step down on it which I couldn't do on Saturday. It's still ugly - very black and blue. Hoping for continued improvement this week and be back to normal very soon.



Serve Prosper on Saturday was GREAT. Over 100 people showed up to help even though it was super cold with the wind. I didn't get to participate b/c on Saturday I still couldn't walk without crutches. Wayne and Kelsie had a good time though and they cleared lots of dead limbs, brush and trash. I can't wait for the next one so I can participate. Kelsie and her friends found a nest of baby squirrels that fell out of a tree that was dead and being removed. After doing some research on the internet, we found out that the best thing to do with a fallen nest is to keep the babies together and return the nest to a close vicinity to the original nest site as possible so the mommy can find them. It said mommy squirrels do not reject their young with human scent like some animals do. So, they did that and when they went back later to check the babies were gone. So, we are happy they were okay and back safe in a new home. It was exciting and educational for the kids. I think there will be pics soon uploaded on the Serve Prosper site and there are some on facebook - check out our group. I love that our church is so missional. It was great to come along side so many different people in the community and reach out to people that really need help.

That's it for now. I am trying to catch up on cleaning today and this was my ankle rest time. Hope you have a great week.

Basketball Injuries

We were unlucky enough this week to have a couple of basketball injuries in the family. On Saturday, the girls played a GREAT game and won 16-8 but Kelsie had a very bruised up arm after having it stepped on in a pile of girls fighting for the ball. Way to be agressive! It bothered her for a few days but there wasn't any swelling and very little bruising. Her coach (who is also a personal trainer) said he thought it was a possible muscle bruise and to watch for swelling and/or radiating pain. The soreness lasted until about Wednesday but nothing a little ibuprofen couldn't handle. This coming week is our last game of the regular season and we play the best team in the league so we decided to have a little extra practice time on our own. So, Monday night we met the Alfords at the church (outside concrete court) to run some drills with the girls and play 3 on 3 - Bartleys vs. Alfords. We had a great time playing and we all laughed about how tired we were going to be that night! On Tuesday we thought it would be fun to play again on Tuesday night so we met up at the church again to play. This time it was the moms and girls scrimmaging and Wayne was the ref. After a pretty little lay up, I landed half on the concrete and half on the ground and couldn't get my balance (getting old!) and twisted my ankle. It was sore at first but I didn't think it was that bad until I felt like I was about to pass out. After that passed, I moved to a spot to sit out and watch and felt nauseated again. I knew something was wrong, the ankle was immediately swelling and bruising. So, we went to Care Now to get it looked at and after an x-ray (and a few more waves of nausea) it was not broken or fractured. They wrapped it and sent me home with instructions, crutches and drugs! I was a very good patient on Wednesday - doing everything I was told in hopes that the next day everything would be back to normal - didn't happen. It is getting better but I still can't step down on it so I am still on crutches which is a HUGE pain! I guess that's one way of getting out of doing the laundry. Kelsie and Wayne have been great - they have been spoiling me! I think the plan is to see an ortho if it's not better by Monday but I think it's getting better every day - even though it looks pretty UGLY right now.

On a more positive note - the house is coming along. This week we got a port-o-potty on the property, which means that it's now suitable for working on. Today was the day we did our initial selections. We still have a few more things to decide on but it was super fun to pick from all those choices. Also today the forms were there today for the foundation so progress is being made! YAY! It's so nice to live close and watch the progress every day.

This Saturday is Serve Prosper (see link on sidebar if you want to know more). We are excited about how many people and sponsors have gotten involved. How exciting to see our community coming together to serve each other. Should be fun.

Thankful list for the week:

1. That my husband and daughter love me enough to tend to me with mercy and compassion (that is not my strong thing so I appreciate it in them, even if it is hard to receive).
2. My little 3 and 4 year olds singing "Yes Lord, Yes Lord, Yes, Yes, Lord" - they are so cute and I love that they are so willing to sing out to God at such a young age.
3. The celebration choir we had last week (we did a choir last week for something fun and new - we sang "Cover the Earth"). It was truly worshipful and lots of fun!
4. Good friends - we loved having the Kemners last weekend even if for a short time. We love catching up with life long friends.
5. God's healing grace - several friends came through surgeries this week with flying colors. Thank you God for being our Great Physician.

I hope you have experienced the presence of God this week. Love to hear from you! More later.

Progress is Being Made

Well, progress on the house has officially been made with the arrival of the construction port-o-potty today.  I guess that means that the site is now fit to be worked on!  We meet with the designer next Friday to make our first round of selections, still no builders meeting which should happen here pretty soon.  Since Monday was President's Day, many furniture stores around had sales so Patti and Emily took me to Weir's Furniture while Wayne and the guys were playing golf.  I had never been there before but heard several people saying they had good stuff.  We had a fun day shopping for furniture (we were all looking for different things) and running around town, finishing up with lunch at Lucy's before school pick up.  When Wayne got home, we all 3 went back so I could show him what I found that day and ended up buying a couch with matching chair and a half that was on sale.  I did find 2 accent chairs as well but they were on back order and so we put 25% down to order them but the next day I had buyer's remorse because they weren't on sale and I wanted to live with the other pieces for a while first so I called to cancel.  The other things will be delivered this Saturday.  Let the decorating plan begin!

Basketball - Saturday was Kelsie's team day to play 2 games back to back.  They won the first game 14-6 but lost the second game 12-4.  They all played so well as a team but just ran out of steam in the second game and it got away from them.  We were proud of them - they played hard.  Saturday was Valentine's Day but we had already officially celebrated so we did a little shopping and out to eat after the games.

Not much else to report - just normal life going on here.  So, on to the thankful list.....  1.  The yellow daffodils blooming all over the property - they are so cheery and pretty to look at every day.  2. We have all stayed relatively healthy, no flu - YAY!  3.  Our life connection group - we love them!   4. Electric blanket we got for Christmas (thanks Mawmaw), I love crawling in a warm bed on a cold night.  5. Chocolate - I have to be thankful for chocolate in the month of February, right? 

Also - on the book list update.  I finished Karen Kingsbury's new 911 book, "Every Now and Then" that I got for Christmas and I look forward to her new series coming out - "Above the Line"  I also just finished this week John Grisham's "The Appeal."  While VERY different, they were both good reads.  Better go for now.  More soon.

Happy Valentine's Day

As you can see by my blog, I am wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day. Hope you feel loved today by your family and friends but more importantly, think of it as a day to thank God for the love He has expressed to us and keeps showing us through His grace. We celebrated tonight by going to Outback with Kelsie - we didn't want to brave Saturday night, yikes! Kelsie has a party at school tomorrow so that should we interesting. Valentine's Day, co-ed 4th graders don't mix too well. EEEwwww boys, eeeewwww girls......you get the picture.

House news - not much is happening right now. They are in the process of permits, etc. We have our first meeting to pick stuff in 2 weeks. That will be fun, we have been driving around looking at brick choices. They all start to look the same after a while.

Basketball - Kelsie is doing great. Last week they won their game 12-6 and she had 2 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists. Great team player!!! They all played so great as a team. We were very proud.

We have had a busy few weeks (the reason for the late post). Kelsie didn't have a game weekend before last which worked out b/c she went to Fort Worth to spend the weekend with Morgan for her birthday. She got to go watch Morgan play bball and then to her party and as tradition dictates, to the rodeo with the McLelland family. Sunday night was the Superbowl and we had a GREAT time with our life connection group at the Alfords. We had so much food - fried cajun turkey, ribs (smoked by Wayne, they were fabulous), smoked brisket and lots and lots of snack food and desserts. The party was made complete with a visit by the police. One of the kids accidentally called 911. Pretty funny but embarassing for him - the kids were going crazy. This last weekend was eventful too. Friday night was girls night out for our class so we went to see "Bride Wars" a definite chick flick and we had fun. Kelsie and Wayne went to bball practice and then home to eat pizza and watch "Space Buddies" (her valentine's gift). Saturday was K's basketball game and then we had a wonderful dinner with the Marshall's. We had such a good time and Kelsie LOVES their dogs (golden retrievers) and enjoyed sitting in the hot tub after working so hard at the game. After that we had a late night appointment at the Kennedy's house. The middle school girls wrapped our houses last summer so this was pay back. It was D-Now weekend and we got word that the girls were planning to wrap the Kennedy house. We were prepared and waiting with shaving cream, water buckets, water guns, and water hose. We got them GOOD!!! They were not expecting that at all but unfortunately they came back and wrapped their house even later. I guess we're too old to stay up that late. Sunday was a great day. We had our family mission trip info meeting and had lots of families there - we hope to take 15-20 families. Exciting! Then, our life connection class did our service project - which was to collect food for the local food bank, Bethlehem Place, and we delivered it after lunch. The cool part was that our kids were carrying in the food, stocking shelves. They were so excited to help, really into it. It was such a good picture of WORSHIP. Our kids really understood I John 3:16-18 and we were blessed that day!

Hope you are having a blessed week. Happy Valentine's Day! Love from the Bartleys

We Have A House!!!

Yes, you read right - we FINALLY found a house. Actually, we will not move into it until July because it has to be built first. We had such a hard time finding a house that was a good size for us. Mostly everything we looked at was too big and since we are just 3 people we didn't feel like we needed 4,000+ square feet. So, we ended up with a new build from Highland Homes. The really fabulous part is that we thought we were going to have to settle for a neighborhood that was just okay and they gave us such a great deal in a neighborhood (Willow Ridge) we LOVE and have looked in for months but couldn't afford. They agreed to build this smaller (3122 ft) house on a lot they still had in phase 2 (they are currently finishing that phase up and going to phase 3) they needed to finish out. We have some modifications to make to the floorplan to make it work but they are doing those too. We have already met our neighbors - they seem super nice. Hopefully we will be able to share the process with you as we take photos of the progress. The projected date is July 1st. So, it looks like we will be in the farm house for the Spring which should be fun to see everything bloom again and we will hopefully be in the new house before school starts so we can get settled and enjoy the community pool. We are excited and thank God for His provision for us in the interim and giving us this new house.

Ice Day

Today we had a minor ice event so school was shut down for the whole day even though it's sunny and crisp outside now. Kelsie and Allie are out playing in it with little warm ups inside and then back out again. I am completely content staying indoors watching movies (catching up on LOST, I am only on Season 3). In other news, we are meeting with a couple of builders this weekend to see where we are on price, time, etc. So, stay warm if you are in this icy blast part of Texas.

I've Missed You!

Wow! Has it really been since October? My sincerest apologies for those of you who kept checking or looked at your sidebar to see that I STILL have not written. Hopefully you haven't given up on me forever. I got so super busy during the holidays and then it seemed overwhelming to fill you in on everything that has happened (you know I LOVE to give the details). I have a ton of pics to share too but waiting for my really slow computer to process all of that gives me a headache to consider.

So, here is a run down to sorta catch you up (this might get long, I will try and condense)

The holidays - We went to San Angelo to be with my family over Thanksgiving and it was good visiting with everyone, lots of little kids now which is fun. Of course, we did our traditional EARLY morning shopping the day after Thanksgiving. Kelsie had the entire week off so that was really nice that we got to be home for a few days before traveling. Before Thanksgiving we had "A Day of Thanks" out at the barn. It was so much fun, had good worship and a good word from the Lord and we all enjoyed a meal and gave a thank offering. In the afternoon, we had a turkey bowl (flag football) and our life connection group had a team called "Team Calibration." We came in second place and it was a blast practicing and playing the different teams. What a great day!

December was filled with good things leading up to Christmas. The first week of December was the Ladies Progressive Dinner, a special night to prepare our hearts for what Christmas is all about - Christ's birth and why He came. Kelsie's honor choir sang at the Prosper Country Christmas event downtown and that was a fun festival to attend complete with a parade featuring Santa! We also had a fun family outing before Christmas - Wayne, Todd and Greg planned a night out for us girls and kids to go and look at Christmas lights around town in a limo. The kids thought it was so great to drink soda from a glass and we drove around town in style looking at the various lights. Of course, we did our traditional Holiday at the Park with the McLellands and Shirleys - fun as usual and ended up at Trail Dust Steak House for dinner, the kids loved the slide. At church, the kids in Acting Up performed "Christmas in Reverse" Kelsie had a narration part and a little solo and we were proud of all the kids - they did great! Christmas Eve was "Christmas at the Barn" and it was so much fun. We had tons of people from all over the community there to celebrate with us. Kelsie loved not having to get all dressed up but it was a really special family time. Christmas Day was spent in Waco with Wayne's family and the next day we came back home and my mom and nana came for a quick visit. We had such a relaxing holiday, off the week between Christmas and New Year. Wayne was off the entire week and it was so nice to just sleep in, hang out with Kelsie and not have a schedule, Morgan came and stayed a few days with us too. Wayne got a smoker for Christmas and several days it was nice outside and we just smoked meat, watched football and had a fire in the pit at night out on the porch. It felt like a vacation! New Year's Eve was spent at the Boyers house with our life connection group, we had a blast and rang in the New Year with our kids and a house full of joy! We spent New Year's Day celebrating Wynette's birthday and enjoyed our day with them so much.

As many of you know, during most of the holiday season Prosper Eagles were still playing football. Our church had committed, as an outreach to our community, to host a tailgate party at all away games. All the playoff games were on neutral sites so we were doing football every weekend in various places, thankfully none too far away. It was a complete BLAST to host these parties. We had some expert tailgaters cooking and we just got to serve people and meet new people. We stayed for every game and the final state playoff game was at Texas Stadium where we fed over 1,000 people brisket, hot dogs, nachos, funnel cakes, etc. The band was there, cheerleaders, parents, etc. To top it all off Prosper won state! The whole town was there I think - that is fun!!!

Kelsie - She is doing very well. Made all A's on her last report card - we are so proud of her hard work adjusting to a new way of doing just about everything. We are so blessed that she is our daughter. She is still in Honor Choir and they will be singing the National Anthem with other Prosper choirs in April at the Roughriders game. Kelsie is playing basketball right now for a team called The Longshots. They have played 2 games and are 1-1. Their coach is great and the team is learning alot, improving every week. They are off next week so they have a week to refine those plays they are learning.

House - We are still house hunting. We are meeting with a couple of builders this week but at this point are still keeping all options open. Living in the farm house was fun during the holidays with all the things going on and it's a blessing right now to have the luxury of taking our time to make the right decision on a new house.

Job and Church - I am currently teaching preschool music very part time - 2 mornings a week. I like it and have been blessed not to be in a position to find a job right away. I am hoping (about 95% sure it will happen) to teach preschool (4's) next year Monday - Thursday as our First Friends program is expanding to full time. Church is going great! We love our Life Connection group and were so blessed to join that class in its inception and meet everyone as they have come in new like us. We have grown to love each other more and more. This weekend we had our Deeper Worship Conference. Words can't describe the presence of the Lord this weekend but it was just such a sweet time of worship, diving into God's word, fasting, praying and listening to what God is saying to us individually and collectively. We were blessed by Steve Hardin and Billy and Cindy Foote. They are men and women who walk in the Spirit, prophetic worshippers and proclaimers of the word. WOW! I am really looking forward to tomorrow. Wayne loves the men he serves with more and more every day, they have such a mutual respect for one another and a belief that God has uniquely placed each one there on a team for a purpose of Kingdom growth in this place! So exciting to see the passion they have.

So, as you read - know we are blessed. My thankful list is just that God has richly blessed us with family and friends like you. Some of you are friends that we have walked with a long time, shared great times and icky times with - prayed over many things, helped us make tough decisions and vented frustrations. Some of you have loved us when we have shown the worst sides of ourselves or during times we were so depressed we weren't fun to be around. Some of you are new friends, we have barely begun sharing our lives with you but we know as time passes we will share many experiences. Times of joy and celebration, grief, deliverance, changes and seasons. All done in the presence of God as He guides our steps. So, tonight I go to bed thanking God for my family - my sweet daughter, my Godly husband and you!

Okay - now you are all caught up. I will try and post more faithfully from this point forward so don't give up on me!! Love to hear from you too!

The Six Month Mark

First off I will tell you that Saturday, Kelsie's HSM3 birthday party, was lots of fun and I will tell you more about it and post pics later. Today's post is dedicated to the fact that Wayne has been on staff at First Prosper for 6 months yesterday. Sometimes I think the time has flown by and we've barely begun and in other ways it feels like we have been here forever. The last 6 months have been a major growing time for me personally just learning more and more about letting go of the control I want to have over my own life and turning it over to God's purposes. It's been difficult at times but it's also been a testament to God's graciousness as He has provided for so many of our needs - selling our home and giving us transitional housing, Kelsie making friends so easily and a great school district...the list goes on and on. (Just a side note - if there is something you are struggling with God about, I want to encourage you that there is blessing in obedience).

Sunday was a HUGE day for me as I looked up on stage during worship and saw the beginnings of Wayne's vision coming to fruition. He has always wanted to be a part of a church where he had the freedom to train up young people and give them real life experience and opportunities in ministry - leading worship, planning, team building, etc. All for the purpose of carrying out kingdom work and on Sunday morning Colin led part of our worship and did so great. Just knowing that in God's timing he will be launched into a new chapter too - can't wait to see what God does with him. I believe God will continue to bring more and more to be trained up and sent out. I see the church's passion for that - expanding God's kingdom and doing it together along the way.

So, as we mark this small milestone - 6 months - we thank God for our pastor who is steadfast in the word, he is just consistent in his pursuit of being true to God's word. We thank God for a staff that is united and more than that - they are friends. They just become closer friends and have more respect for one another the more they are together. We thank God for a church with a heart for missions - from community outreach events to personally talking to someone about Christ to missions trips and missionary support all over the world. We thank God for so many people who have just loved us and invested in us in the short time we have been here. We thank God for His presence in our worship, how He is just continuing to teach us more about Himself here and given us a family to do life with as we grow. There are still things and especially people at Wedgwood I deeply miss. But, I pray that God will continue to grow our love for Prosper just as He did while we were at Wedgwood. Pray that God will use us to expand His kingdom for His name's sake while we serve here and that we can have a part in being used to teach about having a lifestyle of worship. We are blessed!

Finally, it's Fall!

I am so glad Fall is finally here, I have loved the cooler weather this week. My husband, on the other hand, is a summer person and doesn't love the colder weather like I do. I did make him appreciate it a little more tonight by making his favorite soup (taco soup) for dinner. Once again, this week flew by us and this was the first night we were home all week. Looks like that is becoming a trend, Thursday nights at home - I like it.

Kelsie had her first honor choir rehearsal this week and she learned that they would be singing something special for their Veteran's Day program. She enjoyed rehearsal and seemed excited about things to come. Her last birthday party (thank goodness, we have birthday partied all month) is Saturday. We are taking 8 of her friends to see High School Musical 3 (much anticipated). It should be fun. Morgan is coming from Fort Worth to spend the weekend too which is a huge treat for all of us b/c we haven't seen her in a while.

There is not a whole lot of news to report - we stumbled on a house that we really like but it is not officially on the market yet. We saw a house that was an obvious foreclosure - the backyard was literally a wall of weeds waist high with absolutely NO landscaping in the front. We called the realtor on the sign and she told us it was a pre listing and the price had not been determined yet. The next day we noticed that people were clearing the backyard and cleaning the inside so we asked the contractors if we could walk through. We loved the floorplan and the location but the house was stripped down by the people that left - no appliances, doors taken off and light fixtures missing. It's a mess, but has possibilities especially for the right price. So, we will wait until it officially comes up on the market - the listing agent is suppose to call us the day before so we can have a heads up. So, we are continuing to watch new listings and monitor the few we still like as well as pray and wait on God's timing. The good thing is that we are not in a hurry and we are not tied down to rent or another mortgage. So, here is this week's thankful list:

1. Pumpkin bread Kelsie made after dinner tonight - yummy!
2. The cool weather we had this week.
3. The sweet blue birds that I got to see this afternoon out the window.
4. A hilarious episode of "The Office" tonight - the funniest one of this season so far.
5. Girls Night Out - Tuesday night out to eat with the girls and our wonderful husbands who watched the kids. It was delicious Kobe and the company was better.
6. A question that Khris (our pastor) gave us last week to ask ourselves - "What is the thing that will bring God the most glory?" That has caused us to think about houses (and other decisions) in a new way. I love that we are challenged every week by our pastor.
7. Kelsie being so sweet to little kids - they love her and she is so caring and patient with the

Hope you have a good weekend - I will hope to post pics of the Saturday party next week.

A Great Weekend

There are some weekends that fly by because you are so busy going from here to there that on Monday you can't believe the weekend is over and you wonder why you had no time to recuperate in between busy weekday/weeknight schedules. Well, that has been our weekends for a while but this weekend was a restful weekend mixed with quality family time and fun. I loved it! It started on Friday afternoon, Wayne and I got to spend the whole day together. We did spend the first half of the day with our realtor looking at some houses and taking him to lunch but the rest of the day we just hung out and then picked up Kelsie from school. That night was the Prosper/Celina game - a good game with a better outcome. It was a blast to be there and see this year's team win this huge rivalry game. Saturday morning we all slept late and then watched college football and capped off the day with Kelsie having a friend and a babysitter over while we met the Griffs at Babe's in Carrollton for dinner - we had a lot of catching up to do with them. Sunday worship was great, it never gets old seeing how many men come to the altar every week to pray. It always sets a tone for worship. After lunch, we came home to watch the Cowboy's play (I love having a DVR, we didn't have to watch commercials) and that was disappointing and UGLY. We squeezed in a quick nap and then took Kelsie to Prosper Party Place for Allie's birthday party. They played laser tag and games. Wayne played one game of laser tag with them - they broke up into teams of 6 and he was his own team. After the party was over, we came home and made a fire in the fire pit because it was a chilly night. We ended up roasting hot dogs for dinner and we all said we felt like we were away somewhere - it was dark, quiet, the stars were bright and we were sitting by a fire on the perfect night roasting hot dogs.

So, today is Monday and we are back to our normal busy schedules. Kelsie is off at school, Wayne is spending his day off site to do mega planning and I have a huge to do list that is typical for Monday, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, bill paying and errand running. This week I think we have something going on every night but this weekend was fabulous and we can hope for more like it! See below - a few pics taken with my phone after the game on Friday night.

People starting to rush the field when the game was over.....fun!

From top - Joy, Sarah, Kelsie, Karis, Kensey and Caroline after the game.