Thursday, August 14, 2008

Thank you all so much!

Thank you all who came to the party, those who couldn't come but wanted to, and for all the congratulations. I am so blessed. To have such a great church and great friends and family. Who could ask for more? I should have taken more pictures Saturday, but I didn't. Honestly I didn't have a good feel for exactly how good my camera is. I took some of my family and they turned out really well. Here are a few.


The whole family. Together for once.


Dad and Mom

Brothers with dad.

The sisters (in-law)

PB and Christie - a great surprise to see them.

Ben, Court, and Chloe.

And a close-up of Chloe of course.

Dad and Luke - They are both so photogenic. I love taking pictures of them both.

My family was all able to come which was amazing. We so rarely ALL get together, that even Christmas is hit and miss. (The oilfield will do that to you.)



To answer a question that I have been asked a lot... So what is next? I have been thinking and praying about it a lot these days off. I was really hoping God would make it very clear like he did with the "No Debt" thing. But He has not. I will be focusing on my house mortgage, and hopefully will have that paid off in 3-4 years. Dave Ramsey (who's course I did not follow, though I probably should have) recommends saving 3-6 months worth of expenses. And though I REALLY want to quit my job now, (so I can be in Bryan/College Station) I don't have anything lined up, the wise thing is to get the backup savings saved. So I have a set amount to save, and hopefully will have that by November or December.

As I have mentioned to some, I know that I am supposed to be teaching in the future. I really have not known what that will look like exactly, and I still do not know. But up to this point I was thinking 3-5 years in the future. As I have this milestone of "no debt" behind me now, I can let myself think more concretely about the immediate future, and teaching really does not seem too far away. I can see myself starting to substitute teach on my days off, and start going back to any school I need this next spring. We will see how God works all that out. So teachers, I may start to ask a lot more questions and advice.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

My New Toy!

I was finally able to go out and buy a toy I have been putting off for several years now. I have had the same digital camera since 2002, which was decent, but limiting. So I celebrated my getting out of credit card debt by going and getting a good camera. I was thinking slimline at first, but the zoom is what I was really wanting. So I got a Sony Cybershot, with a 15X zoom, 9.1 MP. A huge increase over my no zoom, 2.2 MP camera. So I got to play around with it a little bit at my nephew's birthday party the other day. Here are some pics:


Here is Gravy questioning my choice.

Gravy, head always propped on something.

Zoom...

And more zoom! I love it!

Zak, the Birthday Boy. Happy Birthday Zak! All of 6 years old.

All the kids, cousins, and friends, straining to see what all is in there.


Here is Lucas, the character. He was wondering why Zak got all the presents, so he kept declaring, "My Birthday." He just couldn't understand.

He was just fine after all the presents were open, and this one was left for him.

Another present utilized by the guests. :) Here is Devin, as The Hulk.

Son, learning from Dad.

I really like this picture of my sister, and it was from 20 feet away! I probably should have used a flash, but I think it works.

And here is Chris, my brother in law, again from 20 feet.

A good picture of mom.

And here is my brother and sister. I am so blessed with my family.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Long Gone!


The credit cards are long gone! I was able to pay off my last credit card today, to become credit card debt free! As some of you all know, this has been a big deal for the past 1 ½ years for me. God had made it very clear that I was to get out of credit card debt, and here I am. It is incredible to be in His will, for once.

I have been planning a celebration party for awhile, celebrating this time. I am inviting pretty much everyone I know. Barney and Joanna have been kind enough to offer the use of their ranch. The details are:

Date: Saturday, August 9, 2008

Time: 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Breakfast tacos @ about 10:30, snacks and desserts after that.

Pool and fishing pond are available. Plenty of room inside and out.

Just email me, or leave a comment for directions, and I will get them to you.


If you cannot come that is fine. I can totally understand. Do know that you all are more than welcome.