A few things I love about the south...

Yep, they have the most amazing thunder storms...and they've got Krispy Kreme


Neal was a bit unsure about the whole doughnut experience, we got the glazed doughnut, freshly made and hot off the frosting belt and it was a bit to messy for his liking (I know a little weird for a kid not to like being messy). Neal is not a fan of having things stick to his fingers and the warm frosting was doing just that.


Oh well, that just means I got to enjoy his doughnut and we'll have to go back and try again...I'm sure he will love them once he gives it a good try.

A Temporary Home

We have made it to North Carolina! This state will be our new home for the indefinite future. The sun is beautiful and we are halfway between the beach and the mountains so I am thinking we will like it here.

We officially stepped into full time ministry with TWR this past week and Tyler is busy beginning to lay the foundation for the video ministry. Remember you can jump over to our ministry blog if you want to hear more details about what we will be doing with TWR.


We are currently looking for a home here in NC but until then we are able to stay at the lodge here at TWR. This has been such a blessing to us to have this temporary housing while we look for a home. So, this is what we call home for now:


We have our own adjoining rooms (pictured below is Neal's room) and a common living area and kitchen to share with any other guests that are staying at the lodge.


There is also a fun toy room that Neal loves!


It will be nice to eventually get settled into our own home but for now this is the perfect place for us to be. Tyler gets to walk across the parking lot to the TWR office and Neal and I get to have Tyler home for lunch each day which is special.

Aquarium

"Finding Nemo" is one of Neal's favorite movies. So, when Mammaw decided to take us to the Aquarium in TN we happily agreed knowing Neal would love to see all the fish. Tyler and I ended up having just as much fun, if not more fun then Neal. We got to see all sorts of fish and sea creatures that I have never seen before (like the seadragon) and some, like seahorses, that are always fun to see.



The best part of the whole Aquarium is the shark/fish tank where you get to walk through a tunnel and watch the sharks and fish swim all around you. Neal was amazed and couldn't stop talking about the sharks. Every time a shark swam over his head he would eagerly say "more shark please". We could have spent all day looking at the sharks if it was up to him.



The Aquarium was the perfect outing and we would go back again anytime. Tyler even got to pet a stingray. And yes, Neal did see a few fish he liked to call "Nemo"

Great Grandparents

It was so special for us to see all our Grandparents a few weeks ago. It was even more fun to introduce Neal to them. Neal has met my Grandparents before, but he was only 5 months old so it was fun to see him interact with them this time. I do wish we lived closer to my grandparents so we could spend more time together but the short visit was special and I am so happy Neal has gotten to meet them several times.



This is the first time that Neal and Mammaw (Tyler's Grandma) have ever met. We had a great time visiting, sharing memories and hearing stories.


I am excited that we will only be living about 5 hours away from Tyler's Mammaw. This is the first time Tyler has lived this close to his Mammaw so we are looking forward to spending more time with her and even getting to celebrate some holidays together.


We have such a great legacy from both of our families to look to and always love the time we get to spend with them - We hope to be able to get back again to visit soon.

2 and already driving

We stopped in Mississippi last week for a few days on our move east and Neal got his first driving lesson, on a tractor.


We showed him were the "gas" peddle was and he was off and running. Although he never really learned how to turn the wheel he had a great time driving in circles all over the yard. I don't think he got off that tractor the whole time we were there.



We are going to have to keep a close watch on our car keys as he grows older 'cause he loves driving, and driving fast.

Visiting the Slaymakers

Our good friends from AK, the Slaymakers, moved to TX last October. We have missed them greatly since they have been gone. So, as we drove cross country, we stopped by their new place to spend a few days. As always we had a great time together, the boys played outside and Natalie and I sat on the porch talking in the sun.



Kyle and Tyler got to hit some golf balls, play basketball and ride around on 4-wheelers.



They even took us all out together for a fun family ride.



Neal seemed to fit right into the TX look quickly. Less then 24 hours and he was already sporting this look...


It was fun to all be together again. We watched some movies, played some card games, ate some delicious BBQ and just enjoyed catching up in person. Kyle, Natalie and Kaleb have found a perfect fit for their family in TX and we are so happy that the move for them has been so good. However, we can't help but wish that we were all living in the same town again.


At least we are close enough that we can meet half way for a trip to Disney World all together some time in the future...

A Party in Texas

A little over a week ago we got to spend a few days with some good friends in Midland Texas. Now, I do have to say Midland really doesn't have much to offer visitors, but we had a great time with our good friends there that we hardly noticed the dust and wind.


Neal and Luke were born about 10 days appart and so while we were visiting, Becky, put together a double birthday party for the boys to celebrate their second birthdays. Now, this may sound simple but you should know that Becky just had their second son, Joshua, 1 week before this party and was up baking cupcakes and throwing together a great party. I don't know how she did it with a newborn and all but she did and it was great.



Neal and Luke had a fun time together, playing, eating cake and opening gifts. It is always fun to see old friends again and we had a nice visit. It has been fun to visit with lots of friends along our trip to NC. This stop in Minland with the Elders was no exception.