MY COMPLIMENTS TO THE PHOTOGRAPHER...

first, lisa wowed us by taking fun maternity pictures.

then, she perfectly captured adelaide as a newborn.

and now, she has made us smile all over again as we look at the 6 month photos.

i can't say enough good things about now and then photography!

what are the chances we can get you to move to houston?

OUR LIFELONG CONVERSATION (PART 4)...

PART 4: VALENTINE'S DAY IN THE CITY OF LOVE

(or at least somewhat near it)

the rest of january and beginning of february was filled with many day trips to nearby english towns and more and more bus rides sitting next to evan.

the students had class monday, tuesday, and wednesday, went on a field trip somewhere each thursday, then had 3 day weekends to travel as they wished. i helped with colin and chloe monday-thursday. some thursdays the munchkins and i went along for the field trips too. then i also had 3 day weekends. we established somewhat of a predictable pattern and i was definitely liking it. every mon.-wed. as i was getting the kids dressed we would watch out their bedroom window and see the students walking past us on their way to class. our favorite sighting would be when evan would walk by. colin would yell, "ebb-en!" chloe would shout, "eff-an!" and i would smile.

in our day to day lives evan and i were spending more and more time together. of course i tried my hardest to convince myself all the time shared was totally normal and we were just new friends who loved to hang out. there were 6 of us that had "dinner club" twice a week. each week the guys would cook one night and the girls would cook another night. most of the time after dinner we would all play a game or watch movies. april had sent me some phase 10 cards and they definitely got used. i can't even tell you how many rounds of that game we played before we started dating. it made for a great excuse to hang out night after night.

now looking back i'm sure everyone around us was noticing how often we were together, but we really weren't flirty and so at the time i felt certain that nobody thought anything about what was going on. however, at one point my aunt camille asked if anything was going on between us. "oh no, i don't like him. he's just like the brother i never had," i stammered. i remember feeling guilty at what a huge lie that was, but i didn't want anyone to know how much i already liked him. it just felt crazy to have feelings for someone i hadn't even known a whole month.

oxford "dinner club" 2003

as the semester continued, valentine's weekend quickly approached. everyone started making more detailed plans for that weekend. it would be an extra long weekend with 4 days for traveling. lots of groups were planning to travel to paris. due to cheaper flights we decided to go to nice, france instead. and so the plans solidified that mark, kristen, evan, and i would go to the french riviera together.

the 4 of us packed our backpacks to the brim and set off for our adventure. on february 12 we arrived at the london airport and boarded an easyjet flight to nice. i guess evan and i transferred easily from "bus buddies" to "flight buddies" because we sat next to each other yet again.

as our flight took off we all quickly found out that the cabin of the plane wasn't pressurized very well. it was slightly uncomfortable for everyone, but especially miserable for evan since he had a nightmare of a head cold. i instinctively reached over and started rubbing his forehead hoping it would help. then i froze realizing what i was doing. would it be more awkward to abruptly stop or to keep rubbing i wondered? i decided to just continue and hoped that he was too doped up on cold medicine to remember what had happened. and that was the very first time i touched him. (ah, how romantic, haha.)

once we got acclamated to the air, nothing was said about the forward forehead maneuver and we were conversing as usual. it was somewhere during this conversation i casually mentioned that he was definitely one of my top 10 favorite people. he acted surprised and said that while he was honored, he seriously doubted that was completely true. at that point i got a little embarrassed at the boldness of the statement. i tried to somewhat retract the compliment by saying this so-called list of my top 10 favorite people didn't include family and the obvious other people, etc. that i love to be around. they were givens. the list was merely my top 10 favorites after that. he then turned to me and said, "hey, don't get me wrong, you are definitely in my top 10 favorite people, but you just know a lot more people than i do so i'll take being in your top 20."

late that night we landed in france and made our way to a hotel we had made reservations at in advance. when we found it online it had seemed like the perfect place for the 4 of us to stay. it was a suite type hotel with a bedroom area for us girls, a living room with fold out couch beds for the guys, and a kitchen we could all use. well it turned out to be not so perfect. when we arrived there the lobby was closed for the night and there was no way to pick up our keys. so even though we had already paid for nice beds to sleep in, there the 4 of us sat on a dark, empty sidewalk in france trying to come up with another plan. well, actually the 3 of them tried to figure out a plan. i was too giddy from our conversation on the flight and didn't really care where we ended up staying. obviously i was more than a little distracted from taking care of necessities. i had much more important things on my mind! by the grace of God we wandered upon another place that had spaces for us in and we didn't have to sleep on the streets.

february 13, we all got ready for the day then were off to tackle the city of nice. first stop was picking up the keys for our original hotel. that way we could actually use it the next two nights! after that, we went through town climbing up hills, visiting museums, playing at a fountain, strolling through shops, and walking along the beach (the whole day i kept saying "bonjour" when i wanted to say "thank you." i feel certain that quickly put me in the annoying american category).

some memories from nice

it was a fun adventure of a day, but by that night we were all worn out. we decided to just grab some groceries and throw something together back at our hotel kitchen. after dinner kristen went to our room and went to bed. i stayed up a little longer with evan and mark in the living room. we found an american channel on tv and were watching a monty python movie. i stretched my legs out on the couch and evan reached over and started popping my toes. and that was the very first time he touched me. (which is almost as romantic as a forehead rub).

on the 14th, valentine's day, we had planned to take a bus to nearby monte carlo (which totally brought back childhood memories of watching herbie goes to monte carlo). evan still hadn't felt his best the whole trip, but by that morning he woke up feeling awful. he felt so bad in fact, that he decided to stay home and sleep. so mark, kristen, and i went on our own.

all in all it was another good day, and while it had been really fun to be with kristen and mark, something was also missing. so after the day in monaco, we went back to nice with hopes that we could all have dinner together. when we got to the hotel evan was feeling a little better and was glad to rejoin us. we all went in search of food. we did not however eat at any french bistro. instead for our valentine's dinner we went to a chinese restaurant, that's right, in france. that night was the first time evan bought me dinner. we actually split something from the menu, but he did technically pay for it which in some cultures is considered a date.

coming next thursday to a computer near you...
PART 5: A BIRTHDAY TO REMEMER
(the real first date)

RAISE THE BAR, AN ADDENDUM...

adelaide wanted to share her own words of encouragement for your test...

daddy,
you seriously have to take a 3-day test?
that's crazy!

but if it has to be done,
i know you will do great!

i'll let you in on a little secret,
if you don't know, just guess "a" for adelaide

remember to sit back and lounge around a bit
when you are done with each day's sections

and most importantly hurry up and finish
so we can celebrate and play!

RAISE THE BAR...

for 63 days evan has been getting ready for the bar exam.

well, really it started long before that...

from 1988-2001 evan went to school and learned what he was supposed to learn.

from 2001-2005 he went to college and earn his degree in political science.

he didn't always know he would be an attorney. i remember when he first felt that law school might be the next step. at some point during undergrad he told me he thought he might be being led to apply to law school. i remember praying and talking about it. i remember that unsure feeling of not knowing what the future held, but also the comforting feeling of knowing that i was committed to stand next to evan's side wherever we were led. and so...

from 2005-2008 he went to law school classes, earned his law degree, completed internships, and got an offer with a great firm in houston.

from may 7-july 7 he attended a barbri review course and listened to lecture after lecture reviewing all he learned in law school courses while filling out hundreds of study outlines.

for the past 3 weeks he has completed morning, afternoon, and evening study sessions 7 days a week only breaking for meals, church, and our one-day anniversary trip to san antonio. through all of this he has still made it a priority to make sure adelaide and i know how much he loves us and why he is working so hard.

i am totally exhausted just watching him study. i can't even comprehend how he has crammed so much knowledge into one brain and continued to persevere day after day.

and now, the big test is finally here. for the next 3 days he will work to put down on paper all he has worked so hard to learn.

throughout these days we are praying for...
God's peace through all parts of the test
the ability to recall the facts and all he has studied
endurance to finish strong
a restful night's sleep at the end of each day

"and we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light."
-colossians 1:10-12

we are so proud of all you have done to prepare and can't wait to cheer with you on thursday night when you are d-o-n-e!

MY FAVORITE SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER...

enjoy this short film starring the "buster of blocks."

*if you are looking for a baby gift i highly recommend these blocks. each cube is incredibly detailed and interactive. as a parent i can promise you they will be a hit. as a teacher i am impressed with how they incorporated the alphabet in such a fun manner. thanks gk and mel!

EVAN FOR ATTORNEY...

it's been quite some time since i ran for student council in middle school and then for class officer in high school. but i remember those day of buying poster board in bulk and spending hours decoratively writing "annalee for treasurer" on each one like they were yesterday. and it's a good thing i still got my mad poster making skillz because they were needed in our home this week.







this poster making session was for a little campaign i like to call "evan for attorney." after weeks of offering to make posters (inspired by the ones jeremy from the bachelorette had used to study for his bar) evan finally took me up on it. so far they have been helpful for reviewing, but his favorite part is that i misspelled several words on them.

writing in cute fonts and poster making abilities- i got.
how to spell legal terms and knowing what in the world any of them mean- i don't.

OUR LIFELONG CONVERSATION (PART 3)...

PART 3: THE EVOLUTION OF "BUS BUDDIES"

the first saturday we were in england, i was just waking up and trying to decide what to do with the day when kristen knocked on my door and invited me to go for a walk with her and some others at a nearby park. i eagerly said yes and jumped out of bed right away (something that rarely happens) to get ready. there was no way i was missing out on a chance for social interaction.

i went downstairs and saw her and a few others hanging out in the common room. i wasn't sure who was actually going for the walk at this point but as we made our way outside i realized that mark and evan were the only other 2 joining us. we all walked and talked and strolled through university parks. somewhere along the trail we passed kyle and camille and the kids who were also out for a mid-day walk. we stopped to chat with them for a while.

(years later kyle came across this photo and sent it to us,
quite proud that he had been the very first to take a picture with both evan and me in it)

after that weekend, the first full week in oxford wasn't easy. we were all still adjusting to jetlag and i was unsure how i felt about the aspects of this new setting. i loved parts of it but was definitely experiencing a strong case of homesickness (something i hadn't fully felt since i was 10 years old at camp skyridge). i took colin and chloe for long walks in their stroller to pass the time. we sang and danced to the philadelphia chickens daily. i tried to pleasantly adapt. some days were better than others.

by the weekend though i was extremely thankful for another invitation from kristen, this time to go into london with her and some friends. as we walked to the bus station early on saturday morning there were 5 of us: mark, kristen, val, evan, and me. mark and kristen naturally sat together, i think val decided to take a nap on a seat by herself, which left evan and me sitting next to one another on a bus seat for more than an hour of uninterrupted conversation. by the time we arrived i already knew lots more about this guy. i also quickly discovered the more i found out about him, the more i wanted to know.

we got off the oxford tube at notting hill station. we made our way through the crowds at portobello market ready to browse through block after block of vendors. we set a time to meet at the end of the street. i thought that meant we would all separate and shop on our own. evan had a different idea of what that meant and thought we were all still staying somewhat near each other. he spent much of the hour trying to find where i went wanting to make sure all 3 of us girls were safe. when we met back up he told me he couldn't find where i went and gave me the nickname "sneaky pete" because he thought i was too good at disappearing into the crowd (later he shortened it to just "pete" and called me that for months).

the rest of our day trip to london was filled with sightseeing, seeing blood brothers at a west end theatre, and familiarizing ourselves with the city we would return to many saturdays that semester. that evening we walked along london bridge. i convinced everyone to throw a 1p (pence) over the bridge and we each made our own wish. we all agreed that you couldn't tell anyone what you wished for unless it came true (little did i know that my wish would actually be granted and sooner than expected). then we found our bus stop and climbed back on the oxford tube that would take us to our home away from home. it was late, we were tired, and evan decided to spread the love and sit next to val on the way home. don't worry about me, i didn't have to sit by myself. an intoxicated english scholar sat down in the open spot and told me in ridiuclous detail about her recent discovery of some insect species. thankfully i didn't pass out from her breath.

(L- the other 4 standing by tower bridge after we made our wishes)

(R- me, val, and evan at dinner,
please look how ridiculously far i am leaning in, haha)

another week was passing by and as the weekend approached a different group was making plans for a saturday trip to london. some of the girls i had gotten to know on our floor had invited me to join them and i said yes. when i agreed to go with them, i didn't know their guy friends next door were inviting others to come and evan had also already said yes.

the computer lab was in house #10 (the guys' house) on the ground floor. friday night before i went to bed i walked over to check my email. the lab was empty except for 2 others, mark and evan. i ask them what they are doing the next day. mark tells me he is hanging around oxford. evan says he is going to london. i tell him i am too and when he asks who i am going with i tell him, "rosalyn and them." he says he is going with them too. how convenient, i think to myself. (warning- if you ever thought i might have been somewhat smooth here comes the part of the story that you no longer will) i say how much fun i had riding next to him the weekend before on the bus and jokingly ask if he will be my "bus buddy" again this saturday (please try not to be jealous of my gift with words). i wait for evan's response. i remember mark suddenly looking up from his computer to see how this was going to unfold. and then evan laughs and says, "yeah, of course." from that point we always knew who we'd be sitting next to when we traveled and it was quite an excellent arrangement.

(L- the girls in london
the second saturday)

(R- some of the other people in our group arriving in london that day)

a sneak peek of what's to come next thursday...
PART 4: VALENTINE'S DAY IN THE CITY OF LOVE
(or at least somewhat near it)

SHEER DELIGHT...

DELIGHT yourself in the LORD
and he will give YOU
the DESIRES of your heart.

-psalm 37:4

A and A in ABILENE...

our latest road trip was to one of my favorite places, abilene.
on monday, right after adelaide's 6 month well check, we hit the road running.
we listened to a soundtrack of tears over having to buckle up (adelaide not me),
radio static (to soothe those tears), and old school cds to keep us company along the way.

when we arrived our first stop was cajun cones
for the finest shaved ice served by the finest worker, aunt sk.
adelaide loved the ice but she spit out a bite with cotton candy syrup on it.

we spent a lot of time outside soaking up the sun
and enjoying the fantastic new backyard accessories.

bill and hazanne joined us for many meals and
it was fun for me to get a lot of time with my grandparents too.

all that fun in the sun was a little tiring so it's a good thing akm will sleep anywhere.
her poppa should be proud that she will be able to go camping with him.

tuesday morning we woke up and helped fold towels.
then we drove out to tuscola for an abilene teacher reunion at laurie's house.
i loved finally seeing the irby's new home, meeting the baby carter and caden,
and getting to catch up with sweet friends from fannin.

miss priss got to show off one of her first summer outfit made by grammy.
sk and i thought adelaide should wear the too tall bloomers on their own,
but for some reason mom insisted we add the dress.

sarah beth came over and as always it was great to see her,
i especially loved hearing about all the wedding details.
rubey and erika stopped into hotel lutt for the night on their way to colorado.

we all dined on pizza rolls at a picnic, then for our slumber party entertainment
sk taught us how to make shrinky dink jewelry.

wednesday's field trip was to the newly renovated abilene zoo. it is awesome.
sara kate and i loved seeing all the animals and remembering countless past trips to the zoo.
adelaide liked listening to all the noises and loved staring at the running water in each cage.

we visited the creepy crawler exhibit just in case we hadn't had enough snake time lately
and even came face to face with our fears while touching a king snake.

then that night we went to hillcrest and saw the new auditorium and nursery, wow!
we also got to spend time with special family friends.












thanks to the fam for a fun, carefree week!
we love you.