Amy's Trip to Houston!!

Amy planned a spur of the moment trip to Houston last Thursday night so she brought Molly and Parker for a little weekend getaway. I was planning on running the Houston half marathon that Sunday but due to a neck injury my doctor said I couldn't run in the marathon, so my weekend was wide open, a perfect weekend for them to come. We had so much fun! Friday night we did some shopping and eating at one of our favorite restaurants. Saturday morning we loaded up and went to Terry Hershey park for a long walk and stopped by the playground so Molly could swing and slide. She had a blast and was a little sad to leave the park. Jerrod was with us and he brought along Rhodie for a short run. It was the perfect weather. Then we headed to city center for some more shopping. Amy bought me a pair of Lululemon running shorts for my birthday, which I am in love with. We headed back to our place for some lunch and nap time for Molly. It was nice just relaxing a few hours. Parker laid with me on the couch while I was watching tv, I enjoyed our snuggle time :) He's such a happy baby! We got ready, did a little shopping, then we met Rivers for dinner at Collina's. It's one of our favorite Houston restaurants, they have amazing homemade pizzas and you can bring your own wine. We had dinner, talked, and just enjoyed hanging out and the kids were happy catmpers… it was fun! Sunday we met Carter, Laura and Charlotte at the Houston Zoo for the morning. The kids loved it, and it was another gorgeous day. And of course they HAD to ride the train… Molly kept saying choo choo mommy…. choo choo lol. We ate at Fuddruckers and then headed back to our place so Amy could pack up the car and head home. She was a trooper making the 3 hour drive by herself with 2 babies but we really appreciate it!! We had so much fun and I can't wait to do it again. I am so glad we are close and can hang out on the weekends now :) Love you Amy!!!! Here are a few of my iPhone pics but Amy has some much better pictures on her blog here.

I know this picture is blurry but it was so cute! He was going crazy jumping!

Blessings,

Amanda

Reflections from Amanda

I know it's been about two months since we last posted something on the blog. Part of it is laziness and busyness, and part of it is I don't know what to write. I know sometimes when we lived in Kenya we were bad about updating our blog, but since we've been back I think we have both been at a loss for words. Our life now seems so mundane, and uneventful, maybe just not very interesting. We had cool stories or pictures in Kenya, it seemed so much easier to blog. Every day was an adventure in Kenya and everyday we had to completely rely on the Lord to get through every moment of every day. I think that's the biggest difference, that's the hardest part of being back in Texas. People are constantly asking me how it's been being back, and I kind of have mixed emotions about it. A part of me (well most of me) is THRILLED! I'm loving being back, seeing family a lot more often, have fun with friends, and earning money again. But part of me misses Kenya, the beautiful people, best friends still there, the awesome scenery outside the city, the ministry each day and feeling like you are making an impact in this world. Even though at times it felt so overwhelming. I know the grass is always greener on the other side, and I definitely think that quote is so true. There were so many days in Kenya I would be overwhelmed, lonely, completely frustrated with the culture and couldn't wait to hop on the plane to come back. I mean, their culture was inefficient, there were things they did or ways of thinking that completely pissed me off and didn't make any sense to me. Our "western" way of thinking is obviously right and makes way more sense. Ha (completely sarcastic). But in a way, I would LOVE to go back to the "simple" way of life. Not rushing around each week, only seeing my husband about 2-3 hours a day, working all the time just for the next "break" or "7 day vacation". I'm not saying I'm ready to move back, I'm not at all. I really have enjoyed being back but I'm just letting you in on how I feel every now and then. These thoughts have definitely gone through my head. I know the Lord has us where we are for a reason, and I have really enjoyed family and friends, and all the fun things Jerrod and I have done these last six months of being home. I just want to rely on God like I did in Kenya. I have really been struggling spiritually these last few months. I feel so independent, like I don't need God in the same capacity like I did in Kenya, which is so FALSE! But I wonder how many people in America really do feel that way? If you haven't experienced complete dependency on Christ before, you think you got it all covered. You don't need anyone's help. I need Jesus. PERIOD. I need Him every moment of everyday. And the hard truth is, He hasn't gone anywhere, I have just pushed Him to the side and said "I got this, but I'll turn to you when I really need you". Shame on me. He is my Savior, and deserves to be a part of every decision, thought, action, and moment of every day. So hear is to 2014, learning how to live in America again, and completely trusting Him again in this new life of ours. It's not ours anyway, we live for Him. This world is not our home. Thank goodness! I hope this made some sort of sense, and spoke to one person out there. My mind is going 100 directions right now...it was a long day at work, but I felt like I was supposed to write this :)

Blessings,
Amanda