tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-247298372024-03-12T20:04:21.160-07:00Our LifeColehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24729837.post-42315642227689343902007-07-15T12:22:00.000-07:002007-07-15T12:38:20.744-07:00College Hiking Trip<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6wwTsjl9xG09QOgY5QEaMN-Bam5MMrDKOvc_-BArmOCln8fXM6cjQPbr8zfd8nd_eDKrrF-Pr-BhfdAe2zAE87u0PwHISC1mTmHdo8aecZw-Z2Ha1YIImMwQUn5r3yenRu9l/s1600-h/100_1048.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087509389728997058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6wwTsjl9xG09QOgY5QEaMN-Bam5MMrDKOvc_-BArmOCln8fXM6cjQPbr8zfd8nd_eDKrrF-Pr-BhfdAe2zAE87u0PwHISC1mTmHdo8aecZw-Z2Ha1YIImMwQUn5r3yenRu9l/s400/100_1048.JPG" border="0" /></a> On Saturday, we took a group of 34 international students hiking for the day. We went to Tunica Hills, which is right on the border of LA and MS and is only about 2 hours from New Orleans. Louisiana is pretty flat so I wasn't so sure how great the hiking would be, but the area was absolutely beautiful and had great hiking. We hiked for about 3 hours and of course it rained almost the whole time! We didn't mind the rain, though, because it was better than being blazing hot like usual! <div><div><div><div><div><div><div></div><br /><div>All the students enjoyed themselves and did really well on the hike. I was nervous about twisted ankles and snake bites, but God kept us all safe so we were able to enjoy the day! :) It was a great opportunity to have good conversation with these students, many of whom we had never met. Please continue to pray that God would use Chad and I to share His Word and that His Name would be glorified!</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087508114123710050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRTmUEJeW-UmHwgkuzwjJnWy1bG8txvQg0xS5tgd_crOdiohsTb7c4SwAXVFknl1xjW2vcvCX4ORvp71AUhAJYKhcKv58rs_jYe31KI3Ep11HTSJJVlBMCozfwuZJMt_YQBli1/s400/100_1021.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087508358936845938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6UWZV_4-9l5yzh6b4Mt5ON9TOCMxQu7hc0o2tqpY2mYxt_mOOHOgtIgwFFgDX49YRkk43nSrJx9tZJZurPorqAMgM-tJlAUn_meQTEVoWMSK_Lk2cmHBlxBm-l0-Bun99PJBO/s400/100_1022.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087508560800308866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNa1KKQGsQHyzu7A8qO4IEiTyHVzgRZRpRASuy67JoSK2CQJffUcyWTga5JoP0CZkxg061gkgIR6ojDIHyHNgkSBJ_gzgYz7CwWFxPxJAbykrCj4mkUuNuRuwo8ROKttc0P0q/s400/100_1028.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087508779843640978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjS_Nhp7Nx4kmt9kEdgElQxjzgy_TLtgHJDwJ62Ghuuo4d6SSYwq4T6gPombnwhTSwcUwpJic-vmEpVGllGxLn4updYO_Wv4FFtdK36JXlg1OPCDaql0h6JKAL8YeqDp6aLBst/s400/100_1036.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087508955937300130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOs6wfZ8qgdpsRbVtxzXTcW8IrCQO4TgGbFwjdR_JRWVv4GrfyTgHX0uEDrMGBrIURMpwBde2eECbc6Ix2ZjOM0v8ZvSHYCjdBy0aJrVR0MO89k3Y4SewMlKiOoaz3BbAJmy5G/s400/100_1044.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087509174980632242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwPl9gaWsYVieYnV_0QBkFqOmwd74tAvPbdb7W62d09HjH0ZxljK2Qa50oFG_KK6zOqNIsS75Pq5AzttkFHjlI7rX_nnig1JKn9Whmp2vTWZ4-jK1BJmb5tcXtw18TAYHdG4F/s400/100_1047.JPG" border="0" /> <div></div><div> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24729837.post-16062824357064385892007-07-13T14:52:00.000-07:002007-07-13T15:26:05.829-07:004th Anniversary!!Yesterday Chad and I celebrated our 4th anniversary! I can't believe we have been married 4 years . . . they have been kind of crazy (Doulos, Katrina), but we've been so blessed and have had a great time together!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGiArlt1a0fLSOh3u_GP_U_qLsSsoWP89P1DlyW1Vv4_9giZwJCU2m99uAgPK5FmEal1745f_H8ZCIkseQ25dd-g2guRk47BsWLOK9lJo2od01w3ZI4kndDtVWj682ZThcllT/s1600-h/100_1015.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086806428136693266" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGiArlt1a0fLSOh3u_GP_U_qLsSsoWP89P1DlyW1Vv4_9giZwJCU2m99uAgPK5FmEal1745f_H8ZCIkseQ25dd-g2guRk47BsWLOK9lJo2od01w3ZI4kndDtVWj682ZThcllT/s320/100_1015.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We don't ever get each other prizes for our anniversary because we usually like to go out to eat somewhere new instead, but Chad sort of broke the rule (I didn't mind) and got me beautiful roses for the office and for home! What a sweetheart!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxZoS5Q4NzO3OUg_UJaaGk3TL8Up-8yly4YHa3D-gLL19NLGYKd6pLY7XtYCAr6-kmLdcxGwlWa-E32toi57LivFu-z1AoaB3FwTWw2UOEpBM03dH4RpYuqw3LbwMzFeyfsHA/s1600-h/100_1001.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086807716626882130" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxZoS5Q4NzO3OUg_UJaaGk3TL8Up-8yly4YHa3D-gLL19NLGYKd6pLY7XtYCAr6-kmLdcxGwlWa-E32toi57LivFu-z1AoaB3FwTWw2UOEpBM03dH4RpYuqw3LbwMzFeyfsHA/s320/100_1001.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We got all dressed up and went to a little Italian restaurant in the Quarter called Irene's. Thanks to our great friends Owen, Amanda and Austyn Nease, we had a gift card so we could splerge a little! The restaurant is really beautiful with a real cozy feel and isn't very touristy.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknDBd2TgCzU7FFqfSzV34jHq-qJqmXReSdKQCejhD5Krpd6Lzf22CP3Ij63_FHvVrAd8Unl8DkB3UKMCnaqXxTc_4nxwIcoiIqU-prYHvy_gQ_S-AJwvomRTGm5JZ6-Squzjy/s1600-h/100_1002.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086806909173030450" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknDBd2TgCzU7FFqfSzV34jHq-qJqmXReSdKQCejhD5Krpd6Lzf22CP3Ij63_FHvVrAd8Unl8DkB3UKMCnaqXxTc_4nxwIcoiIqU-prYHvy_gQ_S-AJwvomRTGm5JZ6-Squzjy/s320/100_1002.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We had Oysters Irene for an appetizer . . . they kind of looked like loaded potato skins except it was an oyster on the half shell . . . very delicious! Chad ordered the duck and I got cannolloni. Both were really good, but I think Chad made the best choice! We were debating whether to get a dessert until our waitress Nora said they had creole cheesecake . . . You see Chad and I have decided to find the best cheesecake in New Orleans so we had to get a piece . . . right?! I wanted to ask Nora to take our picture and I joked with Chad that maybe if I told her it was our anniversary that she would give us our cheesecake for free. Sure enough, she brought us the BEST cheesecake we've had so far . . . compliments of Irene!!<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086807106741526082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYhB2MFDttZMPSIxPMoEtJvcB26mad3xCbRdZTSP-59Fpc4ap6G0G-obY4hSUZizaHwKapRJd0eA4Ie_kC8V074ipQ0WjDooA9zyylSVngtEzDLlIlvMvmeadcJ94YUTO476OW/s400/100_1003.JPG" border="0" /><br />We had a fabulous dinner and loved Irene's. It was also a great time to relfect on the last 4 years. A couple sitting close to us came up to the table as they were leaving . . . they said they were betting that we were on our honeymoon! I was proud to tell her that we were celebrating 4 years! What a compliment!<br /><br />After dinner, we went home to finish watching season 1 of The Office, which was our joint anniversary prize, even though we don't get prizes!! All in all it was a wonderful anniversary!<br /><br />Hopefully we will have some pictures of our Orlando trip soon. I let my mom do all the picture taking so I have to get them from her. Also to come, pictures from our hiking trip tomorrow . . . we are taking 43 . . . yes 43 . . . international students hiking for the day!!Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24729837.post-85500045829177029222007-06-28T14:58:00.000-07:002007-06-28T15:26:17.809-07:00Day at the Beach!<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>Last Saturday we took a group of 27 people to Gulf Shores for a day at the beach. It was so fun and absolutely beautiful! The 20 students were all international students so it was great getting to know them and see them interact with each other. There were 8 different countries represented! We even had one guy from Romainia come that was afraid of water . . . I guess he just needed to get out of New Orleans! I have lots of pictures so hopefully they communicate how much fun we had better than I could tell you.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div align="center">We set up a tent for those that wanted to hang in the shade.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081241797411094578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="241" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbU7ZNu5h6EKU2MrEgWhoHBrDiPUp9V8UAMVnoThhSQ-6TShIDe45XuFh5G3V0PyH2fMwbqgIcfb7ZeuOsT5_WyFpGH5-V-2O9aveZ35X3MAukUZTR6VbLs1fNzyoTYRtaxzIe/s320/100_0953.JPG" width="320" border="0" /> <div></div><div align="center">The Gilberts!</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081242360051810370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHg2rnzLv2Irx_ECgcWbMHt2C8PjjPc-y2xbGANQ5-RetiIYTinpR3aDYY50tAYps9yIFWBUcse4xIbiy35X9JttouSBFYQD8BnXMfj09qTgyT7xkyNTq3tuYPE2VuUFK3aUv4/s320/100_0957.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div align="center">Me and Laura (from Columbia)</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081242518965600338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRgSUfOFbqsnXUPLKU1kW7NECdoXNBOYmG48wihq8mTNEN-QBJ4KrL9wXhSvpgAuh7JKSaOjWCfk1Qr-9RDPdTXaGMYPPQgMVy1hsjAcJWXCBEoghhB-w4cy2zByABAid06p6/s320/100_0958.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div>I love this picture . . . when would you ever see 2 guys from China, 1 from Trinidad and 1 from Austria talking and sitting in a circle on the beach!</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081242802433441890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaoKA4I-5CkZEnXhT7Xezr8-9opmo0FoTOh3LLyjMYQ8h-UuSu79IXL3Mjvk1YndjeJifvvtJh2sZWApYI60necm_-SNdVBglEysVqJjVPQKYeV1LaR0del-gGzP9Lv-US0GAt/s320/100_0960.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div align="center">3 of the girls getting to know each other.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081242944167362674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAn83ybqqNjJSP1vPVzCyj4J5P1JXH6_4yzryCDdbzwucuijUXFM73DKL3JeBNaHKILeeolh8upKXFmIz1O3WmqEmdBvLXlZJrIl4iSyv-Pm27RrDZVVQQ1xhNxlUXUqur8gvH/s320/100_0961.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div align="center">Nadia and Christian from Ecuador.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081243081606316162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXEUCnF7yQftI0Ur6K4ETxpxbUHQhbwXQ3pxs-_RqZ-B62BookTVO7gS6jYukzuts2RmWHWaEpjq-tbv_ZyoSbOSjofhd_V8sYtOb18e52W2G7yI1ylktp-XV8cuEhYve1EBuC/s320/100_0962.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div align="center">Lei was getting bored so the guys buried him in the sand.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081243257699975314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_C_vUqbOJwONBeJqkSarmBNq6L3xVNKrtT8FdfGt-T6_Kbc_gGjuHxXTjzbbXKZ4JTcdrAmEoVPwdXtc38IVm-BgvY6sg0gUj3T6ACN75jKTv_UJyKMFAKvpInSXjKiRWEk9Q/s320/100_0976.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div align="center">Here are all the guys that came with us.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081243425203699874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlFFElKjCbTU4PL2iTuTFjaeQwCtVBYk15SzOIuy3v_fYS1bCif5KucsB9yv8fBzP1LSpQWGeDLWiTwz5eU9vRb7NTf4NTTgmYGK5QKlVhLtbC_4Vh0z-vawuzDQVUbWj_5el/s400/100_0979.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div align="center">And all the ladies that came along.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081243605592326322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQV0BEsPAZuVJoEcszcMoyuFhPBvW2SZZDinMZlG2Y1scECkHC5RrWhbzRghh5rCGixLD9_JaOzyamP7nlJ7UYkaEIe2_Tm8Zbc-rthyphenhyphenOeHxgbcAdoePMdaVy_yryKXYuAG6WE/s400/100_0981.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div align="center">What a great group!</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5081244284197159106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEillyk-JbYcFlNlhQH6ahhcuIf98tqFWWqicW-2JW0bf53cvpcDGvlrpYwjTCeteUqlXppoWaBsZMNaqRPqh7BpXqg1vxZVONWmvunylI-GTPn_eUe0UcG4u8cCSZoTyYuhjDst/s400/100_0983.JPG" border="0" /> <div></div><div>The trip was so encouraging for Chad and I! We love hanging out with these students and getting to know more about their countries and cultures. They are so brave to come to the US, not to mention to go to the beach with a bunch of strangers. Speaking of the beach . . . Chad and I are headed to Orlando tomorrow to vacation with my family!! We're so excited and some rest is much needed!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24729837.post-61076414003609497532007-06-21T14:35:00.000-07:002007-06-21T14:55:38.622-07:00Dads and another cute baby!<div><div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6N27worFPrpZJ4DaSJ5fqbdSv2Abe6Dl4xzrrzPb9FYlgwYxzRtpibvpn2ZSnKblmPY3SVNLKiaR08tHXaOCRXunCfu9DS_rYVMeyZOC5a7PRQifoDNAkjm7qvQlrihai1vB/s1600-h/100_0933.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078638168851580370" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv6N27worFPrpZJ4DaSJ5fqbdSv2Abe6Dl4xzrrzPb9FYlgwYxzRtpibvpn2ZSnKblmPY3SVNLKiaR08tHXaOCRXunCfu9DS_rYVMeyZOC5a7PRQifoDNAkjm7qvQlrihai1vB/s320/100_0933.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Two weekends ago, Chad and I made a spontaneous trip to north Mississippi. My dad was going to be there visiting his family, it was my dad's birthday, we hadn't seen the family since October and we had a 7 week old cousin that we had never met. It was great to be able to get away and to see all the family for the weekend. Kate, our cousin, was the best baby and is such a cute little girl.</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;">Dad is going to be a great grandpa someday!</span></div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078638319175435746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijDDYDFVVRUbzO_YIwLdN_e2p7iJQSXmZ4nn6vqS6XMdRZCl1zu0CU0ZjT-Aj23h7qUEXWVaxyO0CpAxviL6JIn5FlEmxA3BhH3mPGiP6GyRVD1CLNKX9wIGK_XHaUQcS5A1kh/s320/100_0925.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU9HPP1v53oY9h_FDmHok1TeETWEvOtTDCLhB_iBPCOA0eoPhdw_N3cw5R6cqdAVeMmmJPkIqagHYEZHXM8gbLxm3ONCYhr29s0Zus0Pk8_zFozy59M8qxDk9-eTjg1t23E-zj/s1600-h/100_0936.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078638546808702450" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU9HPP1v53oY9h_FDmHok1TeETWEvOtTDCLhB_iBPCOA0eoPhdw_N3cw5R6cqdAVeMmmJPkIqagHYEZHXM8gbLxm3ONCYhr29s0Zus0Pk8_zFozy59M8qxDk9-eTjg1t23E-zj/s320/100_0936.JPG" border="0" /></a>So I mentioned that it was my dad's birthday. He has the biggest sweet tooth this side of the Mississippi and a mom that spoils him, which means that he had two banana puddings and a german chocolate cake waiting for him when he arrived. For some reason I didn't think about us having candles and singing, so when I got hungry in the afternoon, I just took a good number of bites of the amazing german chocolate cake. Well, you can see in the picture that I slightly messed up the take-a-picture-with-your-cake-and-candles thing. Oh well, the cake was really just that good!!</div><br /><br /><div></div><div></div><div>For Father's Day, we decided to meet Chad's family in Baton Rouge to do some grilling. I didn't really understand why Mr. Boone was cooking for us on Father's Day, but Chad said he loves cooking/grilling so much that we should just let him. I really think Chad just loves eating what his dad cooks!! The girls played cards while the boys threw the football and Mr. Boone slaved away over the grill. We had a feast of steaks, baked potatoes, corn, salad, rolls and brownies. What a great day! Chad and I are both blessed with incredible dads!</div><div> </div></div></div></div></div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078638787326871042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpli7-Cvv2JLo0f50Hd2Gdbi-dMkrpo-AzAE2fcqkOnPPPqgSh5LFycQDAPP2I8QIanzf2rkvdW3PCBis1tuk2C47rl1C91gLOy2BR8zRhxZk7gvgXyuS2kAN_Gel8FqERHcPl/s320/100_0942.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078638937650726418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPXMmm4GDbXCO9Fq7N-OQPbJW_BpBG9xOHrTV1nJh8gOKjL1DSzKg2lnt7jF4o6gtUxsLbw8AZk5uTlwJ84uOv9wCDT7WifZeJy9k_cvUth9qoEBXC9g5-zd4TT3oMIOn2pPb/s320/100_0944.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078639100859483682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJnoKz1vDWdR-pTVDk1vHvh3pl2_ReZHefWRqhTlXIvrv8cFILt7TYvo0rmilAyf1Nfa8MxLCoE9EjRfKcOk0x7aNZG7CraCUIBtHHUTU17Lx4Bje4A330ujvrUACNX_41XvHA/s320/100_0948.JPG" border="0" />Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24729837.post-79129244485174536872007-06-21T14:17:00.000-07:002007-06-21T14:33:48.883-07:00Noah Langford<div><div><div><div><div><span style="font-size:130%;">How cute is this little guy?!</span> </div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078632503789716866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MJ6VfYL_W5J3RB6FAl1IL8HjhgLXZ_rJaG8W-LGC9BwZ5VwSbITW1UEbOoI2oOvyixtE0k-PFY2nRJij43RyoPr6dcLq-Vp9chr7FWo16lGgR1ipn2HBFpPvyvLas96iL1-X/s400/100_0917.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAx3u9p-9Tk7cTbomjyG-dOyJd6q87yuFDtd5_dRrsrX8rF__WNYVNRN52i1i283ynpBzG8e0wSW-N2rTp0RxxKnQPmIdd3Sf8jdFGPEj89SxHqteM3R7jAjNCcJWv_oHcv5zF/s1600-h/100_0918.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078632959056250258" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAx3u9p-9Tk7cTbomjyG-dOyJd6q87yuFDtd5_dRrsrX8rF__WNYVNRN52i1i283ynpBzG8e0wSW-N2rTp0RxxKnQPmIdd3Sf8jdFGPEj89SxHqteM3R7jAjNCcJWv_oHcv5zF/s320/100_0918.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Our friends, Justin and Melinda, are now parents, which is so crazy! Noah was born on May 30th at 6 lbs. 5 ozs. He is so cute and such a good baby. We have gotten to visit a lot since they live on campus, just down the street from us. Justin and Chad have been friends since 8th grade . . . they've been together through high school, college, and now seminary!</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><div></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;">Doesn't Chad look like a natural?!</span></div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078633178099582370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjVhsUdFpJruyOksetr_6FufJ26iX4Epf25SwjPS26Hm2nzKaC7ES__CGs8mYKeBHX1JfO3Z1N_qFX7ZqLl9Cs9ZlFbFHHG09M0y_ozuiEJjnT3ILr2NzUkxytTcT3ip2R34Kp/s320/100_0919.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078633332718405042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWF5w-2lFjXvPL3KiWqcOUB8JmsnPRv7djdtmlGMtSZIDU78obgZ80HshseSiQjJZ5ZzAmH2YM6JxVQSAv5Aaq79K_Tc-dSK-7y5jeCDJi8OqNX7zVVHPSyAVo61yn-ZAgpj-/s320/100_0924.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div></div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7fSkigLEmA3PNpDsocAu9sK2jgtJv2L2lKm5v5L0lqsTGaqa6gcVFkolkCRsdpMQNYPA65xe3HHXaJeyluUB6xVkTROaW-I95fvWe5DgtjslY8u10BieRb_zfUpR-0qLcLFE/s1600-h/100_0941.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078633483042260418" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7fSkigLEmA3PNpDsocAu9sK2jgtJv2L2lKm5v5L0lqsTGaqa6gcVFkolkCRsdpMQNYPA65xe3HHXaJeyluUB6xVkTROaW-I95fvWe5DgtjslY8u10BieRb_zfUpR-0qLcLFE/s320/100_0941.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div>Speaking of Chad . . . I have to brag on my wonderful husband. I've been a bit stressed out at work the past two weeks so Chad has had to be very patient with me. One day he came in my office and put a paper sack on my desk. I love prizes so I was really excited. To my surprise, I pulled out a bottle of the moisturizer that I use each morning. I was almost out of it, but I didn't plan on buying another bottle for myself even though I love this lotion. So Chad noticed that it was almost gone and ordered me another bottle. How sweet and thoughtful is that?! I'm blessed!</div></div></div></div></div>Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24729837.post-6376388797379343842007-06-05T14:40:00.000-07:002007-06-05T15:05:16.687-07:00Party Time!<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">Going Away Party for the Neases :(</span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072702335069947122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZx-6zBbYJLKrgLAsV3kQQw3I-QWwqDYlUUdQwTzODRdAajzWKclUmgm7z_IPLy45JkKf_zpl7NIFPOucamhCnoocpcqnrAorc6gRQ3hKy1Fuucou7skS04GZqe9JfjZQLUMQS/s400/100_0897.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><div>Last Friday night we had lots of friends over to the apartment for a going away party for our great friends Owen, Amanda, and Austyn Nease. They are moving to Oklahoma for a great ministry opportunity and we are really excited for them, but as Amanda would say, "This time is bittersweet, but I'm still at the bitter." They are such a great couple and its been so fun watching Austyn grow up so we are really missing them already. </div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072702657192494338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPO18Bo24GbhHW_9-5txbtgOKJ-trF6PNbT49KroRoCkGIRJ-ScdfN4413gb1WrxVYtgtG89XhdNZJz9XTwxKzUcvvyLjyt7bwxKHHfM5zuMPpEJnrJA9_MHbPxxqjSp1OxfB/s320/100_0881.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>The party was really fun . . . I think in total we had 27 people and 6 babies/kids at the house, which I might add is not that big. It was tight quarters for a while, but I don't think anyone minded! Evidently though, our party wasn't wild enough to keep our friend Jason from snoozing on the couch!! He had a long day of work so we didn't hold it against him, we just took pictures instead!</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072702854760989970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1XXTdIJM7yj-0Ynn0kg125xxVsjrlmLNv1VTSrFo-PWG0foFV5wgVY4HwgGV-04gbnWAt7a6AHAxze6HB6O4xXJJzEi64cz-S9LwO2e9V3QO37QXsdh_PfBXu6WaSptxVeDeo/s320/100_0893.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div>Chad and I did realize, however, that this party signaled the transition from having mostly friends that are married to now having several friends with kids and more on the way. It was a new dynamic for us . . . not that we don't love the kiddos, but it was just that we realized that the season of our life and those around us is changing.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072703095279158562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFUkAJrix8gJrE3PR9cCUOyOj78spAa6HRVk3fjSB6KDfyezIma4i2Cr_RrgzKo44HY5AerOUqDbdb4pxM_z-tSrIXApYhIj8FFt6XWs-9LZC9KGbFwjWb7JXNKrvtk4Y74cl/s320/100_0894.JPG" border="0" /> Austyn has Chad wrapped around her finger!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072703275667785010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7883o7G3hC6V6XKJaCtqWjyaXezhHz_HxQXTTxPJEZKMyxgO0nTuZXqp0iCuTuDuNnP5XUA503kZXhI8AF4f-utcekGRwCuRKUjDFjj0tM0abMdwpeHSou6AnL9FFLZm7pK1i/s320/100_0879.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;">Graduation Party for Blake</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></div><div>On Saturday we drove over to Lafayette to celebrate Blake's high school graduation. It was a really great day. Mrs. Tina had lots of good food, not to mention that Mr. Boone made the best crawfish etouffee I've ever had for lunch! We had the party for Blake in the afternoon and then went to his graduation at 7 pm. Blake's class has 450 students so Chad and I ended up leaving after the G's so we could head back to NOLA. Way to go, Blake!!</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072703692279612738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghpuY8RafNy48Q8QucJ_snzhCSsxJ5WMWH4Ku0Mhvy7LMCWVOvlEk7RvBFHE9QKGKbkTq2-W1o2-cWUfrWd0sfn81dmj3G2YhhXTWaw7BOP7mHjfs1MVWade7gHkkNL_Qy5tI1/s320/100_0899.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><br /><div>Blake and his best friend/brother Andrew</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072703864078304594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEOoTxrI6DS-CX9rpdZ4hFGiVj8kNp1vLFwD1jvgqdG0YNaV26IIk1JwPYIHWtAVOhZp1mV332X6js3OBAdxHFC9xnEFz_lPXELDc1eKzonl_8jCg3W8Xcsvj1SOBGXfbvZFw/s320/100_0910.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div>Chad and I with Blake</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072704014402159970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTXqZhEg-hhkUNaOMAqvWOpYzZoVctjUc8vv2r2DGrcxGVULqsvaxuMibCgAaJ4uJnONUrLvo3CXYO3PzS5RPk5ec6c6JgCqBUIhUH981W3xvwhBcxl12UkfxMM59HGF1pBr4H/s320/100_0913.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div>The Siblings . . . aren't they cute!</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072704203380721010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFC2Hfv9AMyrtTU0RyHIuPRUn09ITsdNtyfpD_glG2kz1BdyGxk4jULIKvwccwsdnQT5bl5rW7FeP_mK2f78Vh5Pg2IkGLHejK5eEyoCDXfDvbS7u6uBuwYkjv_UgfY4_txAQD/s320/100_0914.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24729837.post-71588155949100096032007-05-21T12:33:00.000-07:002007-05-21T13:33:51.730-07:003 Month Summary<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>So I'm going to go ahead and start off by apologizing to everyone who we told to be checking our blog because I haven't updated in 3 long months. My bad. I could say that life has been crazy, which it has, but I even have to admit that it hasn't been SO crazy to the point that I couldn't take some time to post. </div><br /><div></div><div>So here I go with lots of pictures and stories to quickly recap the highlights of the last 3 months!</div><br /><div></div><div>We started off March by celebrating Laura's birthday. We decided to have a party at the house and I volunteered to make a cake, but wanted to find out from Ivan about Laura's favorite cake. The only help I got from Ivan was that she wanted a cake with nuts. Nuts. That's it. So I went for the carrot cake with cream cheese icing and chopped pecans sprinkled on top. I didn't think about the fact that they had never heard of carrot cake and that it didn't sound too appetizing, but they loved it, especially Laura! Ivan got Laura a dog for her birthday prize and she was so excited. Marcello is the name they chose for him. Laura is at home in their FEMA trailer all day so Marcello is a great companion for her. </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067113137926495842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLotF06uXvm0mbsyRgha9bm0ow0RLnk9Vmy1C7YK4lG4DBgamFqLRX229lBswZ_tngzrMV2u6lOdkdrq4hwV9T9gdA-ErOEV9ZpRJyQfHnXSvDxKoWr0O81TnSSU6Q694a7QGI/s320/100_0798.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067112991897607762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3vKzusQwoyx6W3NehmpqEyiiq_9VMyQPqlBLFtNk07qJkGNIwA1HVLgNtzMKj8M_VawhS-W0gglap5I1cZlY8ZpyttJmBUx0ZWY8He3ePey7vqkGRXYqqhg2ygKCPQ3NDHRty/s320/100_0799.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067112785739177538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5bwbo8HwGfW77at-qy4g28RLSRw80VTbVe4XISTlrZvhdM89ctd62ui8-b5V4N-GW2j_6joZxz6DtF1rV5ImhQOhGdSEUnsB4qbqngzDTDh39PmP3amjC-mIpZJ8V8aQSgzi/s320/100_0808.JPG" border="0" /></div><div></div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlDRh0IXnzAgH6-Hc6o47-MJrWmsgJXskN7zvWNQffazY2_iGaAkKQVr7n27QDNxsY19ohcdmwEzi6aTZ_-zHZyihrlpwU8N3_aapR2iC-EmBsnfXIc8Ol-KC7lZF0DhIag5r/s1600-h/100_0821.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067112596760616498" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlDRh0IXnzAgH6-Hc6o47-MJrWmsgJXskN7zvWNQffazY2_iGaAkKQVr7n27QDNxsY19ohcdmwEzi6aTZ_-zHZyihrlpwU8N3_aapR2iC-EmBsnfXIc8Ol-KC7lZF0DhIag5r/s320/100_0821.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div>Later in March, my parents came to visit for5 days. We had so much fun with them relaxing, eating lots of seafood, shopping, and playing games. Ivan and Laura went to eat with us one night for seafood and then beignets. My mom was asking lots of questions about Colombian food so Laura decided to make a traditional Colombian meal for us one night. That was some good eatin!! Everything she made you put in one bowl so it was almost like a stew that we would make. We had rice, beans, corn, pork, avacado and plaintains! I had told my mom the story about the cake with nuts so she decided to make German Chocolate cake for dessert. Ivan and Laura were in heaven!! I was so glad my parents were able to spend time with Ivan and Laura because they have become some of our best friends.</div><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj65WMXftBMFHIbpUHN9G43tUdVt9GE1-T9h43hQTRxMOYJLG_MxIqgYEhzBRfa7_qWY53jwSKm8jseCx95FofJzM57yVMj5w8GSFBkemWDc3fwUbQ42B7zmD3-eH2-agkEBRc/s1600-h/100_0823.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067112407782055458" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj65WMXftBMFHIbpUHN9G43tUdVt9GE1-T9h43hQTRxMOYJLG_MxIqgYEhzBRfa7_qWY53jwSKm8jseCx95FofJzM57yVMj5w8GSFBkemWDc3fwUbQ42B7zmD3-eH2-agkEBRc/s320/100_0823.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div>For Easter, we headed over to Lafayette to visit Chad's family. Good Friday ended up being the perfect day for a crawfish boil . . . I think we boiled 60 pounds of crawfish, corn, potatoes, and mushrooms. It was great food and a great weekend hanging out with the Gilberts!</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_69es3WTp9mSu8fDwL80fGo1hW4dyOn9hXYy0uHGtb-BJmpffSb27Cve4sPkh1m4bw3v287yngqvMJ9k4uae_98zRhvJXX0PX-tB6G7irLNkKLMSdZ-wWbKAkoldDtVyUbM9/s1600-h/100_0829.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067111419939577314" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_69es3WTp9mSu8fDwL80fGo1hW4dyOn9hXYy0uHGtb-BJmpffSb27Cve4sPkh1m4bw3v287yngqvMJ9k4uae_98zRhvJXX0PX-tB6G7irLNkKLMSdZ-wWbKAkoldDtVyUbM9/s320/100_0829.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>At the end of April we set off on a road trip to Birmingham to visit some friends that used to live in New Orleans before the storm. We went to Secret Church at the Church at Brookhills on Friday night with Jenny and Stephen, which was an incredible time of teaching from David Platt. We had such a great time with the Riddles!! Thanks friends for letting us come to visit!</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><div>At the beginning of May we celebrated Ivan's birthday. We surprised him by taking him out to eat at and Italian restaurant, which is his favorite type of food. Then we went back to their trailer for cake and prizes. Earlier in the day Laura called me frantic because Ivan had decided that his favorite cake was the one my mom had made, German chocolate, and she had no idea how to make it! I had to call my grandma, Mama Sue, to get the recipe so Ivan's birthday would be complete! Laura did a great job with the cake and Ivan was so excited. We got Ivan a desk lamp for his birthday because he will soon have his own desk in his own office. They have to be out of the FEMA trailer by August, but they found a house to rent starting in June. They are so excited to have space and a yard for Marcello. Laura got Ivan a huge poster of bats to go in his office because evidently he loves bats!</div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067111651867811314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi93torQhpUm32cTYTHOnRZnzoT6tyIwMGNFZ01aRJ3iQ9Kv4_qK2d_Mvi_jHZ-4wSUpPThkRCQQ2wJfe-VIFqInhzrOKCOPnQD5oyRfi2lOM-x4AqvYfo7Dv1vdU48Etl5029U/s320/100_0834.JPG" border="0" /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067111875206110722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85_704q7OlEztOEPeXYPdy10ABLbxTPu1gkrdlIcvjuxI50HTCYEUXWlyE9UUGYR4P_fmRBRennDpgRTndM-n_a4HVci360PEjitN9NiiGZvPxNbZFk6xte5I7ihcSEeLIFAf/s320/100_0836.JPG" border="0" /> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067112193033690642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpWycoXFr4kC0OQj-zjX6UVHRUjPd-we56ToUsy0bEES_thbP_fxSWhfgd8divaS2GF80IzXVwyhly4Ur5cAjB07dFi8jRFYtjy_Pi_mWL946YjsaH-0-dRsMOQ8-567jd2q7/s320/100_0840.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>Chad finished the semester last week, but unfortunately is taking 2 weeklong workshops in May. So school really isn't over yet, but if we can make it to June we will be great. Graduation for the seminary was this past weekend, which is exciting, but also kinda sad. Great friends will be moving on soon. Chad went to graduation, but I got to babysit the most beautiful little girl, Austyn, because her daddy Owen was graduating and his wife Amanda wanted to be able to fully enjoy the time. I had a great morning with Austyn and just thought I would include some pictures because she is so cute!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067111205191212498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnx4ROwpdDKnHXnl267dH7XL2ZPh6pAHl9ROKEb0Yw3YXMVnws6IOPYs1IDo5NxSEHXbN38NgTgAurgU_Zo86qAxBxan0exq2sLaRx-60-_xIbMaAqadhMHpp-3euumtaFG-Yt/s320/100_0863.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067111050572389826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzwpLdDjstUY85-IUhG-1dIbJ82JNnYjZumbVVtxxZTIYwGuOFplZi6APcqkWDu1CSHJ-z6m7TFalnRFs_4ds7PAN1XFTvTHECNDKeqBTvqyyaUnhnhv35VDZGUF81QMk2Yjn/s320/100_0857.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067110767104548274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vSiNytcQGVJaFlV97Wk4jax86_VnEpo1gKt_D1whEed6zqQXhD13Y9g3VsWaxTymi3h4PxumWnhRDiKce-TdPpnkUEENScctfsOCS76nthcExfN9JmnqTcPoCnzxIq8Qyjqw/s320/100_0866.JPG" border="0" /></div><div></div><br /><div>So that finally brings things up to date. I'm really going to try to do better about posting from now on! We are so thankful to all our friends and family for your encouragement and prayers. God is so Good and Faithful, shoeing us many times through your support. Thanks!</div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24729837.post-4246180765089403862007-02-19T11:08:00.000-08:002007-02-19T11:41:50.475-08:00Work day in Pontchartrain Park<div><div><div><div><div><div>On Saturday morning, a group from the Seminary split up into teams to go into Gentilly and help with debris clean up from the tornado. Our group went to Pontchartrain Park, which was hit pretty bad. The house we worked on was only a few doors down from where Mrs. Stella, the 85 year old woman, was killed by the tornado. </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>This is a picture of where Mrs. Stella's house and FEMA trailer were before the tornado. </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033329428399975954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8AnFKJeDz6lLZa_n1gpGUAhwOWKtaii27kluVBXp2dOnVxhMpznLMEb53mJqoxAJQ4b3MRQ1e5lt51yKDpgSPFXZ4vBdOus7UHJpjGdSJyN8GNN_ZD7jMNicomivZQIpmXCk/s320/100_0769.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div>Mrs. Stella's family has put up flowers at her house in her honor.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033329583018798626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpnn1phwPZQukzOhIGRXD1Pp5YL0A1CQcqps-apMQhEfF3SYKrCDc7IzUlx7DgfI0ieifclJb0-fAAf0xyZ8_qMuDyZDqMpPWkc638mn2_T8EwqvlFEY0GwdNrw1TavBfRokM0/s320/100_0771.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><div></div><div>This is another house that was hit across the street from Mrs. Stella's.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033329806357098034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONvfkir6nHj9PIw0TLmtutCb1FypxO8TAgnP_yiGONKjvZRbIHb8XEa9qy_O0y8iioxKoXNSCwjPxN5GUJN43OKxUiX7-cx4AojQ4cDUqKTbSabj8Flr5K0WUXD9UKeKZnq8S/s320/100_0774.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div>I talked to a neighbor down the street and she told me about the night the tornado hit. All the neighbors came out in the rain in the middle of the night to help Mrs. Stella's daughter try to find Mrs. Stella in all the rubble. <strong>Please be praying for this family and for this community</strong>.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzOz16DOoxY4vuVbD2I7rJsFEGlDrGaGvojVyOVIivXxX-L1F1mjTY-ASysZBhJJ4hqxNg6YmQHru7FAfM9CwhjpB86ir08lE0mqtLUXSqi3iOLDt7Lyf47sO10IFg-3lijRH/s1600-h/100_0786.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033330360407879250" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzOz16DOoxY4vuVbD2I7rJsFEGlDrGaGvojVyOVIivXxX-L1F1mjTY-ASysZBhJJ4hqxNg6YmQHru7FAfM9CwhjpB86ir08lE0mqtLUXSqi3iOLDt7Lyf47sO10IFg-3lijRH/s320/100_0786.JPG" border="0" /></a>Our group, joined by a team from LSU and some employees from The Times Picayune, worked at the house of Mr. Melvin and Mrs. Mary. They are living in a trailer in front of the house, but haven't yet started working on rebuilding. We worked in the backyard which was packed with stuff that had been damaged by Katrina. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdiiE2hxhqFV76TS88i3PaTCX5ZIv7u3Y48G9lvZgg93cL9APYvSk0Ygm_M-0QvvkaMV98WmDR4T64DSye0yE1PhtV2t2Su_OU0tnhBINV5C7yAAB6XhrFCulGsdsb9LiQHy7/s1600-h/100_0780.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033330119889710658" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdiiE2hxhqFV76TS88i3PaTCX5ZIv7u3Y48G9lvZgg93cL9APYvSk0Ygm_M-0QvvkaMV98WmDR4T64DSye0yE1PhtV2t2Su_OU0tnhBINV5C7yAAB6XhrFCulGsdsb9LiQHy7/s320/100_0780.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>He had a huge shed full of ruined things, but the shed had been damaged by the tornado and was about to collapse. He also had 5 motorcycles or bikes, 3 or 4 ovens, 2 boats, and 1 refridgerator in the back as well. We spent all morning clearing the debris and bringing it to the front yard by the street. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzHRWqfVQgtEE-U2dNGkGIrzRVg2BZHxj2Bs9H-VfrTiA8xQb11V8y4Nagk8aPipfwySx8axdkyXcb87aEey5Q615B_E-7mnzsH6gM3HO1fA_n1YLMIZDB1KyRU4dcBr3ncsk/s1600-h/100_0783.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033331069077483106" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzHRWqfVQgtEE-U2dNGkGIrzRVg2BZHxj2Bs9H-VfrTiA8xQb11V8y4Nagk8aPipfwySx8axdkyXcb87aEey5Q615B_E-7mnzsH6gM3HO1fA_n1YLMIZDB1KyRU4dcBr3ncsk/s320/100_0783.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Halfway through the morning, Chad drove around and found the FEMA guys that pick up all the debris. He got them to come pick up what we had done so far so we would have more room to put the rest.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpssxeADYt99RUSPeM38wChL4K5d4eNC3El9931ia0F2a6MIj_wHJfPdtUqktMXLJ4tzYROKtIP7PDfdpzilhUNE2gwGTC-m0FBYiinx-e00uXBe2uwkCN2PnUQnH_HDoksCn0/s1600-h/100_0784.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033331412674866802" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpssxeADYt99RUSPeM38wChL4K5d4eNC3El9931ia0F2a6MIj_wHJfPdtUqktMXLJ4tzYROKtIP7PDfdpzilhUNE2gwGTC-m0FBYiinx-e00uXBe2uwkCN2PnUQnH_HDoksCn0/s320/100_0784.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div>Mr. Melvin was extremely grateful for our help and we got to pray with him and his wife before we left. We were exhausted, but it was a great day of practically showing people the love of Christ.</div><br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>This is the group from the Seminary that worked at our site. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033331816401792642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77SSj7_lznkCWT-tNymKtZvxMMYASVzFb1vkavfZf4-Isz9p8Ofh0kX-jsMqIo2P8O_RSGLsHchwTL9DFny4rv4WNOy5yulkhmx69mtC3hkgtdstpyjbIqkmtcGZU5pumLcZJ/s400/100_0787.JPG" border="0" /></div></div></div></div></div>Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24729837.post-13804281210245222822007-02-15T14:03:00.000-08:002007-02-15T14:50:20.735-08:00My Birthday and Valentine's Day!!<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjn_UcJIyVoqCU0hfIsPI5LNkqJ8ripjtzB8RnT9-s5KY-MRV_KP8BkcGoir-JJ_utPhRrkoB3M6dlF3VtHQClCUcD7ur7pVIysoyjxoE2CGFs0K1O3_BKpeNTkiuKDq3aAXWl/s1600-h/100_0748.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031893758271876498" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjn_UcJIyVoqCU0hfIsPI5LNkqJ8ripjtzB8RnT9-s5KY-MRV_KP8BkcGoir-JJ_utPhRrkoB3M6dlF3VtHQClCUcD7ur7pVIysoyjxoE2CGFs0K1O3_BKpeNTkiuKDq3aAXWl/s320/100_0748.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><div>Chad has it rough . . . my birthday was on Feb. 13th and then Valentines the next day. But let me tell you that he did great! He started out the week by getting me tulips so I could enjoy them all week. He even got me some for the office and some to keep at home, how thoughtful. He made me breakfast when I got up and then gave me his sweet card and the two books he got me. </div><div><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPcEd4nPxm0cxbCs6bmn6uLQ1qKz2PsBvYyDfacpKdVHrYkWpkNXL8uhxLewYAG3xsv_qISWe8bab4GVTQfDDdql_Bm1cd8CDYAjRnogqbjJDaxl6NM2SeAZkEixQaTB6WgyP/s1600-h/100_0766.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031893401789590914" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPcEd4nPxm0cxbCs6bmn6uLQ1qKz2PsBvYyDfacpKdVHrYkWpkNXL8uhxLewYAG3xsv_qISWe8bab4GVTQfDDdql_Bm1cd8CDYAjRnogqbjJDaxl6NM2SeAZkEixQaTB6WgyP/s320/100_0766.JPG" border="0" /></a>Then we went into the living room to look at my new elliptical! I asked all the family to give me money instead of gifts and we pooled it all together to start up Club Gilbert!! I have really been wanting to get in shape, but I can't run (bad knees) and walking isn't enough of a workout, and the nearest gym is 20 minutes away. My elliptical was the answer (although it stinks that I can't use the weather as an excuse not to work out anymore). We've had it a few weeks and I really like it. </div><br /><br /><div></div><div>My friends at the office made me a birthday sign, a birthday cake and they all sang to me. After work, Chad and I jumped in the car because we had reservations for dinner at 5:30. I love surprises so I had no idea where we were going. I was so excited when we pulled up to The Melting Pot!! It is a fondue restaurant and so much fun. We got a four course meal(cheese fondue, salad, lots of meat and veggies to cook, and chocolate fondue for dessert), which we cooked ourselves. It was romantic, yummy and we were there for 3 hours . . . I love long dinners! When we got back to the apartments, we went to Matt and Jacque's place and they had thrown me a surprise party with more cake! What a great day!</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031893973020241314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRoLibLLx_mlf3UX7z6WMievbCrlbTkXC7eQoHRX6jeThDq5QyNxMpsBYvbXY2mFMuSHxPg1O5s62GKlFTTfOjYWZfZlG8l83JBc9XmoyKk5YR4TR_-W4B8HGFsc3kGkeQw1AP/s320/100_0752.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031894183473638834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvB9Fb6NAgqf7IXkZABbUkzjZfxYYRKnK6njqSGnmMxCWs27RDLZHliA860yyQaD2ux4tkxmrmBjkde6YxCHD0xpe0Zlz1HoVuq9hyWGNyUF5tMg0iW8z2aOXTJg9Yc7tv1D0/s320/100_0753.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031894333797494210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKWnlLsknPf02r7PjY4TRaGisKlGLNyzahLJaUDrUUS4FLpbZLhirxcFcV6ILAg03h8a6G_oD97dLLWt3jPLAH5DoFnJ3YmSFRhf_9VK9Wp8mN8ssE0htciJSBqhlp2nAC7Ji/s320/100_0755.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031894548545859026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-kn-wgw28beL6V2rl8wrAbVybdIG6jFkYuNSEKIISZneB8NlSQ5F6iCWFQWhRFu4xD-BmS4-rchXxvRUkpC_Uj-LCXmHXaRl3KQPd0mEkgnnAQPvyirfKf1FdIuBdGwbKrDL/s320/100_0759.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div>Because of my birthday being on the 13th, Chad and I don't get each other prizes for Valentine's Day. We usually try to do something creative and inexpensive. We went to church and ate dinner there, but after church I had a surprise for Chad. I was planning on taking him to Barnes and Noble for a little game I planned, but realized on the way that we were about to get caught in a Mardi Gras parade. There were police everywhere and half the streets were closed. So after driving all over the place I finally decided to nix the B&N idea and try it at Target. It ended up great doing it at Target. </div><br /><div></div><div>Chad and I each had 5 cards and a buggy. We each had to go through the store and pick out 5 items that reminded us of the other or stood for a characteristic that we loved about the other. Then we wrote on the cards why we picked these items and what we love about each other. After 30 minutes, we met in the lawn and garden section and showed each other the stuff we picked out. We gave each other the cards so we can keep them to remember this Valentine's Day. It was cheesy, but it ended up being really fun and a neat way to say "I love you" to each other. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4mCcgrjqKcJTm6xJxjdUrZ9IGG-So7PKE1x8a4WA37PU0_nT4w_6nwXo9pxjVU8D8ToE-oDr22T8i5x0Jy6qIEA5GnMfb3ZqPaskDY9dBW719b7eF-ULLYBpaXSF3gw8ZMLW/s1600-h/100_0761.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031894952272784866" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4mCcgrjqKcJTm6xJxjdUrZ9IGG-So7PKE1x8a4WA37PU0_nT4w_6nwXo9pxjVU8D8ToE-oDr22T8i5x0Jy6qIEA5GnMfb3ZqPaskDY9dBW719b7eF-ULLYBpaXSF3gw8ZMLW/s320/100_0761.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><br /><div>These are the things that Chad picked out for me.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU60_KKznoqy51e_nldvH0Wwn8TjQ9QOEsrt14xLU_9BoqIlwxRRFa4S4t9OK5UQzvjJxZhQ8crBtJhK7rvVLRKd_g54OtDtoXrnf4OMrck76Nopxg7pxxsKUCZNKOr5sP2N_9/s1600-h/100_0763.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031895669532323330" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU60_KKznoqy51e_nldvH0Wwn8TjQ9QOEsrt14xLU_9BoqIlwxRRFa4S4t9OK5UQzvjJxZhQ8crBtJhK7rvVLRKd_g54OtDtoXrnf4OMrck76Nopxg7pxxsKUCZNKOr5sP2N_9/s320/100_0763.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>These are the things I picked out for Chad.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24729837.post-72540265103793714542007-02-14T11:18:00.000-08:002007-02-14T12:01:20.950-08:00How much more can we handle?<div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNTzCGVVUVg-4sGcuB9_4h8D9qGBpEl28C_I1YR7KmmzCZuzcjmtP6_0y25m90zSLgJF5eourzglfaOQ12UFGwZUArxmz0GRiDSgaJxrbsjc6OgazdkEmI2f2YxrD6Ovo5z8VJ/s1600-h/100_0740.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031481256727866674" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNTzCGVVUVg-4sGcuB9_4h8D9qGBpEl28C_I1YR7KmmzCZuzcjmtP6_0y25m90zSLgJF5eourzglfaOQ12UFGwZUArxmz0GRiDSgaJxrbsjc6OgazdkEmI2f2YxrD6Ovo5z8VJ/s320/100_0740.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>This is the question that is on the minds of most people in New Orleans. If you've seen the news, then you probably know that it is because of the tornados that hit on Tuesday morning. The really crazy thing is that most people just slept right through it all, Chad and I included. The was no warning, no sirens, nothing. I woke up with the rain hitting our window unit (it was actually hail, but I didn't know that), but I just thought it was a thunderstorm and rolled back over. </div><br /><br /><div>Dad called Tuesday morning to wish me a happy birthday and then asked if we were ok. This was the first we heard of the tornados. Chad went to class and they were saying that one hit really <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTkM5oqEriFY_nWXC_Mv3tY4hXPRPjuf1xH6-npqSP6wgE84kgr7VpNPluVpxiAHsqgbbDNXnY4LGbdwNqnpiOUHN7hz5V8z0URN-qFhdWPBobFfbqdhngBFIHF0ogyQxid8b/s1600-h/100_0741.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031481411346689346" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTkM5oqEriFY_nWXC_Mv3tY4hXPRPjuf1xH6-npqSP6wgE84kgr7VpNPluVpxiAHsqgbbDNXnY4LGbdwNqnpiOUHN7hz5V8z0URN-qFhdWPBobFfbqdhngBFIHF0ogyQxid8b/s320/100_0741.JPG" border="0" /></a>close to the Seminary, just a few blocks away. As I mentioned in a previous post, Chad is doing mininstry in our community (Gentilly) and spends a lot of time with people in their trailers. There is one elderly lady that he visits once or twice a week and they have really bonded with each other. When Chad heard in class that an 85 year old woman had been killed, he was scared that it could have been her. He left class and after she didn't answer the phone, he drove to her trailer. The Hand of the Lord must have been over her because all around her trailer was destruction, but she was ok, shaken up, but ok. We are praying that this would be an event that would draw her to the Lord because she is not a believer. Please pray this with us.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToSuIa9rAplFAj6L5bWl5N2yH1U401UDKwPXZb4UVobImPymkYzwYU8ZBKozpZ-im244eweWhMXF0wTcSkfulKTF5HLuh5MOQLqYoIOkN7Hl4fPfHuCXWXp4dKXW7pIEdfOqn/s1600-h/100_0746.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031481651864857938" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToSuIa9rAplFAj6L5bWl5N2yH1U401UDKwPXZb4UVobImPymkYzwYU8ZBKozpZ-im244eweWhMXF0wTcSkfulKTF5HLuh5MOQLqYoIOkN7Hl4fPfHuCXWXp4dKXW7pIEdfOqn/s320/100_0746.JPG" border="0" /></a>Chad ended up skipping his classes and just walking around in Gentilly. Many people were outside because they didn't have power so he was able to talk and pray with many of our neighbors. Pray that we will find other ways to help these people that are once again devestated. We are so thankful . . . the tornado hit on both sides of the Seminary, but evidently jumped right over us. </div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphY6SiVlP56tAcqNMIyy1DwdJHyvBGI6M3Zcq2Uwli__dZB_YPAPxa-OLsDpnYkjiOfnAHx5YpdDBAzrG95Zhu5-66mZ2v0CH1BwtBDIAk91PFi0nxJgMUKkewIJ2QnKM0NjH/s1600-h/100_0747.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031481836548451682" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphY6SiVlP56tAcqNMIyy1DwdJHyvBGI6M3Zcq2Uwli__dZB_YPAPxa-OLsDpnYkjiOfnAHx5YpdDBAzrG95Zhu5-66mZ2v0CH1BwtBDIAk91PFi0nxJgMUKkewIJ2QnKM0NjH/s320/100_0747.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div>The crazy thing was that after the storm passed, Tuesday ended up being one of the most beautiful days that we've had in months. It make me think of the verse that says that "weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning." Unfortunately, most residents of New Orleans aren't feeling very much joy. Please don't forget to be praying for these hurting people. You can go to <a href="http://www.nola.com">www.nola.com</a> to read local articles and see more pictures of the damage. </div></div></div></div>Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24729837.post-65993954222454925572007-02-13T08:11:00.000-08:002007-02-13T08:37:54.232-08:00Game time and the perfect weekend!<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>I have a bunch a pictures to show how much fun we've been having lately with college students. A couple of weeks ago, we went out to eat at Mother's, a great New Orleans restaurant in the French Quarter, and then came back to our apartment to play games. We had a lot of international students that night so our game of Cranium was quite interesting!! </div><br /><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031058876759075986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIeQyTv5vkY_hO8_AUiITBXk6GsSY98WTxA-DeGp8GVxOkpAJPx-m1kHZLbn66ncKT3kQZVjzf3lX4Uv8GFw2vxtclV9TuNYKulWYC1jwleHzHj6L_WinwtdK_fxuscS-RwjFA/s320/100_0706.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031059095802408098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtoEgUaJGDu7tUk_t5EZRTFaUNepp2PP7tOoCJaPxmrp3E1TvXL39x1bnieL4uV_jdcB-9MICPiWHFlL1VZsRKKddV2EH-EJdOKhYzJo-tEvDnxc9Ol-ycnLJGMiu-HLAdknA/s320/100_0708.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031059280486001842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2-Dk-7sz1NuZiaPCxR3tcW53YrpjaC4Cvbxg0xRCDX7MGjw7bmsYAehyphenhyphen15JNuBb_Ya5E50Y4sdmohQsO2fJ5Re4xhf7htgVm21UWcC_csMOPLbf-tLP-jamIei7I579V2TA3k/s320/100_0709.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><div></div><div></div><div>This past weekend was absolutely the perfect weekend. Friday night we took a bunch of students to eat at a little Italian restaurant in the Quarter . . . it was so yummy, but took quite a while for 20 of us to eat and get out of there. We then walked to a club in the Quarter that offers <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHN0F8d5enkA53jCdb2rAbE6E-ciolfVKSomfuWzOW0tMYod3Gl7Kn0eBreM2YPq7p7R7yTUhC5YigPVM-fIS3tKtiONZPdex9jhkrFsdnh1TtTIRlxr6xcJcHMODrnCk5gXXV/s1600-h/SNV30647.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031059628378352834" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHN0F8d5enkA53jCdb2rAbE6E-ciolfVKSomfuWzOW0tMYod3Gl7Kn0eBreM2YPq7p7R7yTUhC5YigPVM-fIS3tKtiONZPdex9jhkrFsdnh1TtTIRlxr6xcJcHMODrnCk5gXXV/s320/SNV30647.JPG" border="0" /></a>free salsa lessons from 9-10 pm and then you can stay and dance. Dinner took so long that we walked into the lessons right as they said they were finished. This made me a little nervous because most of us had no clue how to salsa and once again we had a lot of international students with us. The band starts playing and I quickly <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZJ8Dm1GIJ-XQrWLIE7XH6wJ0cOciHwsiFKx1iedHXJJJP8ptWFAXz8NSPHj4_7_-FBqfeTcpax3Bhyi-jke2oH71VL7I_Cdo7kNHp25wh_7rJTbF-KQHLcHMDUVsjLdg53jH/s1600-h/SNV30655.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031061264760892626" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZJ8Dm1GIJ-XQrWLIE7XH6wJ0cOciHwsiFKx1iedHXJJJP8ptWFAXz8NSPHj4_7_-FBqfeTcpax3Bhyi-jke2oH71VL7I_Cdo7kNHp25wh_7rJTbF-KQHLcHMDUVsjLdg53jH/s320/SNV30655.JPG" border="0" /></a>realize there was nothing to worry about . . . everyone was out on the dance floor having a blast. Our friends Ivan and Laura, the resident experts in salsa dancing, took turns teaching us some moves. We had so much fun!! We stayed for a couple of hours and the students were still dancing out the door as we left!</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031067397974191330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYJM7fQ9Cp5OQd-Q-TQH33vbruYXAUB5MYQGxY4liZAyo8LfWb4_OB7BNcvbLK_rgqfzdO2McXg9pmLGnV5YistJZCZlPPgwt37RNeARpVlOHnR7P_YImzg-4hqg1ODtrbTLm/s320/SNV30659.JPG" border="0" /> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031067690031967474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjzpBeQdh5EqaHwXYmsjv3-AsHb5_lYQ1edTFsU_B72B_2c0qNjViytmVowTSfe6XOXacDyZuUNMfVYdWvkuCQUWJtDQo52Lf82LkPS9UmBQXpgvXn4jxw5MY4UNyb4MdOFalC/s320/SNV30660.JPG" border="0" /> <div></div><br /><div>On Saturday and Sunday Chad and I did absolutely nothing . . . it was fabulous! I was actually sore from the salsa, ridiculous I know, but I really was. We read and exercised and watched Robin Hood. So good to have nothing you HAVE to do. On Sunday after church we went to eat at the Asian Super Buffet. Those who know me know that I love to eat, especially buffets. When we got home we took a two hour nap because that's what you do after a buffet. The day was so beautiful so after we got up we went to the lakefront to feed the birds. It was so relaxing and much needed.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031067879010528514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQsdCxOW_tQT2VoVaQjy8X6oW902JvieWuzm-NVYdDdy8pzPkHOkPdpD3-SuXVlorEvDu2qfIwdq_uaQO3ty4qczzgatDkM7GCU9zFt1Ye2Tx4o6hKPsqpBH3yBHbIxBC-GMRj/s320/100_0717.JPG" border="0" /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031068239787781410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHq8zWFgwTFT8NQB1KO4KEFnuJGkfxJDRzWX2frScJQ3pN7raQGFoJnDNx4xOiKo4vEcR-wVDkcShMzSsbZRUELIjZSUIkOjZClL3w27eYpksfv7x9qZzZs2oBj44Y1dYsmV3O/s320/100_0730.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031068080873991442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQMkZ5KJOHlMVVtq5R9hwBi8S8YdP1RAtBgcLoouZq2splzGsQ8LzRVj1ZOIqYVNXMu4OjBLwAiAd-f3CppgiAldIHxo6bxru-fnJfpc_PNFVvati2s7r3WH0fVZaF46L93_H/s320/100_0724.JPG" border="0" />Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24729837.post-21376295594187214862007-02-10T12:18:00.000-08:002007-01-13T09:23:31.259-08:00Most of you already know about Chad's new ministry position, but I thought I would write about it on here just in case. Since the beginning of January, Chad has been working as the College and Community Minister at Edgewater Baptist Church in New Orleans. We joined Edgewater when we first moved to New Orleans 2 1/2 years ago and just love the church family we have there. We couldn't wait to move back down here and be able to get involved in the ministry that Edgewater does for the community. During the Fall, Chad began talking with the staff about being a semester missionary through NAMB for this year until he graduates in December. The ministry that Chad is doing is definitely a need in our community, but the church couldn't afford any more staff positions. Because of this, we have chosen to raise support for 2007 so Chad can be in this position. <br /><br />The past month has been a whirlwind, but so good. Chad has been focusing on college ministry at the University of New Orleans which can be tricky because of post-Katrina New Orleans and the fact that most students at UNO are commuters. Even so, we have had some incredible times with college students. We are watching American Idol every Tuesday with students in the college apartments, Chad is working with an Intervarsity Bible study on Thursday nights, and on the weekends we usually try to plan some get together for the students. I have pictures to post later of us playing games at our apartment and salsa dancing at a place in the Quarter. Needless to say, we stay busy, but we know that in order for lives to be changed, we must invest in these students and let them see the way that Christ changes our lives. <br /><br />Chad also spends time each week visiting with families in our neighborhood (Gentilly) that are lonely and depressed or just need someone to talk and pray with them. Chad has such a heart for taking care of widows, especially those all alone in FEMA trailers. Guys from the church (The L-Team) mow grass and weedeat the yards for many of these families in Gentilly. We have also started Angel Food ministries at Edgewater, which is a discount grocery ministry. It is great to be a part of a body of believers that really seek to meet the needs of the people around us, to serve them, love them, and show them Christ in a way they may have never seen. <br /><br />Thanks to all our friends and family that are praying for us and supporting us during this time. We need it! God has been providing in such amazing ways where only He can get the credit for it, which is just how we want it to be!Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24729837.post-1168642150151427352007-01-12T14:27:00.000-08:002007-01-12T15:00:11.000-08:00IntroducingI would like to introduce our wonderful friends Ivan and Laura.<br /><p>They are from Columbia so their names are pronounced Evahn and Louda (when you roll the r)! We met them at the beginning of the Fall semester and have had such a great time just living life with them. Ivan is getting his PhD at the University of New Orleans and Laura has been taking English language classes this semester. They have been giving us Spanish lessons, but they are so much better at English than I think we will ever be at Spanish! Chad's favorite phrase we have learned is "demasiada leche" which means "too much milk." We learned this one during a cooking lesson!!<br /></p><p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/2107/2570/320/478672/100_0602.jpg" border="0" /><br />We have tried to get together with Ivan and Laura at least once a week, which hasn't been hard because we have so much fun together. One night they took us to a mexican restaurant that has a live band and salsa dancing. It was so fun to watch people getting up and dancing between every bite! Chad and I weren't quite ready to perform, but they are teaching us salsa as well as Spanish!<br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/2107/2570/320/411103/100_0652.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />Ivan and Laura came to Chad's parent's house for Thanksgiving because they wanted to experience this American holiday. We told them it was just all about eating and LSU football, but they came anyway! We had so much fun sharing our family traditions with them. In turn, they invited us to their FEMA trailer to celebrate the Columbian holiday, The Day of the Virgin. They make two special dishes, I have a picture of the two boxes because I knew I wouldn't remember the names. One was a sweet desserty pastey thing and one is kind of like hush puppies. We really liked the hush puppies, weren't too sure about the other one, but of course didn't say anything. Laura later told us that she slightly messed up the recipe and she didn't like it either!!</p><p><br /></p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/2107/2570/320/995897/100_0672.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/2107/2570/320/613094/100_0674.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />One of the many amazing things about Laura is that her and her mother make incredible Columbian jewelry. It is all made out of seeds, bamboo, coconut and other things I can't spell. We had a craft fair at the Seminary so I set up a booth with Laura to sell some of her things. Everyone was amazed it was all handmade and Laura made quite a good profit that night!<br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/2107/2570/320/71418/100_0670.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />Please pray that our friendship with Ivan and Laura will continue to grow as we live life together.Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24729837.post-1168640783564552232007-01-12T13:48:00.000-08:002007-01-12T14:26:23.583-08:00I know its been forever . . .We haven't posted in a long time . . . sorry. But I am starting to make an intentional effort to take more pictures and then actually put them on the blog for all to see. We did take a few fun pictures at Christmas. We were in Kansas with my family for 10 days! It was so relaxing and so much fun. It even snowed a little bit on New Years Eve day, but not enough to sled or do snow angels which is about all I think snow is good for!<br /><br />This was Clay's reaction to the Run DMC t-shirt that Chad and I got him for Christmas. He obviously picked it out because I would've never seen that shirt and thought "Yeah, thats perfect for Clay." But he liked it and thats all that matters.<br /><br /><p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/2107/2570/320/935575/100_0690.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />Clay really surprised me this year with my Christmas prize. He made me a vase! He has taken pottery for years and I've begged him to make me one and I finally got it! I was so excited . . . I'm pretty sure there were a few tears too.<br /></p><p></p><p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/2107/2570/320/480486/100_0694.jpg" border="0" /><br />You can see the shocked look on our faces. This is because we were looking at a picture of our brand new washer and dryer that my parents got for us! It was so unbelievable. We have been using another couple's washer and dryer so it is very nice to now have our own. Thanks mom and dad!<br /></p><p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/2107/2570/320/713894/100_0692.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /></p>Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24729837.post-1157146902595737412006-09-01T13:47:00.000-07:002006-09-01T14:41:42.646-07:00Katrina . . . One year laterEveryone knows that Tuesday was the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. I can't believe that it has been a whole year since all the craziness started and I am very thankful that we were back here for the anniversary. The seminary cancelled classes and let the faculty and most of the staff off for the day to participate in a day of loving the city. We had training and a memorial service in the morning and then split into teams to gut houses in the afternoon. It was really a great day! We wanted to celebrate the fact that God loves the people of New Orleans and offers Hope to all still hurting.<br /><br />The house that we cleaned out hadn't been touched since the hurricane. Isn't it amazing that a year later some people still have not been able to clean out what is left of their homes and things. It breaks my heart. Crews charge thousands of dollars to clean out and gut a home and most homeowners just can't afford it, but can't do it themselves. It has been a huge ministry to have teams do this for people free of charge.<br /><br />The yard was completely grown over to where you could barely get to the front door. Once we got in the house, the devestation was unreal. I can't explain how it feels to go through someone else's memories and treasures and have to dump them in a huge pile outside. Our team worked really hard to clean out the entire house in three hours. I was glad I brought my camera because we found some interesting and ironic things there. Just inside her front door was the newspaper from August 28, 2005 with the headline "Katrina Takes Aim." We also found a Haagen Daas ice cream lid that had been floating in the water and stuck to the ceiling fan light as the water receded.<br /><br />The day was emotional in both hard and really great ways. The people are still in desperate need of their Savior, Hope and Redeemer. We are so thankful that He is allowing us to be a part of what He is doing in the city.<br /><br />"I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord." Psalm 40:1-3 <img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/400/100_0556.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/400/100_0559.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/400/100_0581.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/400/100_0577.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/400/100_0582.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/400/100_0572.jpg" border="0" />Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24729837.post-1154312234661337272006-07-30T18:43:00.000-07:002006-08-18T14:37:21.540-07:00I'll try to catch you up!I'm going to start out by apologizing that this is my first update since May. Life has been crazy, but not so crazy that I couldn't have posted sometime in the last 2 months. So this one is going to be really long because I feel the need to catch everyone up on whats been going on with us. My last post announced that we were moving back to New Orleans, which we did. But before the big move we went to Kansas for the little brother's graduation from high school. Here is a picture of Clay . . . can't you tell he was loving the bright red robe?!<br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/1600/100_0413.1.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/200/100_0413.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/1600/100_0440.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/200/100_0440.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Just a few days later we made our way down to south Louisiana! I must say that it was kind of a shock moving back into post-Katrina NO. Honestly, it was depressing at first. Our neighborhood still seems so deserted and devastated and everyone you see seems lonely and depressed. There are only a few stores or fast food places near us, so grabbing some McD's when I don't want to cook means driving clear across town. We were driving home from church one day and saw this abandoned building going up in flames. Unfortunately that is really common nowadays.<br /><br />We have gotten all settled in our new apartment which we like to describe as "cozy." It's a little small at times, but cozy is a good thing so that is how we are trying to look at it!! The bad part is that Chad's desk is in the living room with our only TV so I can't watch while he is studying. This hasn't been too bad, but as I anticipated Grey's Anatomy 3rd season I realized that we were about to be in a bind. The answer: headphones! We got me some wireless headphones that connect to the TV. Chad can't hear a thing and I look like a dork!!<br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/320/100_0430.jpg" border="0" /> <img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/320/100_0428.jpg" border="0" /> <img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/320/100_0437.jpg" border="0" /><br />By far the most exciting thing that we have done since being back down here was our alligator feeding trip to the bayou. You are probably thinking "feeding alligators at a zoo . . . no big deal," but this my friend was throwing chunks of meat from the side of the road to alligators about two feet away. Thank goodness I have the pictures to prove it! Chad even let one take the meat out of his hand. I would've killed him if I hadn't been trying to get a good picture of it!!<br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/1600/100_0296.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/320/100_0296.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/1600/100_0317.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/320/100_0317.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/1600/100_0334.0.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/320/100_0334.0.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/1600/100_0342.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 156px" height="150" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/200/100_0342.jpg" width="200" border="0" /></a><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/1600/100_0339.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/320/100_0339.jpg" border="0" /></a>The last but not least highlight of the summer was my family's reunion at my parent's house in Kansas. I think there was about 20 of us staying at the house . . . it was a blast! Each family had a night to cook dinner with a theme. Hence the chef's from Italy and our mexican fiesta. Everybody got into it so it was great. The guys played golf and the rest of us stayed at the pool ALL day. The little ones, Audrey and Reed, were so cute and I think might have given Chad a little baby fever. Just look at this picture . . . don't you think he will be a great dad?!<br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/320/100_1363.jpg" border="0" /> <img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/320/100_1398.jpg" border="0" /> <img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/320/100_0475_0001.jpg" border="0" /> <img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/320/DSC_0020.jpg" border="0" /> <img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/320/100_1413.jpg" border="0" /> <img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/320/100_0468_0001.jpg" border="0" /> <img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/320/100_1423.jpg" border="0" /><br />Chad and I are about to go to student week at Glorieta to recruit for the seminary and we can't wait for a week out there. Tough job huh? We are both working on campus, Chad is about to start up classes again, and we are spending a lot of time loving people through our church. God has been providing in amazing ways and giving us many opportunities to love and share with those hurting here. It is good to be home.Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24729837.post-1147895704930456402006-05-17T12:44:00.000-07:002006-05-17T12:55:04.943-07:00Movin' on up, to the east side . . .<span style="color:#000000;">Of New Orleans, that is! Yep, we're moving back to NOLA in just a few weeks. It is bittersweet because we have enjoyed Shreveport and its sad to say goodbye to new friends, but at the same time we are really excited to get back to New Orleans. I would have never dreamed it, but God really has given us such a heart and love for the city so we've been looking forward to going back since we left. We will be living on campus and both of us have jobs on campus too. Pray that the transition time will be good because I tend to get stressed during change. Can anyone relate? I'm also anticipating it being pretty emotional when we return. Most of my kids that I saw for work lived in the ninth ward and I have only heard from 5 of 25 families that I did therapy with. I want to try to find out about them, but I know it might not be good news. Please just pray for our hearts as we go back. We've been so blessed and we want to share that hope and blessing with a hurting city.</span>Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24729837.post-1145418534732791062006-04-18T20:22:00.000-07:002006-04-18T20:48:54.746-07:00Fun times in Kansas!<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/1600/100_0333.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/320/100_0333.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Chad and I had a fabulous time with the family in KS! It was buck hot, but my dad surprised us by opening the pool so we could cool off. The guys played golf a few times, which Chad was really excited about, and mom took me shopping, which I was really exited about. Needless to say . . . it is good to be spoiled!! We also got to experience something new: the burning of the prairies and pastures. We missed the big festival they had last week, but don't worry, we went chasing fires anyway. We drove on some very country roads following "the glow" and finally found a huge pasture burning. I can definitely see how people become pyros . . . I was entranced. Here are some pictures that don't quite do justice to what we saw, but at least it gives you an idea. We even saw some cows walking around in the fire, but couldn't get a good pic<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/1600/100_0324.2.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/320/100_0324.2.jpg" border="0" /></a>.<br />We also went fishing with my parents on Saturday morning. Now get ready for my "huge fish that got away" story because I've got one. Nothing was biting until I got a big tug on my line and almost got pulled into the lake. Really. I screamed for help and my mom came running with the net as I tried to reel the bad boy in. I got him to the bank and I was staring a the biggest catfish I had ever seen. I haven't seen too many, but it really was huge. I'm still screaming because my mom has it pinned down with the net, but it had gotten off my hook. Just as Chad runs up to help, the big thing flopped right back in the water. I was pretty frustrated then, but even more so as the day rolled on. Everyone else caught something and we took a picture, but not me. I had two more bite, not as big as the catfish, but just big enough to break my line. So I had to take a picture holding up nothing instead of my fat catfish. How sad. Even so, we had a great time!! <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/1600/100_0359.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/320/100_0359.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/1600/100_0360.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/320/100_0360.jpg" border="0" /></a>Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24729837.post-1144774895015131682006-04-11T09:52:00.000-07:002006-04-11T10:01:35.040-07:00HOME!!I'm going home today!!! The reason I'm so excited is that I haven't been home in almost 1 1/2 years. Isn't that crazy? After we moved to New Orleans my parents came to visit and we didn't get to go home for Christmas because of the hurricane so finally we are getting to make a trip up there. Home is so good. It makes me calm and relaxed just to think of it. Another exciting tidbit is that I get to see Clay, my brother, play tennis while we are there. He is a senior this year so its my last chance to get to see him in action. Anyway, hope everyone has a great Easter and gets to enjoy family time like us.Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24729837.post-1144272290349132952006-04-05T14:19:00.000-07:002006-04-05T14:27:48.193-07:00AdjectivesToday I was reading in 1 John and came across a verse that hit hard. 1 john 2:28 . . ."And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming." The thing is, I'm not so sure that confident and unashamed are the adjectives that would accurately describe my life. My heart breaks at that thought, but I guess the real question is if I am willing to do anything about it. ColeColehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24729837.post-1143906793600400892006-04-01T07:36:00.000-08:002006-04-01T07:53:13.610-08:00April FoolsI've never really been a big fan of April Fools, mainly because I forget about it and I'm fairly gullible. Well, today is no different. Chad is in Alexandria this weekend for the BCM State leadership conference. All the students are spending the weekend building these big sheds which will be sent to families in New Orleans. Now let me add in the fact that I couldn't go this weekend because they said there wasn't enough room for spouses and I have been slightly bitter about it because I'm not fond of being home alone. Anyway, so Chad calls me this morning sounding crazy excited on the phone. He says I will never believe who is there with them. I had no clue and wasn't going to try to guess so he gave me a hint. He said,"which one of our favorite TV shows would come to something like this?" Extreme Home Makeover!! He's telling me that the whole crew is there while I'm getting more bitter by the second that I'm not there too. Then Chad says, "Guess what else?" APRIL FOOLS! I hung up. Now I'm going to have to spend all day trying to figure out a way to get him back.Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24729837.post-1143310577145524722006-03-25T10:12:00.000-08:002006-03-25T10:16:17.150-08:00BEIGNET<div align="justify"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/320/100_0159.jpg"><img style="CLEAR: all; FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/160/100_0159.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span></span>This is our baby . . . Beignet! We got him with our first paycheck in New Orleans because we were dying for a pet. He is cashed out like this most of the time unless he is chasing crickets. There will be many more pics to come of our little one!</div> <a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a> Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24729837.post-1143308845569983962006-03-25T09:45:00.000-08:002006-03-25T09:47:25.580-08:00The Gilberts!<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/640/100_0138.jpg"><img style="CLEAR: all; FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2107/2570/320/100_0138.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:arial;">This is us at the BCM Christmas banquet.</span> <a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a> Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10798601639104066777noreply@blogger.com1