Author: Emily
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| Me and Michael at the rodeo |
This month has been filled with so many fun experiences: the Houston Rodeo, my first NBA game (Houston Rockets vs. Indiana Pacers), Cirque del Solei, a trip to Tulsa, my parents coming to visit, and the Final Four. The Rodeo was quite an experience! We’ve only ever seen bull riding on TV, and to see it in person is so intense - I held my breath each time a new rider would come out. My favorite part of the night was watching “mutton bustin” – this consists of little kids (about five years old) holding on for dear life to a sheep that would take off running. No worries, no child or sheep was harmed in the process. ;) After the Rodeo portion came the Tim McGraw concert. Though I don’t like country music, I will have to say that he did a great job performing. We are definitely planning to go back next year.
March marked the beginning of Lent and has been an important time for us as we reflect on our own sinfulness and the sacrifice of Christ. Here is an excerpt about Lent from our pastor:
“Contrary to many assumptions, Lent is not primarily a season of pained meditation on the suffering and cross of Christ. Rather, it is a season of repentance and prayer, fasting and self-denial, reading of God’s word, reflection, and renewal, all designed to prepare the worshipers for the remembrance of Christ’s death and celebration of his resurrection during Holy Week.
Many will abstain from television, foods, certain technologies, or activities that distract them from higher pursuits. We encourage you to consider abstaining from things that have gained mastery over your life. Remember, we are not withholding good from ourselves but are seeking a greater Good. Lent is a time to eradicate obstacles and moderate what has become too excessive.”
Our church also recently started a sermon series on the book of Genesis and we will continue to study the book throughout the entire year. It has been a joy to walk through this book together because it lays the foundation for how we interpret the rest of Scripture, and it gives us a framework for how we view the world. To again quote our pastor, Genesis “tells us who we are, where we’ve come from, and where we are headed.” We’re excited to share what we’re learning through this sermon series as the year continues.
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| Amie, Aunt Janie, Momma, and me at Molly's 1st Birthday! |
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| Little Molly Lee eating her birthday cake - isn't she adorable??? |
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| Out to eat at Ninfa's |
My parents came to visit in mid-March for a week and we had such an incredible time together. The weekend started with a trip to Tulsa, OK for my baby cousin, Molly’s, first birthday. We met my parents there and had a fun weekend of hanging out with my parents, cousins, aunt and uncle, and of course, little Molly Lee. We headed back to Houston on Sunday with my parents, and they spent the week with us. Momma and Diddy would hang out during the day while Michael and I were at work, and then in the evenings we would spend time together and explore Houston. This included walks around Hermann Park and Rice University, dinner at some of our favorite restaurants, and of course, shopping and fro yo (frozen yogurt). In fact, my parents left us with a new “room” in our home – our patio! We barely used the patio last summer because we only had one chair – now it is “decked” out (pun intended) with a patio set, lights, and flower boxes (we now have a small herb and vegetable garden!). We love it and use it nearly every day. Sadly they had to return to Indiana but we loved hosting them and are already missing them (they were also sad that they were leaving the 75-80 degree weather to return home to 40 degree weather! :-P)
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| Our new patio set |
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| My favorite picture from their visit - enjoying shakes at 59 Diner |
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| Me and Jaime at Cirque du Soleil |
Though we didn’t actually get to watch the Final Four in person, we did get caught up in traffic when the tour buses were transporting the players to Reliant Stadium – that’s got to count for something right?!? ;) We did have the joy of getting to hang out with a dear friend, Kristen, who was in town to watch Butler play. We ate out at Texadelphia and then Swirll where Kristen courageously tried the infamous “palm seed.” She was a champ compared to me and Michael. :) I also had the opportunity to go see Cirque du Soleil with my co-worker Jaime. I’ve always wanted to see it and was so excited when the chance arose. The stunts performed by the cast were incredible!! They made everything look so easy. I wish I could’ve taken pictures but photography wasn’t allowed due to the dangers it would cause the performers. However, I’ve attached a picture of Jaime and I outside the big tent! We’ve also had the opportunity of getting to know an international student from the University of Houston. His name is Eddy and we’ve gotten to hang out with him a couple of times through dinner and disc golfing. Please pray that this relationship would continue to grow, and that we would be a home away from home for Eddy as he is far away from his family in China.
We miss you all,
Emily (and Michael)
