House Update

There isn't that much to update on besides painting and being moved in. Everything is still in shambles and I'm so tired from cleaning the old house and getting it ready that I have no energy to set up the new one. Once we get things set up cute I'll post those pictures. But, here are a few before and afters to keep you satisfied for a while.

Kitchen Before:



Kitchen After:

Still need to paint the cabinets white


Entry Before:



Entry After:



Bathroom Before:



Bathroom after: (not quite done)



Stay tuned, there are more to come!!

Israel on my mind

So I can't stop thinking about this sermon that David McQueen gave at Beltway a couple weeks ago. To cap off a series called the Release Initiative, he talked about the faithfulness of God. Now, I have heard countless sermons on God's promises and his faithfulness. But David has a way of putting things together and conveying messages in ways that are so easy to relate to. These concepts that would usually be fairly difficult to understand and more than that articulate to others, seem to float wistfully from his mouth. This week was just one of those especially great ones.

Let me recap. He talked about the promise that God made to Abraham in the Old Testament. That he would bless him and his descendants would be like that stars in the heavens, a great nation. These people are of course the Jews, God's chosen people. Many people believe that God for some reason 'changed his mind' when he extended grace to the gentiles. I hope that you don't believe this, because if God changed His mind about a covenant with Abraham, then he could definitely change His mind about grace for the rest of us. However, this replacement theory has been believed and taught by many Christians for hundreds of years. Therefore procuring hate and prosecution towards God's chosen people. But even during World War 2, when Satan tried to completely wipe out the Jewish people God stepped in and eventually returned them to their homeland of Israel. Fulfilling his promise to them and prophecy. One reason I believe that Beltway is so blessed is because they bless Israel, as scripture says if we bless God's people we will be blessed, if we curse them they will be cursed. I think that is testament to the rapid growth and blessing that has come to Beltway. And of course God's faithfulness.

This has been weighing on my mind for the past couple weeks because I think it impacts us dramatically. So often I am not Kingdom-minded. I fall into the routine of my own little world and my sole relationship with God and I forget that there is a battle being waged and an even bigger one to come. The Jews returning to their homeland is a prophecy which begins the timeline of Jesus' return. Political events are starting to be eerily reminiscent of those foreseen long ago. I mention this because I believe it is so important to spur one another on and for all of us to start seeing the big picture here. It is not about your job, your relationship, your home, etc. it is about recognizing the signs that God has given us, and starting to fight. As the Israeli nation comes back to the Lord, we come closer to seeing Jesus return. Be bold in living your life for the Lord, what do you have to loose? If God is for us who can be against us? I know I am not as eloquent with words, but I hope this encouraged you to keep God's will at the forefront of your minds. And not just His will in your life, but His overall plan for our salvation. Many Blessings.

And the winner is...

KRIS!!!



I don't know about you, but Jon and I were so anxious to get home and see the results from this long awaited season finale. I thought this show had, by far, the best musical guests of the year. But, hey why not save the best for last. I thought it very fitting that Adam performed with Queen and Kiss, both of whom are awesome but lets face it...their prime was gone years ago. This is why I think Adam lost. Although he was talented indeed, he fits into an era that has passed. Rock and Roll is not what it used to be. Sure, we love to sing along with those good 'ol favs that everyone loves, but is it current? I think that many people are mad that a regular guy who doesn't have the creative genius of a 'rock god' won. But I happen to think that is precisely what the show is about. Sure, Adam is 'glam' and 'hollywood' and honestly he will still probably be a bigger hit than Kris...but I think that American Idol is about finding the undiscovered hidden talent in everyday people and making them into something extraordinary. I love that Kris was the underdog that got a chance and ran with it. Kudos to both guys who are super talented in very different ways. I think it could have gone either way honestly. I wonder how that 100 million votes breaks down, I really wish they would release those. Good season American Idol. Truly the most talented bunch we've seen so far!

oh....and how awesome that Kara DioGuardi totally showed up bikini girl in both talent and physic. You get it Kara!

Make a Move

This weekend Jon and I started making the first move into the new house. We still have a little sprucing up to do though. Saturday I spent 3 hours scrubbing a wall to get stupid wallpaper glue off. This dedication to my new little house came at a cost though, on Sunday morning I could barely lift my right arm :( However, this will save us time and money on the house which I am okay with. But my shoulder is not in agreement. We also learned how to replace a thermostat, yay us! I feel like this is going to be an awesome learning experience for us. Before now, I had no idea about appliances, flooring, roofing, foundations, landscaping, etc. But soon enough I will. We have a guy that is supposed t0 come by tomorrow to texture our walls and then the painting will ensue! I thought this would be a much faster process, but I am learning patience.

Yesterday we also got some moving done! I packed up most of the office/2nd bedroom to move it over. After the first load, I realized how much longer this takes than just throwing it in the car. So we made 2 more loads of just packing whatever was not attached to something into Jon's car. The good and bad part about this initial move is that I now really understand what an extra 1000 square feet does, it dwarfs all the furniture you have. Honestly, the house looks the exact same as before we started moving things. This just makes me realize how much more furniture we need to buy, good for me and bad for Jon. Which reminds me! We made our first big purchase, other than the house itself. We got our fridge!! It is sooo pretty! We won't officially get it until next weekend though. Beal's has some great deals if you are looking for appliances. They have a 'damaged' room with really nice appliances that stores can't sell because of dings or scratches. Ours was an overstocked item in perfect shape that was about 30% off! Also, in case you are in the market...May 23rd is a "no tax for energy star appliance day" in Texas. Just fyi.

Well that's all for now. Hopefully I'll get some new pics soon of the house all painted! yay!!

Happy (belated) Mother's Day

This weekend I had the pleasure of visiting many moms! Luckily Mam-ma came down with a friend from church who was having surgery. She was helping her in her post-op and keeping her company during the several weeks she is in Dallas. I could not pass up the chance to see Mam-ma, so Jon and I packed up went to Dallas Saturday after graduation. On the way we had pleasure of eating lunch with Jon's family and seeing his aunts and Maw-maw (not to be confused with Mam-ma). We stopped to see them in Weatherford for a few hours, then eventually made it to Dallas. That night, me, Jon, Mom, Dad, and Mam-ma went out to eat at Houlihan's. I had a very interesting Noodle bowl, which I wouldn't recommend. I would recommend the stuffed chicken. YUM! Mom always knows best and picks the yummiest thing on the menu! We called it an early night.

Sunday we got up and went to church at Prestoncrest Church of Christ with the Wenzels! yay! I haven't been to that church before but it was beautiful! Mom and Mam-ma were, of course, adorned with their corsages. This was the first year Mam-ma had to wear white roses in over 55 years. What a blessing to have your mother around that long!! In addition to seeing the Wenzels, I also had the pleasure of running into Sarah Dean Smith! and I got to see her precious little boy. Happy first mother's day Sarah!!!

After church we went out to lunch at La Madeline with the Wenzels. Tomato Basil soup! yum!! But we had to hit the road shortly after. Many more moms to see!! Next we headed to see Grammy. Jon's grandma on his dad's side. We visited them for about an hour. Showing house pictures and catching up. Discussing the most reliable electricity companies, a civil suit against Michelin tires, etc. We left with two packs of rootbeer in hand, score! Then we headed over to aunt Jo's to visit Maw Maw. They had a brisket cookout, but seeing as it was 4 pm it wasn't really chow time. We again showed pictures of the house, and made it out of there with brisket and rolls. How are we so luck! So I'm sure you can guess what we had for dinner that night!

To all you mothers out there, I can't imagine where we would be without you. Thank you for your guidance, friendship, nourishment, reliance, support, sacrifice and unconditional love. You deserve more than one day of celebration, so just know that every day we succeed in life you are praised.

Today is the day

We are closing on our house in T-minus 1 hr and 41 minutes, that is as long as everything has gone through at the bank. We haven't gotten the official thumbs up yet and we are just hoping it all goes okay. I'm debating whether or not to take our camera...is that a weird thing to take into a meeting with the realtor, lawyers and bank people? I just want to document everything. I can't wait to get our little picture with the SOLD sign in front of our house. Hopefully I will get to put up a post with that later.

My mom and dad are so excited that they are coming into town tomorrow night to stay with us and see the house/help with ideas. The last thing I want to do tonight is clean house :(....I actually wouldn't mind starting to pack! Maybe mom can help with that a bit too! I'm debating taking Friday off to hang out with them. It would stink for them to be in town and us have to work all day. I love when they come up to visit so I'm super excited! Hopefully they will bring Sophie for a visit too!

Dog search is commencing tomorrow! Yes, it is true! Jon has finally approved our search for a dog with money in hand. We are still open about which kind of dog to get, but we are leaning towards a Labradoodle or the new dark horse in the race, an English Springer Spaniel. If you know of anyone selling them pray tell asap! Here are pics of the two types of puppies. Which do you think?


Springer Spaniel



Labradoodle



Have a blessed day!

Krystina