workin' men.

My boys working hard on the car... I think Mark was changing the oil filter or something. After a lot of tools and lots of grease and oil everywhere.... he did it. I was so proud. He's such a fix-it-man just like my daddy. I love it.

In other news, I'm officially not a very good wait-er. I feel like we're "waiting" on everything right now and as much as I like to say I am laid back and go-with-the-flow, this has been so hard for me. I know God is good and that he will provide in his timing, but that doesn't mean it's not hard.

We decided to raise the white flag and get a realtor and our house is now on the mls site. We're praying that we'll get some offers in the next couple of weeks, especially since we're hoping to make the big move by the end of May.

I've also had a couple of interviews with jobs in Amarillo, but not so sure about them. The job search is pretty discouraging these days, but again I know God has a plan for me in Amarillo and has the perfect place where he wants to use me, teach me and grow me. I can't wait to find out where that will be. Today Mark and I even talked about me being a teacher!? I'll keep you posted :)

"The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands." Psalm 138:8

do not waver

"Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his FAITH and gave GLORY TO GOD, being fully persuaded that God had POWER to do what HE had promised." Romans 4:20-21

(my papa sent me this photo today -from his iphone i must add- of his beautiful Queen Elizabeth roses. sweetest man in the entire world!)

Texas Shrimp Boil

We've been wanting to have a shrimp boil for a while and finally got to do it a few weekends ago with the Cawyers and the Agans. Taryn taught us all how to fry hushpuppies and I boiled shrimp, potatoes, corn and mushrooms. Not quite as good as my Uncle Trent's shrimp boil.... but we had a blast!

Happy 25th Birthday Hubby!

On Monday, April 13, Mark Donald Mason turned 25-years-old! Wow! I really wanted to make this birthday special for him and one that he wouldn't forget.

I am really not very good at planning surprises, but I thought I would give it a try this year. It was pretty much a total flop. haha. I told Mark we were having dinner at a friends house the week before his birthday, but then I was going to blindfold him and take him the Las Brisas (our fav restaurant) and all our friends would be there and yell "surprise!!" Yeah, that didn't really work. The timing was off, mark refused to wear the blindfold, the table wasn't ready, Chase had an important interview and was late...... oh well. Mark still loved the dinner and we had fun, as always. We're not ready to leave our wonderful Lubbock friends yet!! Another surprise (which actually worked), I had an angel food cake from Sugarbakers ready at the restaurant! It was so yummy!
On his actual birthday, our dear friends Chris & Denae and their little one, Will, came over for another angel food cake (obviously Mark's fav) but this time I made it myself and I must say, even though it wasn't that pretty, it was quite good - especially when topped with strawberries, ice cream and whipped cream! Happy Birthday Mark! I love you.

He is Risen

We had so much fun in Amarillo with the Mason family during Easter weekend. Inspired by the Masters, Mark and his dad played golf on Saturday morning and then joined Lisa and I for a house hunting marathon for the rest of the day. We saw 15 houses and of course the one we fell in love with we found out already has a contract on it :( so sad. But we're trying to stay positive and we know there must be something better out there just waiting for us. I guess we need to sell our house first anyway!

Church was wonderful on Easter Sunday, even though it was freezing. I always love all the lilies and pretty Easter dresses. It makes me excited to wear white now! yay. We ate a REALLY yummy Easter lunch at the Masons' and then spent the afternoon watching the Masters and sitting around the fire pit in the backyard. What a great weekend.

BE NEAR

I was driving down Indiana Ave yesterday, belting out these words, with tears streaming down my cheeks and the Lord just really spoke to me about how real and how wonderful it is to TRUST IN GRACE THOUGH FAITH as we truly draw NEAR to Him! Praise Jesus for his faithfulness and for his comfort in times of need.... No matter what's going on in our lives, HE is all we need.

by Shane and Shane
(from Psalms 73:28; 139)

You are all
big and small
beautiful
and wonderful
to trust in grace through faith
but i'm asking to taste...

for dark is light to You
depths are height to You
far is near
but Lord, i need to hear from You

be near, oh God
be near, oh God of us
Your nearness is to us our good
be near, oh God
be near, oh God of us
Your nearness is to us our good, our good

Your fullness is mine
revelation divine
but, o, to taste
to know much more than a page
to feel Your embrace...

for dark is light to You
the depths are height to You
far is near, but Lord
i need to hear from You

be near, oh God
be near, oh God of us
Your nearness is to us our good
be near, oh God
be near, oh God of us
Your nearness is to us our good, our good

Hosanna in the Highest!

They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

"Hosanna!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Blessed is the King of Israel!"

high wind warning

from weather.com today....

WESTERLY WINDS BETWEEN 35 AND 45 MPH... WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 60 MPH... WILL CONTINUE THIS AFTERNOON BEFORE GRADUALLY DIMINISHING BELOW 30 MPH EARLY THIS EVENING. UNTIL THEN... AREAS OF BLOWING DUST WILL BE CAPABLE OF REDUCING VISIBILITIES TO A MILE OR LESS AT TIMES... ESPECIALLY NEAR OPEN FIELDS AND CONSTRUCTION AREAS.

You wouldn't believe this dust storm even if you saw it with your own eyes. The whole city is brown. There's dust in my ears, eyes and yes, my teeth. sick. It is extremely difficult to open doors and hilarious to try to walk around outside. You literally get blown away. I just had to share. Sorry, but it can't be captured in a photo... you'll just have to imagine. What a day!

For Sale.

We're trying to sell our house by owner and are having a hard time getting the word out and getting people to come look at it. I know it will sell in God's timing but if you happen to know anyone who is looking for a house in Lubbock, please send them our way! Here's our Web site... www.mynewhouse2009.com. We will probably have to get a realtor in the next couple of weeks - which will mean we'll most likely lose a lot of money - so please spread the word if you can!! Thanks for your help!

kitchen

living room

guest bedroom #1

master bedroom

backyard & new patio

Happy Spring!

Is this not the sweetest photo?

Daydreaming about being here instead of in my office today!

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Jeremiah 29:11-13

resolution #5

One of my New Year's resolutions was to actually finish a crossword puzzle - since I am now 24 and had never finished one. I am proud to say that (with a little help from my dear Kaitlyn to figure out "above to a poet = OER" duh) I have officially completed my first crossword puzzle!! Yes, it was out of people magazine... but hey, that still counts. Check it off the list. I think my next resolution is to drink more milk.... why is that so hard for me? Does it count if I mix hershey's chocolate in with it? Maybe I'll try that tonight as I watch Danny get kicked off Idol. Yeah right, Danny's gonna win it all!! Happy April Fools Day! ps. Abby, my co-worker, thought april fools day was on April 15. ha. thanks for always making me laugh, Abby!!