branson!

here is my summer day schedule these days: sleeping until 8:30 or 9, drink coffee and watch regis & kelly, workout, take Gunner on a walk/run around the park, have a long, quiet time with my Jesus on the porch, clean, go to Target or the grocery store, make dinner and wait for my hubby to get home from the hospital, enjoy time with the hubs, go on another walk with marky and gun, watch hgtv, go to bed.

all to say, I haven't had much to do. so..... last week I drove to Branson to be with my family while Mark was on call and at the hospital.

It was a wonderful trip! My mom and I shopped and went to see Peter Pan (the broadway show with Cathy Rigby is in Branson this summer! it was amazing), we ate some yummy food, played at Kamp with the Coopers like the old days, had a cookout, went to the new Saturday night service at church and just spent some great time together!! I also got to stop in Fayetteville and meet my dear friend Katie's little boy Sawyer. What a cutie!

I couldn't love my family more and am so so thankful for such a wonderful, relaxing time with them.... especially since, I AM NOW EMPLOYED! more on that to come...

God's Masterpiece

Amazing how God knows exactly what we need to hear at the exact right time. This video brought me to tears. What an awesome picture they paint of God literally chiseling away our humanly sins and desires only to reveal Him in us! I pray that I will live that out and see myself as the masterpiece God has created! I loved the part where the man said, "God, I feel like I've let you down!" to which God replied, "How could you ever let me down? You're not holding me up! I'M HOLDING YOU UP!" awe.some. The past few weeks that is totally and completely how I have felt... like the only way I'm persevering is because of the Lord's strength and nothing of my own. Thank you Jesus. I could never make it without you.

You have to watch this. I pray God will speak to you in the way He did me!

As dear Spike White used to say, "God don't make no junk!"

nothing...

Not too much going on in the Mason household.

I'm still on the job search - lots of interviews - but nothing permanent yet...

Mark is busy busy running around the hospital playing doctor :) ...

Gunner is my best buddy these days and is enjoying getting to be inside so much...

So excited for our friends Brad and Heidi and their precious baby boy, Jack...

My newest hobby is sewing.... placemats, cushions for the bar stools, curtains, baby onesies

(these are the curtains in our dining room that Mark's mom and grandma helped me make - the rod needs to be raised but we just haven't gotten around to that yet)

(these are the onesies I made for Lindsay's baby, Avery)

Made this yummy yummy Lemonade Tea from Southern Living... you should try it!

I even put it in a big fun cookie jar too :)

So, that's about all for now. Happy Monday.

dance

confession: I am and always have been obsessed with So You Think You Can Dance!! I tivo the shows so I can go back and watch the dances numerous times. I definitely spend way too much time on you tube watching dances from the previous seasons! I want to dance in a Tyce Diorio number. Wade, Mia, Tabitha and Napoleon are all geniuses. I think Cat Deely is awkward and Mary's hot tamale train is way too loud.... but other than that it's my favorite show on tv by far! I think everyone on the show is extremely talented (even though many of them are pretty weird!) Just thought I should share ....

here are some of my fav dances from this season:

in love.

On 7.7.07 Mark and I got married! I cannot believe how fast the time gone and what all has happened since that wonderful day in July two years ago.

We have so many fantastic memories from our first two years of marriage and I can't wait to see what else the Lord has in store for us. I truly grow more in love with my dear hubby every day and couldn't be more thankful for what an incredible man and husband he is. He is always there to support, laugh, encourage, challenge and love me. I don't know what I'd do without him.

Here we are at a fun, romantic dinner on 7.7.09:

Sweet Quote:

"Duty can pack an adequate sack lunch, but love may decide to enclose a little love note inside.... Obligation sends the children to bed on time, but love tucks the covers in around their necks and passes out kisses and hugs (even to teenagers!) .... Duty gets offended quickly if it isn't appreciated, but love learns to laugh a lot and to work for the sheer joy of doing it. Obligation can pour a glass of milk, but quite often, love adds a little chocolate."

(from 'Love Adds a Little Chocolate' quoted in 'Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World')

my happy place

We spent the week of July 4th in Perdido Key, Florida with my family hanging out at the beach - my favorite place in the whole world. It was the most wonderful week ever! The weather was perfect and the water was crystal clear most of the time. We had a blast laying out, laughing, working on puzzles, playing in the waves on the sand bar in the ocean, eating awesome food, shopping and just being together. I am so thankful for such an incredible family and for the time we get to spend together!

Kaitlyn (my brother's girlfriend) and my cousins Anna and Aimee:

all the cousins:

We all drove from Perdido Key to the Hallums (my cousins') house in Baton Rouge on the 4th and my aunt and uncle hosted a big shrimp boil! It was amazing!

They surprised Mark and I with a cake to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary! So sweet!

It was a great getaway.... especially since the day we got back Mark started his third year of med school in Amarillo and it has been a whirlwind ever since. I feel like I have hardly seen him all week :( He is enjoying it but he has to work 12 hour days at the hospital and is just exhausted. I've heard this week was the worst though... so we'll see. I hope it gets better! I miss my hubby but couldn't be more proud of him.