Lions, Tigers, & Bears

Ok, well not lions and tigers, but yes bears. This past weekend we went to Waco to not only visit Katie's Nanny, but also to attend Baylor Homecoming festivities with her mom. It was Chris' first real taste of Baylor, so that was fun. You will see a picture below - Note the color shirt Chris wore and how descriptive the picture is of our personalities and relationship. We saw the parade, walked around campus, visited the bears, and ate some BBQ outside the game. It was a beautiful, fun day despite some strange setbacks - First, Chris showed off his skills by changing a tire after one on the car went from full to flat in less than a minute. Next, Chris being the scientist that he is, slipped and injured his shoulder while exploring a nearby creek. We're just glad the flat tire came before the creek...He's headed to the doctor this week, so we'll see what the diagnosis is soon (Katie's opinion doesn't count since she's not a nurse yet...haha).

On Sunday we entered a chili cookoff with our apartment community and had a great time cooking together. We started with Chris' mom's favorite chili and added our own twist: fresh jalapenos and diced jalapeno cheese pork sausage. Our "Bottom Burner Chili" did not win the actual contest, but it now has many fans. We're sure it will be a regular at our house from now on.

Life changes update: We have finally decided what our plans are for the year(s) to come. Pending Katie's acceptance letter to TWU (which is on its way), we will be staying where we are in Dallas for the next two years. After discovering that the UTMB program, despite its online courses, would require her to be in the Houston area basically 6 days a week, we decided we liked actually seeing each other :) We know this is what many of you have been praying for, and we're glad that we are finally at peace with such a big decision. Hopefully Chris' job will work out accordingly, so keep that in your prayers.

The Rollercoaster

Well just because we haven't posted in awhile doesn't mean that it has been a slow few weeks. It has been packed full of fun times, sad times, and information we have been waiting for.

Chris has been getting into duck hunting lately, so in addition to having duck decoys stacked in our living room, he was able to go with a friend on a quick hunting trip to Galveston a few weeks ago. He returned with no ducks, but since he never leaves home without a fishing pole, we now have fish to cook. That same weekend we visited PawPaw in Louisiana. Driving all weekend is a trend for us now, as you will see...

The next weekend Katie's Dad took us to the State Fair of Texas. We always love spending the day there together, and aside from a few brief showers, the weather was perfect. No fried butter for us, but we did have some fair staples: corn dog, sausage on a stick, pinapple soft serve. We were sure that by this time we would have bought our new vehicle, but no luck - We are still looking and were able to sit in a couple of our favorites at the Fair's car show. No pictures this year, but here's a picture from last year's trip.

In the job area, we were faced with an incredibly difficult decision, but have made it through. We are staying in Dallas, so it's nice to have some sense of stability. Katie was asked to interview with UTMB, so we are getting closer in that arena as well. Both schools should send out letters in the next few weeks...At this point, we don't even know which we prefer and it looks like we might have to be the ones to pick. There will be much prayerful consideration over the next few weeks.

Finally, Chris' Grandad passed away about a week ago. Although he had been growing more sick the past couple months, it still feels like it happened so quickly. We were blessed to have had the opportunity to spend a lot of time together with him over the past few years, and we will miss him incredibly. It is always nice when we get to take a trip and visit family, but this one we would rather have not had to take. We love you Grandad!