Hi Nancy :)

Thanks for dinner tonight..and for REAL Dr. Pepper. I am so relieved to finally know the true original taste of those 32 flavors! :)

Terrific in Texas

Texas is not exactly my first choice of places to live on this planet...getting used to it has been full of challenges. However, I've discovered that when I look for them, there are some really great things about this state (which, might I remind all you Texans, is exactly what Texas is--a state. One state that together, with all the other 49, make up the UNITED States, which is a nation. Texas--albeit a very big state--is not a country or nation in itself, despite what you are apparently taught here. Sorry for bursting your bubble. Actually, I'm not. You had it coming.).

Okay, so I thought it might help me to remember these good things about Texas, the state, if I wrote them down. So as long as we live here, every time I think of another excellent feature of life in the state of Texas, I'm going to post it. Maybe by the time we leave I'll have convinced some of you to move down here!! :)

Today's Terrific in Texas is the extended Autumn and Spring seasons. I was very disappointed with the "cold" season and am still deeply mourning the loss of a meaningful winter (one in which I actually wear my winter coat), but on the flip side, there are really long periods of time where the weather hovers between 50 and 70, which is what I believe Heaven weather will be maintained at. :) It's the kind of weather that, to me, doesn't really belong in any season and does not make me feel like it is any certain time of the year (which is why I think it'd make excellent temperatures for eternity), but it is just plain nice, easy, uncomplicated and undemanding weather...it doesn't interfere with outdoors plans or make other tasks (like hauling groceries up three flights of stairs) difficult (or any more difficult, I should say).

Someone will have to remind me this summer, when it is over 100 degrees for 30 days in a row, that I actually was thankful for Texas weather at one point. :)

Still kickin'!

Hello? Hello? [tap tap tap] Is this thing on? Can you hear me? [loud screech of feedback] Oops, sorry about that.

Um, hi. :) I know it's been several months since we've posted anything new...to be honest, I haven't had the motivation. I've sort of been in hibernation mode this year, preferring to think things through quietly and privately rather than in front of the general public. Today, though, I suddenly felt like connecting to the outside world again, and I thought this might be a good way to begin. :)

We are doing well here in Texas. I think we've adjusted well and have settled into a decent pace of life; we are connecting well with other people and we are finding our own niche here. I think this might be the first time in our married life that we can say that! It is nice to feel like you belong to the community you live in. Nate is now a Manager at Macaroni Grill and I am working at a Starbucks, eagerly anticipating (finally) starting nursing school on May 12.

On a deeper level, God has been doing some major construction on us both this year...lots of healing, lots of learning, and, thankfully, lots of laughing at the realization of how silly and ridiculous we can both be! I sort of feel like we are at the point most couples are at right before or right after they get married; we are growing together, learning how to do this dance without knocking each other over. When we got married almost three years ago, neither of us understood how much individual growing we both had to do or how marriage would magnify those shortcomings, and it took two years of wrong turns and bad decisions before we saw what a mess we'd created. So we've spent much of the last few months trying to undo the damage we did in ignorance throughout our first two years together...it has been messy, but very, very beautiful. :)

We are excited about what lies ahead for us in the next few months--I am thrilled to start nursing school, and we are thinking about buying a fixer-upper down here and plugging our money into that instead of paying so much in rent. Houses are very cheap here right now; we are able to buy a good-sized home for much the same as my parents would have paid for their first home thirty years ago! Then, when I graduate next August, hopefully we'll be able to sell it for at least what we put into it. If not, there are several large universities in the area and rental property is in high demand. So that's something we're looking into.

*whew* Lots of changes, but lots of good. We thank God every day for the rich blessings He has bestowed upon us and the grace He has shown us this year!!

Texas

Now that we are here in Texas and are basically settled, I thought it would be a good time to update everybody as to how things are! Things are good :) We now live in an apartment complex in Arlington, TX, about 1/2 mile from the Texas Rangers Stadium and about the same distance from the new Cowboys Stadium. It is basically right between Dallas and Ft. Worth off of Interstate 30. I have never been much a big city person, but there are definitely some things that I am finding out that I like. The biggest one being how easy it is to get to anything. There are so many places to shop and eat and most all of them are close. Also I like that there are things to do any given night of the week. It is a different matter to be able to afford to go do them, but it is nice to know that we could do them. Our apartment is great and is plenty for the two of us and Jasper, but it is definitely a huge change from the monster house we had in WV. It has been good for us to realize all the random stuff we kept just because we could and we have been able to get rid of some things that should have gone a while ago.
Maria has a job at the YMCA that is seriously less than a block from our apartment building. There are actually other buildings in our apartment complex that as as far away, if not farther, than the YMCA. This has been great as far as working out, it takes alot less effort to get motivated to go when you only have to walk a block or so instead of drive 10-15 minutes. Anyway...she likes the work there and is even considering picking up another part time job at some point until nursing school starts in May. As of today (I accepted the job this morning) I am a Manager (in training) at a local Macaroni Grill. I am a little nervous about it as it will be moving into an environment I do not have much experience in, but I am excited about the work, it pays well enough for us, has great benefits and room for advancement. At this point I am not exactly sure when I start, but it should be in the next few weeks or so. So God has really taken care of our needs in this arena and I am thankful for his provision.
We also have found a home church and sunday school/group of friends which has been great! We are attending First Baptist Church of Euless, Tx which is where my Aunt and Uncle that live here attend. It has been a great for us, especially in that we have been able to connect with a group at the church that is made of people that have been married around 3 years or less and don't have kids. We have already made some friends in that group and have been able to go to some different things with them, which has been a real blessing. The church is a great place to grow in the Lord and for us to build and work on our marriage, which is really why we are here anyway.
I suppose that just about does if for the quick update, hopefully we will find some time to keep updating our blog and keep you all informed on life in Texas. I hope that you are all well and apologize for the long break in posts. Till next time!! :)

Bachelor

It has been approx. 1 month since Maria and I said tearful goodbyes and she left me for the lone star state. It has been a most interesting month since she left. I have realized some things:

1. My clothes don't wash themselves. (sad but true).
2. I think my dog likes my wife more than me (I think it is because she walks
him more regularly than I do..).
3. I can't cook (at least not well).
4. It is weird to sleep in a big bed by yourself every night after having
another person with you there for so long.
5. I don't shave as much when nobody is going to be kissing me (and my dog
doesn't count).
6. I watch way to much TV when I am bored.
7. I eat better, sleep better, get more done with my day, am more disciplined
and overall am probably just a better person when Maria is with me.
8. It is hard for me to drink a whole gallon of milk by myself before it
expires.
9. I actually like yogurt with granola in it. Wierd.

I am sure there is more, but these are just some of my initial 1st month of being apart observations. Maybe I will do one of these every month just to let you know what I am learning about me. There have been more deep spiritual lessons and marriage lessons learned as well, but I will save those for later.

Who wants to play balderdash?

I remember when I was growing up, we used to eat some of our Holiday meals at my Grandpa and Grandma Gibson's house. I suppose I should mention that they really were not my actual grandparents, there were my Uncle's wife's parents. So we really were not related, but since my dad's parents died before I ever knew them, I came to know the Gibson's as Grandpa and Grandma.

Anyway, one of my memories of being there was when the whole family would get together and play games. There were many games we played, but for some unknown reason to me, I will always remember playing Balderdash. I imagine that because I was still fairly young and I have a very creative uncle and two people who work in a medical field in my family and the definitions created by them for different words, were often quite funny to me. Maybe it was just being together and laughing that I remember, or maybe something else, but whatever it was, I have a very fond affection for Balderdash now. It makes me feel good to think of it as a game, despite the fact that I probably do not enjoy it as much now as I did then.

Well, the point of all of this is that I have recently come across a video of a guy who asks his friends if they want the play Balderdash and it made me laugh. I am not sure if you would think it was funny, but I can just see myself running into a room full of my family (when I was younger of couse, I would never do this now) and begging them to come play Balderdash or some other game with me. I know now, you are all curious, so here is the video

Transitions

First, I want to thank all of you who have prayed for us throughout the last few weeks/months. There has been too much going on to tell you everything, but know that we have appreciated your support more than you know. With that said, here is the basic update on the Lails.

We are moving.

We came to the realization through some different circumstances in our life and marriage that we needed to be nearer to some people who could be an encouragement and example for us, for a time. We both feel as if we lacked the example of strong Christian marriage growing up and we are starting to see some of the effects of that in our marriage. So as we talked about it, there was really only one place we felt really fit the bill for both of us, Texas.

Now, we don't really like Texas all that much as we are both mountain people, not desert people. And we like to have all four seasons and see snow, not just have hot all the time, but the people who are there are why we are going. I have a very Godly Aunt and Uncle who live there and four sets of cousins (all older than me) who are all married and have at least two kids. All five of these marriages function very well and all have there center in Christ. Additionally, Maria and I feel more as if they are our family, instead of mine or hers. Granted they are connected to me, but we got to know them together and that has made a big difference. Also, they all attend different great churches and have resources (like counseling, etc) that we can plug into immediately and that is what we need right now.

So, I will be quiting my job (I have already informed my employer) on Nov. 1st, hopefully sooner if they can get my replacement here. Maria has already "moved" down there and will be working on finding a job and place for us to live. She will be living with my Aunt and Uncle. Also, she is going to be getting into the nursing program at TCU, which should have her finished with a BSN in about two and half years. I will be needing to find a job when I get there, so that remains an item of concern, for those of you would like to pray for us.

So...I guess that is sort of it in a nutshell. Of course there is so much more to the story, but I think this is all that needs to be said for now. I am grateful that the Lord has brought us both to a place where we are looking for and willing to receive the help and advice of others, and I look forward to seeing our marriage grow and seeing God become more of the center of it. The future is a little scary at this point, and being apart for three months or so is also scary, but we are excited and hopeful and trusting that the Lord will use this to do great things in and through us.

Lastly, thanks again to those of you who have kept us in your prayers. It really means more than you know! Lots of Love to all of you!