Deep in the Heart of Texas-May Travels

Our summer travels began in May as we made the day long drive down to Texas to visit "home".  With baby on board we split the day in two and spent the night in Tulsa along the way. We even drove through Moore, OK less than two days before the big Tornado hit. Upon reaching Fort Worth, the girls exclaimed "we made it to Texas"-thanks to their favorite bedtime book "Goodnight Cowtown" they recognized the skyline.  There is something very special about Fort Worth as it is Bobby's hometown and also the place where we met, got married, and although we left for two years, we returned and started our family there.  A return to the familiarity of home was met with the reality that things have changed in the two years we've been gone and that, perhaps, St. Louis has become more home than we realized.

Trips to Texas always seem hectic as there are so many different people to visit and connect with.  Along the way, our home base was Bobby's parents.  The girls loved being with Nan and Poppy and having our dog Kali with us for those two weeks.  We appreciate the good meals and the comfortable bed that Bobby's brother Mark lent us (I'm sure he really enjoyed the air mattress for two weeks).  We also got to spend some time visiting Bobby's extended family  and introducing them to our new addition Eley, especially his grandparents Bill and Bernice Scott.  We are incredibly blessed to have three sets of our grandparents still alive and cherish the time we and the girls get to spend with them.

While in town Bobby was able to preach at our home church St. Paul Lutheran Fort Worth (www.stpaulfw.org and we worshiped with our family there twice.  We miss the people there and are so grateful for the support and prayers being offered by the congregation.  They are wonderful people who have walked with us through our ministry journey.  Bobby was also able to share about The Foundation for Called Workers (www.tfcw.org) during Sunday school hour.  The message of providing support for our clergy was well received, it is wonderful to be an ambassador for a cause he cares so deeply about.  Later in the trip we had dinner at Martin and Theresa Danner's home (Martin is one of the pastors at St. Paul and they are Maddie's godparents) and enjoyed the brief time to catch up.  Working in ministry is so wonderful because of the connections made, but so hard because of the people you leave behind.  We pray for St. Paul and its leadership regularly, you are our family.

One of the many highlights of the trip was our opportunity to meet one of our Adopt A Student sponsors Gorlyn and Jane Bronstad. They treated us to an incredible steak dinner in the Stockyards and we enjoyed wonderful conversation and a great evening.  It was very humbling to meet in person people who have been praying for us and providing considerable financial support during these two years.  Although they are "strangers", their open hearts, kind words, and sense of humor made us feel like family within minutes.  I believe we have made life long friends.

Angie was also able to spend two days working at The Parenting Center (www.theparentingcenter.org) and enjoyed seeing her colleagues face to face as she typically connects only through phone calls and emails.  The agency is growing and changing and Angie is so glad the gift of her continued employment with them even from a distance.

We joined Angie's college roommate and some of our best friends Missy, Ben and Henry Angeley for Memorial Day weekend and were able to celebrate Henry's forth birthday, a shower for their baby girl Georgia, who arrived in July and swimming and grilling at their home.  It is so nice to have friends who accept you and your travel weary children just as they are and who you can just be yourself with.  We miss you Angeleys!

Finally, we made a family trip to Austin to see Bobby's college friends (Lee and Julie Knouse and Nick and Patty Lawrence) and connect with the ministry team of ACTS Church (www.actschurchlakeway.com).  It was great to show the girls Austin and enjoy a short "family vacation" amidst the chaos of the trip.    We even got to share breakfast with a family friend Britni McCotter on her birthday.  The girls bought special princess tiaras for the occasion.  Austin is a wonderful city and filled with lots of memories for Bobby.  It was good to revisit and hear about the cool things happening there.  God is moving in Austin.

The biggest blessing of the trip was the fact that we got to spend time with our old neighbors who happen to be family.  Bobby's sister Nichol, husband Mark and kids Parker (6) and Cooper (3) were very hard to leave when we packed up from the "compound" as we called it to head to St. Louis.  We had spent three years as next door neighbors, sharing meals, having babies, watching kids, and many late night drinks on the front porch.  When we look back at our time in Fort Worth, those will be some of the most significant memories etched.   The cousins got to play together, adults enjoyed conversation just like the good ole days.  We left Texas feeling refreshed and ready for a crazy June.

To our Texas Family, WE LOVE AND MISS YOU!  Thank you for being a part of our lives and for being a great place to call "home base".  We will be back again soon.