TX Friends and Going Home

It was a fun-filled six days in Texas! The time flew too quickly but I am so thankful for the friends and family we were able to see while there.  We made some very special memories.

Friends:
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We arrived on Wednesday afternoon at Brad's parents house. The next day, Beth, Nate, Luke and Ruth Ann came to Dallas to go to the World Aquarium with us and to hang out for the day. But before all that fun started, early in the morning, my friend Angela and I had breakfast at Bread Winners (click here to go to their web-site). I exaggerate not, when I say it was truly amazing, it may very well be the best breakfast I have ever eaten. We started out with an assortment of breads, my favorite being the zucchini bread.  And then for the main course, I chose the French Ham Benedict which included a croissant, 2 over easy eggs, ham, fresh asparagus, hollandaise sauce.  Served with brunch potatoes.  Yummy. Angela had Monterrey Enchiladas which included 2 flour tortillas filled eggs and cheddar,  topped with queso, ranchero sauce, pico de gallo. served with black beans and brunch potatoes. We each gave a sampling to the other of our breakfast. Both were INCREDIBLE!!!  It was wonderful catching up with my sweet friend over a delicious breakfast.

Leigha, Jillian, Macie, "Annie", Faith, me, Anna, Ryder, and Elizabeth
Mary Ann and Gary were two of my parents best friends when I was growing up!  I have many fun memories of us going to their house to play games, enjoying church picnics, ice-cream socials, Mr. Gatti's pizza, and then as we got older going on family vacations together.  Not only were our families close, but my mom and Mary Ann knew one another intimately and were faithful prayer warriors for each other.

Mary Ann and Gary have continued to stay involved in my life and they bless me by praying everyday for our family, just as they do for their two biological children and their families. When little Jillian was born, they flew to Maryland to meet her; they did the same for Faith when she was born in England. The girls have been given the honor of calling Mary Ann "Annie" and Gary "Papa" just like their grandkids call them!  :-)

Elizabeth (Mary Ann's daughter) was my play-mate and a sweet friend as we were growing up and now she is the mommy to two kids! Up to this day, I never had the opportunity to meet Elizabeth's adorable kids.  Her husband serves in our military and they have been stationed in California and Colorado ever since having kids (we are friends on Facebook and send one another Christmas cards with updates).  But now that Ryan is deployed overseas, she is staying with her parents for the duration of his deployment. I was overjoyed to see her and am keeping her beautiful family in my prayers.

Deetz, Given, and Sandy with our family at Daniel's wedding.
Sandy was one of my mom's best friends and loved my mom very dearly. Right before this photo was taken, in tears, Mrs. Shepherd told me she felt my mom's presence at the wedding. She also said, she knew how very happy and proud my mom would have been for Daniel.  It meant a lot for me to hear those words from her.  I feel especially blessed to have people in my life who remember, and miss my mom right along with me.
I was also super excited to see Given again,  Given is Sandy and Deetz's adopted son, they also have three daughters (just like we do). Given first came to America as a member of the Zambian Acapella Choir over 14 years ago. He has a remarkable story and is one the most humble and kind men. Right now, he is living out his dream to be a dentist and is currently enrolled in dental school.
To read more about Given and his testimony, click here to read: "African Teen Victim of Modern Day Slavery",  and here  to read A Christianity Today article "Free at Last".

The same day our family went to the Waco Children's Museum, one of my longest friends from child-hood called to see if we could get together before our family left the next day.  Amy and I enjoyed sitting in a coffee shop and catching up on one another's lives! She is one of most joy-filled ladies I
have ever been privileged to know and I loved being able to hear all that God is doing in her life!  Very soon, she is hoping to travel for a three month-long mission trip to Iraq to minister to kids.

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Going Home:

At the DFW airport getting ready to fly back to Maryland.

Brad was able to get Anna to fall asleep in his arms! 

Isn't she a precious baby?

In the meantime, I sat with Jillian and Faith on the other side of the aisle. We had fun coloring, reading books, drinking our juice, and even watching a movie on the portable DVD player.

When we arrived back in DFW, we stopped at TGI Fridays for some dinner.  We were trying to avoid traffic by waiting a little longer before getting on the road, but it turned out that there was a big accident. So there was no avoiding the traffic and it took close to an hour and a half for us to get back home, but we were really happy when we made it!